Hancock House, Dubuque, Iowa
On day 7, we hit the road early. Ahead of us were 380 miles and near 6 hours of driving to take us from Lincoln to Dubuque, Iowa. Dubuque would be home for a few days. Saturday, July 2 was set aside for the Field of Dreams. We had our tickets for the farmhouse tour and there would be the ghost players on hand that day. But first, there was Iowa to cross.
We left Lincoln on I-80 and crossed the Platte River. In rather abrupt fashion the city of Omaha appeared. Leaving Omaha, we crossed the Missouri River and then finally -- we were in Iowa.
The drive through Iowa was a joy. Part of it was we were close to our destination. But I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the rolling green Iowa countryside with occasional farmhouses, silos and creek beds that amazingly were full of water. We veered south of Cedar Rapids (which we would visit on our way home) and headed north-east into Dubuque. More surprises were ahead.
Above is the Hancock House, where we stayed for three nights in Dubuque. An 1891 Victorian high on a bluff overlooking the city and the Mississippi River, this place was spectacular. The owner, Simon, was a gracious as could be and made our stay very memorable. He loves his city and, after some time in Dubuque, quite unexpectedly, we did too.
This is the view from the Hancock House Driveway. You can see the spires of the city below edging close to the mighty Mississippi. Across the River are Illinois and Wisconsin.
While in Dubuque, we visited Eagle Point Park at the northern edge of the city. The park is 164 acres of beauty overlooking the Mississippi. There is a river walk with fantastic views of the River and Wisconsin and Illinois across the River. The park is dotted with gardens and stone and wood pavilions designed in the Frank Lloyd Wright style and built in the 1930's. We saw several pavilions being used for family gatherings and weddings. The picture above is lock and dam number 11 as seen from the riverwalk.
One of the goals for our trip was to find locally owned coffee shops and to avoid the national chains. I don't think we went to any Starbucks on this trip. In Dubuque we went twice to Devour Cafe. This was our favorite coffee stop over the full 4,000+ mile trip. They roast their own beans and the coffee (and food) were excellent. Add to that the owner gave us a quick tour of the cafe furnishings which are loaded items salvaged from local buildings.
Wayfarer Coffee also deserves mention along with its location. They are in Dubuque's historic Millwork District, where block upon block of brick factories have been redeveloped with restaurants, retail and homes. Wayfarer's coffee lags Devour by a mile, but there is a fantastic historical exhibit in the hallway outside Wayfarer that profiles many of the men and women who worked making windows, doors and other millwork. The exhibit lines the walls of a hallway and chronicles the lives of factory workers in the 1940's and '50's -- the grinders and glaziers and men running the saws often putting in 55- hour weeks.
Toward day's end, we went to the Dubuque Star Brewery building which rests on the banks of the Mississippi and now home to offices, a museum and a very lively ground floor restaurant. The weather was perfect, so we (along with many others) sat outside and enjoyed a glass of wine. In the morning we would be off to our destination -- the Field of Dreams. Little did I know, but big surprises were planned. As I found out later, our two kids were on their way from California to join us. In the post-Covid summer of 2022, airline flights could be scarce. They had made it from LAX to Dallas and now they needed a connection to Cedar Rapids. It was getting late and their mother was getting worried if not acting downright districted as we enjoyed our wine, the old Brewery building and River. Would the kids make it?
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