Last Saturday we drove down to Winterset for a friend's graduation open house. Throughout the day of travel we visited various interesting locations. This post will cover a few of our briefest stops. In depth posts about some of the other places we visited will come later.
The Hastie Station was built in 1933 by Ross and Louis Hastie for the Standard Oil Company. It operated until 1943. It now sits beside the divided highway between Des Moines and Indianola, and is a restoration project of the Warren County Historical Commission.
The Outside Scoop
In Indianola, we noticed a place called The Outside Scoop, which advertised homemade ice cream. So, we decided to stop and give it a try. I definitely had second thoughts upon entering. I didn't like the loud music, and the place did not have the classy feel I prefer. But I went ahead and ordered a small cookies and cream sugar cone ($3.00), and was it good! It was probably some of the best-tasting ice-cream I've ever had.
North River Schoolhouse
The North River Schoolhouse, built in 1874, is on a gravel road near Hogback Bridge in Madison County. It has been restored, but it was closed when we visited. (I think it's only open on special occasions and by appointment.)
John Wayne's Birthplace
John Wayne's birthplace in Winterset looked beautiful with flowers in bloom. The day we were in town was the grand opening of the new John Wayne Museum, but we did not attend.
The county courthouse in Winterset was built in 1876. The grounds were decorated with flags for Memorial Day.
On our way home we drove through Adel, where I snapped this shot of the Dallas County Courthouse.
If I hadn't already eaten five times in the day by the time we got here, I might have been tempted to give pizza and pasta a try at Italian Villages. The mural depicting the Italian countryside caught my eye. It has seen better days, but is still quite attractive in person. I had a great time traveling with Papa and Charity (who are great company), and on our way home we got to watch fireworks (from an unknown town) from the highway: it was a perfect way to end the day.
"'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home." --John Newton
The Hedge Maze
This is the gateway to the hedge maze at the Winterset City Park, added for good measure since I'm linking with:
How was your Memorial Day weekend?
now i'm craving ice cream. :) love the cute little home that served as john wayne's home. adorable little standard station. and neat entrance to the hedge garden.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to beat a sugar cone filled with homemade ice cream!
DeleteBeautiful post. Love John Wayne's sweet and humble home. He certainly went a long way from home in his career. That Hedge Maze is beautiful, too.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you- I don't like to go into those small places where the music overpowers the atmosphere of the place. Glad the ice cream was worth it though. xo Diana
Some places where I've eaten I've been tempted to bring my own CD of peaceful music and ask them to play it--especially when my family and I are the only ones in a restaurant! So far I've controlled myself though...well, for the most part. ;)
DeleteYum...on that Ice Cream. I noticed Salted Caramel on the menu.
ReplyDeleteJohn Wayne was a wonderful actor. His birthplace home is lovely.
Lots of great looking buildings there and the Hedge Maze entrance is pretty. Did you go through the maze?
Yes, I did! They have a sundial in the maze--maybe that was at the center--and the goal of those who enter the maze is to find the sundial. I apparently entered through the exit (not the entrance shown above), so I didn't find out about the goal until I was on my way out, but I did notice the sundial!
DeleteGlad you stayed and tried the ice cream. Good food can be found in unsuspecting places!
ReplyDeleteTrue!
DeleteYou packed a lot of fun into that trip! I love the beauty of some of these bigger buildings and the charm of the smaller ones. John Wayne's birthplace is full of charm, right down to the peonies outside.
ReplyDeleteYum on that ice cream!
That entrance to the maze is grand, Bethany.
ReplyDeleteHave a Beautiful Day!
Peace :)
You too!
DeleteI would love to visit these places...such interesting places.
ReplyDeleteMaybe plan a trip out to Iowa sometime?!
DeleteInteresting angle on the entrance and porch of John Wayne's home. That's probably the flavor and cone type I would have ordered. Let me make a note of this! Ice cream/frozen desserts are my weakness.
