Des Moines (Bridges of Madison County)

I headed out early this morning to trace the iconic route covering the six remaining covered bridges of Madison County. They are all near Winterset, which is 30-40 min from Des Moines, depending on the route you choose. I had dense fog driving out, and for the entire morning. It made for some interesting shots.

The small town of Winterset lies at the center of the bridges. I planned my itinerary to visit the bridges West of town in the morning and those East of town in the afternoon. I also wanted to include the Iowa Quilt Museum in town. This turns out to be an interesting stop. Star Ann, who is also on the board of the museum, was manning the front desk. We had an interesting conversation about the other quilt exhibits I have seen on this trip. The quilts at this museum are more traditional that the other two exhibits I visited. No less beautiful or impressive, just more in keeping with the patterns typical of quilting rather than quilts made to look like paintings. They also had a nice display that reviewed the history of quilt making and displayed some antique sewing machines. I was interested to learn that it was not - as many assume - a way to use up fabric scraps. Although quilting itself started as a way to produce padding under armor, decorative quilts have always been an art form.

After visiting the Quilt Museum, I stopped in for lunch at Anything Sweet and More cafe. Not that there was a lot of choice - this is basically a one street town - but it did get the best reviews of any of the establishments. And it was easy to see why. As always, it is all about the people. Because I had started out so early, I was ready for lunch just past 11 AM. So I was the first person to arrive. I was greeted by Wendy, the owner and chef. She explained my menu choices and gave me some suggestions. Then Wayne took over serving duties. Wayne is a neighbor of Wendy’s, otherwise retired, and comes in a few days a week to help out. It was a very cozy place and the food was made with love. I was amused to witness an older woman using a cane dragging in a box of produce. Overhearing the conversation, this was apparently fruit from her orchard that she was bringing in to sell to the restaurant. Wendy had mentioned that the tomatoes were also from a neighbor’s garden. It all felt very neighborly. A half hour after I arrived, the place was full.

Before leaving to visit my last two bridges, I stopped at the John Wayne museum at the end of John Wayne street. Before he was John Wayne, he was Marion Robert Morrison, born in Winterset Iowa in 1907. This claim to fame likely gave them a head start in capitalizing on Bridges of Madison County as a tourist attraction.

Tomorrow I will visit the Iowa State Museum to learn about the history of the State.

Additional images can be found in the Gallery.