There are places, you know, where we just feel like we are home. One of those, for me, is Iowa. My roots run deep in the rural farmlands and in the towns that were built around cornfields, country schools, and churches.
For the last four days, my boy and I have driven hundreds of miles through the Iowa countryside in search of lakes, water parks, and family we haven’t seen in quite some time.
Oh my, have we had fun!
Our first stay was at scenic Storm Lake. It’s a small town, with a welcoming feel. We had two nights at the King’s Pointe Resort. It sits right next to the lake, so the lobby has a beautiful view.
It has a restaurant and one evening I had grilled walleye and shrimp. Yum!
Besides lake access, there are also indoor and outdoor water parks. We went down this orange slide!
There are some really cool parks around town. One has a really nice veterans memorial and a huge anchor from a 1943 ship.
We loved the Living Heritage Tree Museum. My favorite one was a tree that is a descendant of Johnny Appleseed’s tree.
Our time in Storm Lake was pretty amazing. The lodging, food, scenery, downtown bakery, water fun, and sunsets were definitely memory makers.
After Storm Lake, we stayed in the Spirit Lake/Okoboji area. Love those towns, too
Hope you’re having a wonderful Saturday.
Jessica
©️Copyright 2022 Unmeasured Journeys
Unmeasured Journeys 
Your photo entitled “vacation food” made me smile. We just returned from vacation, and I definitely ate differently than I normally do. My dad is from Iowa. I’ve visited there only a couple of times as a child. I still remember the fireflies (which we don’t have in California) and the smell of the farm. :)
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Hi. I love that your dad is from Iowa and that you’ve been there a couple times. Love that you remember the fireflies. They are definitely a warm summer thing. I didn’t know you don’t have them in California.
That’s true about the vacation food. That fish was walleye and I can’t even remember the last time I had it. It came with 2 sides so I got double fries. Ha ha. Forget the salad, give me the french fries.
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😋
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That is a gorgeous part of Iowa, which is a pretty state. My parents used to live in a tiny town called Peterson for several years, and I did enjoy visiting them there!
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Oh my gosh, I looked up Peterson on the map and I think we were only about 10 miles from there! After Storm Lake, we went up highway 71 towards Spencer and passed through Sioux Rapids. The map says Peterson is a little north and west of Sioux Rapids by 11 miles. :) Love that your parents lived there and that you went there.
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Iowa is a great State to travel around! Check out the bridges of Madison County sometime. So pretty and cool searching for them. Loved your pictures and narrative. Such fun I could just imagine being there!! 🌹❤️🌹
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Hi!!! We definitely have Iowa in common. Thank you for your nice compliments! Very sweet. I LOVE those Madison County Bridges, AND the movie!!! Mom loved that movie, too. ❤️💗❤️ Kiddo and I went across Iowa a year ago May and went to Pella, then the bridges. My favorite is Roseman Bridge. I cried when I saw the signs. Ha ha.
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So glad you’ve seen them and what a treat to do this travel with your son. I actually travelled all over Iowa in 2020 with my son and granddaughter, Francesca!! Movie may have inspired her name.. Special memories.
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Awww!!! How wonderful. I just now (about 10 minutes ago) watched Bridges of Madison County. I have not been able to watch it since mom passed. She loved that movie so much. Love that your granddaughter is named Francesca. ❤️
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Looks beautiful!!
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Hi. I bet you’d like it there. It’s quaint, unique, and friendly. We enjoyed it.
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Love this post and I read this to my hubby from Iowa, Jim Knoke. Her says the lake is quite near the huge metropolis of Knoke Iowa. A town with around 2 people! Enjoy დ
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Oh my gosh, I loveeeee that!!!! I haven’t been to Knoke, but I’ve been to several towns around it. The next time I’m in Iowa near that area, I will definitely go there! How fun would that be, to see it and share pictures of it??? I love that you read him this post. The huge metropolis made me laugh.
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Sounds like a wonderful time with your son. I really liked Iowa when we visited last summer. It was pretty and calm. The lake and sunset look beautiful. And the Living Heritage tree museum would be something I would be interested in. Thank you for your post! Safe travels!
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Hi Betty, I bet you’d love that tree museum. I’d never even heard of a tree museum before. Here is a link if you’d like to ‘see’ the trees and read the history. If you click on Virtual tours, it lists the trees.
https://www.stormlake.org/301/Heritage-Tree-Museum
The tree I really wanted to see was a descendant of Isaac Newton’s apple tree. We walked around the trees three times and never did find it. But, that’s ok. There are many really cool stories and trees there, all with a lake view back drop. Pretty neat spot.
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