ReplyDeleteAh ha! And now if I ever need to talk you into something, I will have to remember to tempt you with homemade ice cream... ;)
DeleteHomemade ice cream always sounds good!
ReplyDeleteWe were in Winterset once, during our cross country trip back in 2007. We were actually looking for the covered bridges in Madison County.
I hope you found them! We saw three on our Winterset trip. I'll be posting photos of them in the near future.
DeleteYou have some pretty interesting roadside attractions in your part of the world, like many of the others the ice cream part of your post really got my attention! :)
ReplyDeleteIce cream has a way of doing that! (Brownies have the same effect on me...)
DeleteThat Hastie station is adorable! I've seen those kind of fuel pumps before but never with such a cute station! You're killing me with that yummy looking ice cream cone...Mmm. Out here, all the old schoolhouses I've seen are made of wood---how unusual. Love John Wayne--so COOL to see his birthplace! Great post Bethany--thanks for sharing:)
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Aimee
A good portion of the old schoolhouses in my area seem to be made of wood as well. Thank you Aimee; God bless!
DeleteWow, it looks like you got to see a lot of cool places! I am definitely a fan of cute ice cream shops (though loud music is certainly annoying). The Dallas County Courthouse is a beautiful building! It looks Victorian (?).
ReplyDeleteMy dad had to work on memorial day, and I ended up doing my regular cleaning job, so it wasn't a big holiday for us. :\ I did remember to think of those who have served our country though!
It usually doesn't work out for us to take trips on Memorial Day weekend...this year was a pleasant exception! It sounds like you spent the day profitably.
DeleteThese are interesting places to visit.
ReplyDeleteThe ice looks delicious.
Best regards, Irma
Thanks as always for stopping by, Irma!
DeleteI like John Wayne's birth place home. The ice cream does look yummy. The maze does look attractive and inviting, have you done the maze? Great post and images, Bethany! Have a happy day and weekend!
ReplyDeleteYes, I did go through the maze. :) Have a great week!
DeleteGreat ice cream stop and so many fascinating places to see on the journey! Somehow our trips always revolve around food!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had great fun and found great places and even gates!
Well, we do have to eat for strength to complete and have fun on our adventures! It's rather important to survive--and if the food for survival is some healthy homemade ice cream all the better.
DeleteFor those who might question the use of the word healthy here, ice cream is a dairy product. Dairy products are rich in calcium. Calcium is good for me and essential to good health and bone strength, therefore ice cream is healthy...
Thanks! ;)
Sounds like a fun trip! Those two courthouses are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy admiring the county courthouses! I'm hoping to see and tour more this summer!
DeleteI love ineffable! What a great word! I'll remember it for the future.
ReplyDeleteLove the gas station too!
Thanks Judy! It was fun to see along the highway!
DeleteYumm, ice cream!! You've shared several neat looking places today and since I am a huge fan of John Wayne, I would love to see his home.
ReplyDeleteIf you ever do make the trip up here, let me know! It would be neat to meet you!
DeleteGreat post! I especially love old buildings. They are a joy to photograph. And what fun to see John Wayne's birthplace! It is so much fun to travel to different areas with camera in hand.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
DeleteHi Bethany, Now I like the way you added that last picture to get in on Good Fences. :-) Nice work! You certainly visited some interesting spots all on one day. The gas station is true vintage. Wonder if there was a postcard rack inside with a few cards still in there ... wow, I might be interested in scanning them. Ha ha. And isn't that interesting about John Wayne's birthplace. How often have you seen a home with a door on a corner? Or, perhaps that is just the office for the birthplace which may be the house behind? Hope you will give us more on this in the future. I think the neatest thing in the post is the photo of you in the ice cream shop. You have the slightest look of skepticism on your face. That was BEFORE you finished the cream sugar cone. Made me smile. Another excellent post here. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it, I haven't seen very many homes with a door on a corner. That is the actual birthplace. The interior of the gas station doesn't look so great; I took a quick peek inside, but it still needs to be remodeled...didn't notice any postcards at a glance, but who knows? Maybe there's one hidden in there somewhere!
