by Winding Pathways | Jul 11, 2024 | Nature, Travel/Columns, Wonderment
Winding Pathways is near the edge of town, making it easy to drive into the country and enjoy rural views. Mostly our car traverses Iowa’s abundant corn and soybean fields, but two recent trips gave exceptional views of different vegetation that bloomed in bright lavender under the June sun.
The Lavender Farm
Entry to Calyx Creek
One recent June afternoon as we drove through conventional crops an amazing and delightful view appeared. Shades of purple and stunning white blanketed the undulating land accenting the deep green of cultivated crops. We had discovered Calyx Creek Lavender and Lodging a few miles west of North Liberty, Iowa. Rows of lavender in various stages of growth surrounded us as we entered the main building to find various products made of this unusual plant.
The warm, calming fragrance of the oils of this subtle herb wafted through the shop. Dried bunches hung from racks. Informational signs in front of gleaming machines shared highlights of the distillation process. Soaps, oils, candles, carpet freshener, lavender-infused stuffies and slippers, beverages, and tasty treats beckoned visitors to sample and buy. A lemonade mix was a hit among patrons on this warm summer day. “It smells so good inside, and this lemonade is super!” commented one man, cupping the cool drink in his hands.
-
-
An array of products awaits.
-
-
Slushys are popular.
Tours and Lodging
Part of the experience includes tours, opportunities to harvest and enjoy in your own home, and overnight lodging!
We walked among fields of blooming lavender to two of the several cabins available for rent. The two, built on pedestals, are well-equipped. All the lodgings offer a chance to “get away” while being close to nature. We climbed the stairs, sat on the small cabin’s deck, and took in the rural views of expansive fields of lavender. Peace flowed through us.
-
-
Strolling through lavender fields
-
-
Peaceful overnights
Calyx Creek Lavender and Lodging is a fun place to visit, especially during the early summer blooming time. More information at: Calyx Creek LLC, 1722 255th St. NW, Oxford, IA 52322.
Phone: (319) 900-5992
Where Does Lavender Originate?
Lavender is native to the Mediterranean Region of southern Europe and Northern Africa. It has so many uses that it has been planted around the world. It has become problematic in Australia but is a valued product in North America. Lavender has a long, documented, and storied history with applications for improved health, reducing anxiety, moderating the effects of bug bites and burns, and as an antiseptic/anti-inflammatory agent. The latter is useful in the flu season. Gardeners can grow lavender at home. A helpful resource on how to grow it is at Garden Design.
More Rural Views
The fields of lavender at Calyx Creek are carefully groomed, providing a contrast to our discovery the next day. Secondary roads stairstep through Iowa, replete with rural views of corn, beans, oats, cattle, and goats. We were making our way to a reconstructed prairie south of Waterloo, Iowa
The Irvine Prairie
A happy duo.
That day Cathy Irvine led us through her prairie dotted with pale purple coneflowers, purple prairie clover, and blooms of different hues. Common yellowthroats serenaded us as red-winged blackbirds winged around this amazing place.
We admired the beauty of one of Iowa’s largest reconstructed prairies and were humbled to have Cathy Irvine share part of her day with us. Some people are so inspiring. She’s one.
After years of conventional farming, her vision took her land in a different direction. She’d turn the clock back and restore her land to how it looked and functioned before the first plow turned the original prairie into row crops. She didn’t do this on a whim. For decades Cathy had thought about, researched, attended programs on, and connected with experts on prairies. She knew that reconstructing the native habitat with its diverse plants and animals was right to do.
-
-
Glacial boulders are part of the landscape.
-
-
Contrast
Collaboration
Working with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and the University of Northern Iowa Tallgrass Prairie Center she placed much of her farm in conservation easement and collaborated on restoring it to its native vegetation in honor of her late husband, David. Being in a conservation easement means that it will remain a wild and gorgeous prairie forever, no matter who might own the land in the future.
Iowa’s Rich Heritage
Iowa’s original prairie hosted upwards of 300 plant species on each acre that agriculture transformed into vast monocultures of soybeans and corn. Cathy’s land was in row crops until she decided to give her property to the Tallgrass Prairie Center under a conservation easement. Starting in 2018 the Prairie Center began planting upwards of 100 native species an acre and followed it up with prescribed burning, weeding, and even plugging in more native species.
