The transition from fall to winter is a special and enjoyable time in Iowa. The first few snowstorms have come and gone, and those green monsters have gobbled up the endless plains of corn and soybeans. It’s quite a different world from the hot and steamy days of summer. The land lies bare, almost naked, stripped of its yellow gold that seems to drive the beating heart of the state.
I mean, if you don’t know any better, heck, those summertime rolling fields in the evening are what make Iowa … Iowa.
But those endless fields of central Iowa, unbroken for mile upon mile, do come with a darker side. Some of those dark sides have come to light in the rains of the summer, with the suburban lawn waterers only angry about the water quality as far as it affected their ability to keep up with the Joneses.
This, my friend, is a story as old as time, and anyone with some critical thinking skills can read the writing on the wall. Hopefully, history proves me wrong, that would be nice, but very doubtful.
The Iowa DNR and the Governor’s office have been the bane of Iowa Outdoors for a long time, and we’ve all paid the price and continue to do so. Sometimes I feel like I’m living in a real-life Netflix series about a cadre of people who are literally trying to destroy the land we live on and the water we drink, all while the Tahoe-driving, Starbucks-drinking lemmings go about their business unaware.
Tired of all the politics and hubbub of Des Monies life? Need to be reminded that some of Iowa’s water is less polluted than others? If so, then you should head to NE Iowa in search of beautiful fall hiking down in the valleys where the cold clear streams run clean and the trout are just waiting to jump out of the water for you.
Even if you are no fisher, the hiking along is worth it. I caught the brood rainbow trout of a lifetime at Bear Creek in the Iowa Driftless. With stops at Sny McGill, Buck Creek, and Mink Creek, it was a weekend to remember.
Fall is here and so is the camp fire. When a little cold bit hits the air in the morning, the leaves start to change, and the warm sun feels good on your face … you know it’s time to get that hiking stick and head into the woods. A little hot fire, a pan, some bread and honey, this is the simple life.
The Midwest at it’s best.
Well, you know, at least the truth has finally come out. Remember that Rob Sand, who is the “Governor of All?” According to the talking heads and their daydreaming wishes, the “moderate” Rob Sand would be able to lure some Trump supporters, and at the very least, moderates and independents over the line.
So, Iowa has made its winding way to the front page of every major news media. Who would have thought the quiet corn fields could have catapulted us to fame that quickly? There are a few things that will stir the hornet’s nest, like the combination of politics, education, and guns. Yikes.
It’s hard to know what to think these days. On one hand you have farmers on the news, along with John Deere crying foul on the tariffs. Not to mention the recent John Deere layoffs, just another addition to their never ending quest to trim the proverbial fat. But, then you take a little drive to one of the many expanding Des Moines suburbs, pick a direction; Ankeny, Waukee, West Des Moines, Altoona. What do you see?
Never ending housing develops seemly springing up out of fields like its the new corn.