DeleteThat does look like a good ice-cream! Funny how we seem to pay a bit more attention to places where people were born than to the world as a whole!!!
ReplyDeleteCheers - Stewart M - Jakarta (!)
The world is full of interesting places if we keep our eyes open! You're commenting from Jakarta?! Whew! I'm looking forward to when you post about your trip!
DeleteThe little schoolhouse is so charming! What a neat place to do your learning. :) the ice cream looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteIt was a different world back when people learned in one-room schoolhouses!
DeleteWhat a cute station! I think your pictures were just charming! Like postcard cute. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine! :)
DeleteA hedge maze? I love mazes of any kind. Pretty interesting to see John Wayne's birthplace, too! Great pictures, as always!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rachel!
DeleteHi Bethany, that was an interesting tour. I never knew where John Wayne was from. I grew up watching him in all kinds of movies so it was interesting to see his birthplace. I love all the vintage buildings you've featured and I'm glad to hear the ice cream passed the taste test!
ReplyDeleteSo am I! I think it would be pretty hard to make "bad" ice cream, but I have heard of it! Glad this was delicious.
DeleteWhat a delightful journey back through time. The globe top gas pumps, "The Outside Scoop," North River Schoolhouse looks like it belongs in this area, John Wayne's birthplace with it's wonderful porch, the courthouses, the mural and finally the gate leading to the maze makes for a great tour. Thanks Tom The Backroads Traveller
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! :)
DeleteWhat fun stops and sights! Can't wait to hear more details. John Wayne's birthplace is the cutest little house ever. And I think sometimes those littlest spots you least expect do have the best food or goodies! Thanks for a lovely tour. ;)
ReplyDeletexo
Well, I guess I need to get back to work to add "more details!" Photo editing, here I come! (Well, pretty soon at least...I might need to get some weeding done first!)
DeleteFun stops Bethany! I just love road trips!
ReplyDeleteThey're a lot of fun!
Deletethe outside scoop, what an awesome name for an ice cream shop. our local one is the "sundae times", i so admire a clever name!!!
ReplyDeletelooks like a fun trip, i always enjoy a good road trip!!!!
Sundae Times?! That is pretty clever!
DeleteHow fun! I love these kinds of trips. I would love to sample that ice cream! I just got back from visiting my sister and attending my nephew's graduation in Maryland, so I'm sharing a few pictures from my trip on my blog this week.
ReplyDeleteI'll be heading over to your blog! Sounds like it must have been a good trip--graduations can be fun to attend.
DeletePalavras gentis são um favo de mel, doçura para a alma
ReplyDeletee saúde para o corpo.(Pr 16,24)
Lindo passeio...belas imagens, amei!
Beijo grande, Marie.
Thank you Marie! Excellent verse from Proverbs.
DeleteWhat a wonderful trip! I loved all the older historic buildings, and seeing John Wayne's birthplace. Glad the ice cream was so good!
ReplyDeleteSo am I ;).
DeleteI haven't seen you around 'blogland' for some time, I had to stop by....I see you've been busy traveling. Home made ice cream...yum.
ReplyDeleteAnd that station restoration will be so worth the efforts and costs.
John Wayne's birthplace...my hubby would go bananas!! Oh and the maze...that would be fun.
PS...I was reading a Biblical book and came across a town of Bethany....which made me think of YOU!!!
DeleteHow neat! Thank you for stopping by! I do love the story where Jesus said, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" And then He raised Lazarus from the dead in Bethany. I know there are a couple other places where my name is mentioned as well. :)
DeleteThanks Felicia!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful trip the photos are amazing, I can't help to say that I love old buildings, that small schoolhouse is just too cute ...very very cute and old fashioned, John Wayne's birthplace is also very charming. I am glad you all had a wonderful time.
ReplyDeleteThanks Laura!
Delete