Cathy, the Tallgrass Prairie Center, and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation welcome visitors to experience what much of Iowa once looked like. It’s a place to enjoy dancing prairie grasses and forbs on a breezy summer day, listen to birds trilling across the expanse, watch butterflies forage on blooms, and be inspired by the quiet beauty resulting from a transformation springing from Cathy’s vision and cooperative effort.
The Prairie is located at 1173 55th Street, Dysart, Iowa. Several mowed trails radiate outward from a small parking lot. A bench nestled under a spreading tree offers shade and a place to reflect.
-
-
Calling out territory
-
-
colorful forbs
-
-
Colorful silo
Best Times To Enjoy Prairie Flowers
Prairie flowers bloom throughout the growing season but during midsummer’s heat, the colors are most amazing. However, the prairie is magical in any season. We enjoy our small reconstructed prairies through all seasons and especially in the summer months.
The Lavender Farm meticulously cultivates a useful plant not native to Iowa and the Irvine Prairie carefully stewards a rewilded prairie. Both are gorgeous.
For more information, visit the Tallgrass Prairie Center and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation websites.
The Color Purple
Our eyes had the good fortune to view purple lavender one day and purple prairie flowers the next, but purple is a tricky color, at least for some people. Like around 10% of men and boys, Rich isn’t able to see it or see it as folks with normal color vision can. “Red and shades of red are hard for me to see. Purple is nearly impossible. It seems odd but I can see the color but know it looks very different to me than to most folks. If someone asks me what purple looks like I have to say, I’m not sure since I can’t really see it,” he said. “Fortunately I can see blue and yellow prairie blooms and magnificent butterfly milkweed flowers that seem to glow a bright orange,” he added.
Winding Pathways encourages readers to take in any of their native habitat to appreciate our green island home – Earth.
by Winding Pathways | Jan 11, 2024 | Travel/Columns, Wonderment
What did I do yesterday morning? Did I make it to that meeting last Monday? Darn. I can’t remember. I’m forgetful. Fortunately, my journal writing isn’t.
18,250 days
Every day since April 1973 I’ve written a simple journal entry on small format lined binder paper. Haven’t missed a single day. Entries aren’t great writing and are rarely emotional. It’s not a diary. On some days I write only a few lines, while I might fill a page on more happening days.
My journal records about 18,250 days of my life. Combined notebooks take up about three feet of shelf space.
Uses of Journaling
Journals
Useful? Yup. When did we go to Yellowstone National Park? I remembered the month and year but not the dates. In minutes I found those dates in my notebook and learned what we did each day. What did we do on Christmas Eve 18 years ago? My journal reminds me.
My notes are simple, short, and often skip perfect grammar, but they are meant to bring every day into clear memory………so each journal entry records something distinctive about that day. Here’s a simple entry:
Monday, January 16, 2023: Weirdly warm with temperature in the 50s. Made new plywood shelves for my tool cabinet. Payton (a neighbor kid) was visiting when sirens blew warning of a potential tornado. We sheltered in the basement. No tornado here but one hit near Williamsburg, the first January tornado in Iowa since 1967.
Like Brushing Teeth
I’ve been journaling for so long it is as routine as brushing my teeth. Blank journal paper goes with me on trips, and I’ve even scribbled entries by lantern light at campgrounds.
My memory lapses. My journal never does.
What are Ways YOU Remember?
People have other ways to remember or “journal.” Share some and we can post on Winding Pathways
by Winding Pathways | Oct 19, 2023 | Nature, Wonderment
Tattoos to You
Recently we have noted people’s tattoos. How fun and meaningful they are. That has not always been the case. Throughout cultures, in eras past, tattoos have been both shunned and venerated. Dating from 5,000 years ago, in Japanese cultures, tatts identified gangs and slaves. Similar to today in different regions of the world.
On the other hand, ancient Egyptian themes centered on fertility and protection in childbirth, the arts and dance.
European Influence
The Picts and Celts of Scotland and Ireland sported fierce body art that duly impressed the Roman soldiers who admired the virile images and feared the fierce warriors.
Europe’s relation with tattoos has been influenced by the several other cultures that invaded over centuries. Again, its fortunes rose and fell as cultures adopted for signs of wealth or as ways to identify slaves. The sordid history of tattoos associated with Nazis soured Americans on tattoos until more recent years. Today, people of all ages and social statuses sport tattoos. Most have special meaning to the person displaying them.
