Yesterday my husband and I decided to take a road trip from our home just NE of Des Moines to the Loess hills, a geographically interesting area in western Iowa. I spent hours the week before looking up interesting things to see and visit (for me), food (for us), and B roads (for him). The whole route was about 7.5 hours of driving, so perfect for a day trip.
We left home about 10 am after sleeping in and doing chicken/duck chores. We had decided to take the White Pole Road so we headed south. Our first stop was in Dexter, IA at Drew's Chocolates. This little shop was located in the basement of a residential house. It is so small that the sign on the door asks you to wait outside if there is another car in the drive! We walked down some stairs and in the door to see a beautifully decorated for fall room. The display case in front of us held all their hand dipped chocolates and we were immediately offered samples by the friendly owners. They told us all about their history and family recipes, how no palm oil was added to their chocolates and the posted sign said that chocolate was good for our hearts. Of course, for the sake of health, we bought several boxes!
We continued to drive down the White Pole Road to Adair, where we had to get on Interstate 80. It's fast and efficient, but boring! Next stop was Doe's and Diva's Dairy. We traveled down some winding scenic gravel roads to get there and found a very Covid compliant outdoor store, selling soap and lotions and yarn on the honor system. Their products looked lovely but we were unable to buy anything as they only take cash and checks and we had not had the foresight to bring either, so be aware of that! By now we were hungry, so we traveled another 10 minutes to Stanley's Snack Shack. This delightful little outdoor cafe was built from a storage container! The menu features goat cheeses and seasonal goodies. We had the best BLT's we had ever had! Fresh tomatoes, cucumber salad and fried potatoes were all delicious sides. I also checked out the restroom.... small but very clean and cute. I highly recommend stopping here!
Back on the road again, we drove up the old Lincoln Highway to get onto the Loess Hills Scenic Byway. Of course we had to try a little off-the-main-road side trip and took The Sawmill Hollow loop (a level B road) where we discovered tranquil ponds and beautiful scenery.
The next stop was the Loess Hills lavendar Farm where we met two wonderful ladies who were delightful to talk soap and lavender with. They gave us samples of lavender jelly and fudge, and of course we went home with jars of jelly and some liquid lavender hand soap. It smelled divine!
We continued on the byway to the Loess Hills Scenic Overlook and we were not disappointed by the views, they were breathtaking! We continued to explore the B roads in and around the park and enjoy the fall colors. The trees were starting to turn, although I imagine the colors will be even brighter next week.
By this time we were hungry again, so we drove back to Pisgah to Dave's Old Home Café where we enjoyed home made hamburgers and Cokes. From there we drove north to hit the Lincoln Highway again and headed back home. By now it was dark, so not much to say about the trip home. Hope you enjoyed hearing about our road trip!
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