Far northwest Iowa, the site of the next high point on our list, was really NOT on our way as we planned this trip, but when would it ever be? The time is nigh! So with over 350 miles to drive through a blank part of the map today to reach our destination, you know we had to find some interesting things to see along the way...
Rusty the Dragon
After a lot of searching, Tom found something on the Google map in Foley, MN, labeled “Grain Bin Sculptures.” It looked pretty lame, but with little else to divert us, why not? In person, it's called “Foleyland," and it was AWESOME!
Foleyland!
There's a new sheriff in town
Suspicious aliens
Little bit of everything
I'm sure they don't mean me
Nooooo...!
Naturally, we swung through Darwin, MN, to see the World's Largest Twine Ball (constructed by one man). Somewhat shockingly, there were a number of other tourists there as well, though the volunteer in the museum said he hadn't had any international visitors yet today. International visitors?? What?? It seems that Weird Al Yankovic, a Minnesotan himself, brought the twine ball worldwide fame with his 1989 song “The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota,” and the curious still flock here to this day!
World famous!
Happy 75th birthday, Twine Ball!
Honoring Weird Al
We spent so long at the ball of twine, Mimi and Papa's Place in Windom, MN, was closed by the time we arrived. You can get a pretty good look through the fence, but if you want to buy your own piece of odd, gigantic yard art, you're going to have to time things better than we did.
Mimi and Papa's Place
Too bad they didn't have a big one
High quality alien art
Trip state high point #4, overall state high point #33: Hawkeye Point, Iowa, 1,670 feet. Finally, we left Minnesota and entered Iowa, arriving almost immediately at Hawkeye Point, located smack-dab in the middle of a cornfield.
Welcome to Iowa!
God's country
The highest point in Iowa
Hawkeye Point obviously isn't the highest of high points, but it might just be the most fun! The folks of Iowa celebrate their state here with photo ops, farm exhibits, and a park-like atmosphere. There's a platform you can climb for an even better view of the surrounding farmland, and there was even a real, live farmer next door plowing his field! Five stars!
Another one for the books!
Farmland view
Lodging: Sibley Inn, Sibley, IA. We chose to stay in this tiny town because of its close proximity to Hawkeye Point, and then we chose this hotel from a grand total of two available, but I'm glad we did. The family running the hotel was friendly and solicitous, and though it was an older building, our room was very clean and quite comfortable.
Dinner: El Quertano Mexican Restaurant. Very authentic place. The fajitas were great, the chips were freshly made, and the salsa was delicious! We stopped for dinner before checking into our hotel because the restaurant is only open until 8:00 p.m., even on a Friday.
Brewery: Drink Me Brewing Co. Yes, 2,700-soul Sibley has its own brewery – open on Fridays and Saturdays only, from 6:00-10:00. Perfect! Drink Me is located inside an old, restored building downtown. Owner and brewmaster John told us he bought the building from the city for $1, but at the time, it wasn't worth 50 cents.
Drink Me Brewing
Drink Me was loud and lively tonight. Turns out, Sibley High classes of '75 and '77 were having their class reunions, and the alumni had a head start on us. We had the Osceola IPA, a Belgian dubbel, and an imperial stout – all high octane and all delicious!
Friday night fun!