Here are a few we’ve chatted with people about.
-
-
Each a story
-
-
Loving sentiment
-
-
Mountains and Vases
Kate started the quest for stories at the recent Outdoor Writers Association of America conference at Gulf Shores, Alabama. When she travels she researches tattoo artists in the cities and countries she plans to visit, scans their electronic portfolios, checks their credentials, and connects with them. From standard to fine lines, and from nature to sayings by loved ones, each tells stories important to her and is a memento of trips.
-
-
Rising
-
-
Taking flight
Nature themes are popular. The phoenix theme rising again and a nod to the tattoo owner’s children and the magpie is often interpreted as a sign of good luck.
-
-
Fertility and parenting
-
-
-
Mermaid with tattoo.
Egyptian themes have resonated with librarians and “mermaids!” Harthor, the Goddess of fertility, love, and protection in birth & parenting; the “good luck” scarab beetle; and cats, are always venerated in Egyptian mythology.
-
-
All ages enjoy tattoos
-
-
Power Puffs have super powers.
-
-
This tattoos honors siblings and travel.
-
-
Kansas motto tattoo.
Triangles connect family, Buttercup, of the Powerpuff Girls, the animated TV series from the 1990s inspires humor and superpowers. The State of Kansas motto shines brightly on this man’s arm.
Sailors popularized tattoos in the 1700s when returning from long voyages, especially from the Pacific Islands, sporting elaborate tatts. Of course, soon, royalty had to follow. Purportedly even Winston Churchill and his mother had tattoos.
The popularity of tattoos is on the rise with personalized images and sayings in full display.
by Winding Pathways | Oct 12, 2023 | (Sub)Urban Homesteading, Preparedness
What To Do When No Room At the Inn?
Even bivouac camping can be comfortable.
Basic bivouac camping gear saved our night as we drove along a rainy Ohio Interstate.
We were returning to Iowa from a business trip in New Jersey. The 1000-mile trip is too far for us to make in a day so we normally plan to overnight in a comfortable motel in Ohio or Indiana.
On this recent trip, we didn’t make a reservation in advance, so Marion called motels ahead of us as Rich drove through pelting rain. Bad news. They were all booked for the night.
Bivouac Camping Saved Us!
Our basic bivouac camping gear saved us. Marion spotted West Branch State Park on the map. Not far ahead of us and near the Interstate, we exited just as the downpour subsided. Soon we enjoyed a hot dinner inside a restaurant near our tent.
Lightweight camping gear stashed on the sides of the car.
Although we weren’t on a camping trip, we always carry basic bivouac camping gear just in case we run into a situation like our recent one. Modern backpacking gear is lightweight, compact, and effective. It’s essential for a long trail trek but also takes up little space in the car and comes in handy should camping be necessary.
Here’s what we always slip into the car:
- Small nylon tent and ground cloth. Sturdy pegs (spikes or gutter nails are sturdy, don’t bend and so are useful to hold cords to tie a tent down.)
- Lightweight foam mattresses and sleeping bags.
- Folding chairs.
- Cooking and food gear that includes:
* Tiny featherweight butane stove and fuel bottle
* A few backpacking-type meals
* Basic utensils
* Matches! (Remember these!)
Cooking gear and dried meals fit in a small cardboard box and it’s easy to stash the other gear here and there in the car.
-
-
Looks like a lot! It’s not!
-
-
Essentials in box
The morning after our unplanned campout we woke well-rested, sipped instant coffee, packed up, found a breakfast cafe, and were soon back on the Interstate heading home.
A Note on Dried Food
Years ago, dried camping food was tolerable but hardly tasty. That’s changed. Modern foods are delicious. We keep two weeks of dried meals in our preparedness bin at home. Should we be impacted by a natural disaster we’d break out our camping stove and enjoy tasty meals. Although this food lasts for years we occasionally eat a few meals at home, on planned camping trips, and during emergencies. Then we restock with fresh meals. We have previously written about preparedness on our blogs.
by Winding Pathways | Jul 13, 2023 | Gazette Features, Travel/Columns
What is a Pilgrimage?
From: University of York: “‘Pilgrim’ and ‘pilgrimage’ are words that have carried a range of meanings over the centuries.
“The English term ‘pilgrim’ originally comes from the Latin word peregrinus (per, through + ager, field, country, land), which means a foreigner, a stranger, someone on a journey,…. It can describe a traveller making a brief journey to a particular place….”
Our Context
We consider travel a “pilgrimage.” The destination is not the sole purpose. We enrich our souls by being open to amazing travel surprises. Here are some we discovered on recent trips to New Jersey and Saskatchewan, Canada.
Interstate Highways are outstanding for getting places quickly, but we consider them a boring slog that bypasses fascinating places. Too many people focus on getting to a destination and miss intriguing sites along the way. In contrast, we often scan maps and brochures and, from time to time, duck off Interstates to drive on somewhat parallel, smaller roads stopping in towns bypassed by the interstates.
Two trips from this summer that highlight this concept come to mind. We’ve featured the Hopewell Earthworks around Chillicothe, OH, and took in great southern BBQ at Old Canal Smokehouse. The server presented us with an enormous slice of peanut butter pie and regaled us with tales of his childhood exploring the steep mounds and snaking earthworks while four of us made quick work of the dessert.
Easterly
An unusual cafe.
On our return from the East Coast, we needed a respite from the truck traffic and fast driving of I-80, so we exited and drove through Brookville, PA. Seeking coffee, we discovered the Calico Cafe. While ordering we asked the barista where the restrooms were. She responded, “You’ll find them through the cat room behind me.” Cat room!!!!! Well, we opened the door to find people petting cats. It was a place for them to get their cat fix. We’re not cat people but the experience was different……something that can’t be found in chain eateries along Interstate exits. And the coffee was decent.
Westerly
On a more recent drive to Saskatchewan, Canada, we were cruising north on Interstate 29 in North Dakota and spotted a tiny note on the map showing the location of North America’s tallest structure. It was along a small paved road that headed in the direction we wanted to go, so we exited, made a few turns, and saw, not a massive skyscraper, but a 2063-foot-tall television tower. To stabilize the tower, guy wires extended scores of yards out. Not terribly exciting but a sight we’d have missed had we stayed on the interstate. And it has a history.
Just north of the tower we passed through the small town of Mayville, North Dakota, and discovered a gem of a college called Mayville State University. With 80+ majors/minors, a student/faculty ratio of 14:1, and reasonable tuition, MSU would be a good bet for a solid education and a bright, “no-debt” future. Only a few miles north we tented overnight in Turtle River State Park. Songbirds serenaded us in the evening and greeted us in the early morning.
Medicine Wheel and College Towns
Glacial boulders align to the rising and setting sun and moon.
On our return trip we were eastbound on Interstate 94. We’d picked up a brochure at a North Dakota welcome station about the Medicine Wheel Park in Valley City, a town between Bismarck and Fargo. Even though it was raining we exited, donned raincoats, and walked around a fascinating and well-maintained medicine wheel almost adjacent to the big road. The structure, inspired by the Big Horn Medicine Wheel, marks the rises and sets of the sun and moon in relation to the Earth. Then we drove through Valley City State University before jumping back on the big road. VCSU has an interactive financial program with surrounding states and two Canadian provinces. Recreational opportunities abound.
Our western trip passed the geographic center of North America in Rugby, ND, (watch the video! It’s rather fun!), and a Continental Divide (Laurentian) between water flowing to Hudson Bay and that flowing to the Gulf of Mexico. Actually, a map reveals several watershed divides in the Americas.
Most travelers would have buzzed by these interesting stops. Curiosity grips us and leads us to unusual places we’d usually never heard of. We are richer for this.
Great Plains Colleges
Our son, Daniel, graduated from a college few people have ever heard of – Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. It was an outstanding educational experience for him. And, tuition and living expenses were modest. He graduated debt free.
We’ve explored other colleges in small Great Plains towns, sometimes to have coffee in their student center, and to learn about them. Many, like Black Hills State, are little known, offer outstanding education, and are inexpensive. They offer students the chance to earn a college degree without debt.
Here are a few we’ve visited:
Black Hills State, Spearfish, South Dakota.
Valley City State University, Valley City, North Dakota
Mayville State University, Mayville, ND
Wayne State University, Wayne, Nebraska
Know someone considering college? One of these rather obscure but top-notch schools might be a perfect match……and there are many more we’ve yet to visit.