My Week that Was - October 17

The Iowa Capitol. 10/9/2026 dwm

This 'week' kind-of started on Wednesday, October 7 when our plans to fly to Buffalo, New York fell apart. The evening before, I got home and did some packing but started to not feel so good. 

I expected to feel better in the morning, but didn't so we cancelled our flight, rental, and hotel reservations at 4 in the morning then went back to bed. I slept three hours and when I woke up again, I was starting to feel better. 

It was afternoon when I felt fully recovered, so we decided we weren't going to stay home during the ten days off we scheduled and headed to Iowa for a five day get-away. 

Hoover's birthplace. 10/8/26 dwm

 Thursday morning we drove to West Branch, Iowa where we saw the home where Herbert Hoover was born. The National Historic Site is also where the one-room school house he attended can be seen plus homes from the 1870s era neighborhood to provide an idea what the village may have looked like in the 19th century. (Click here to see more about the visit.)

 That afternoon we drove to Pella where my wife attended Central College. We drove around the campus then stopped downtown so we could buy some Dutch baked goods and take pictures of some Dutch-inspired windmills.

The windmill sits on town square. dwm

Friday morning we drove to Des Moines and our first stop was the state capitol. It's where we met back during the spring session of 1983 Iowa legislature. We didn't go inside but reminisced as we drove around the downtown, recalling the buildings we remembered and noting the progress in the neighborhoods close to the capital.

 

Then we headed to Drake where my wife enjoyed a Starbucks coffee at the Olmstead Center while I walked around the familiar campus. (Click here for the Drake post.)

 

We enjoyed driving around Des Moines. The apartment building where I lived during my last nine months of college still stands next to the place where I worked when KDMI-FM called it home. 

 

We stayed in Johnston that night. An evening drive took us to Saylorville Lake which was created as a measure to control flooding in central Iowa. The Federal project built the 26,000 acre lake between 1965 and 1977. (photos below)

 

The next morning we stopped at a quilt shop in Ankeny on our way to Boone, Iowa which is home to the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad and train museum. The night before we reserved two seats on The Fraser Train in car #3207. The two-hour adventure was fun. You can read more about it in tomorrow's post.

 

The green car is 3207. 10/10/26 dwm

 The Fraser train ride was one of several that Saturday. It's an impressive place given the logistics of moving people and trains around Boone and it's tracks that stretch west of town. Click this link for its website.

 

 The fun left us hungry and tired. Thankfully Ames was only 12 miles away and that's where the last hotel of our trip waited along with a new place to eat.

 

 Hickory Park opened its doors in 1970 - a bar-b-que joint with an expansive menu and variety of hickory-smoked meats. 

 

The restaurant seats hundreds. 10/10/26 dwm

We had heard about Hickory Park on a travel video featuring Ames and thought it would be a good place to visit. We both liked our food, I had the Saucy Southerner which is their version of a pulled-pork sandwich with hickory-smoked pork, turkey, and beef.

 

It was delicious and left room for their David's Sundae made with hot fudge and butterscotch, sprinkled with malt powder and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. It was great! 

Sunday we relaxed after a busy Saturday and settled in to watch the Bears play the Packers in Green Bay. If you had told me Green Bay would take the ball away 5 times and put 30 points on the scoreboard, I probably would have laughed and only imagined that as the outcome. 

 

The Packers set the tone early, forcing a three and out on Chicago's first possession, then took the ball down the field to score a touchdown the first time Green Bay had the ball. The Pack got a second touchdown in the first half before Chicago scored to make it 14 - 7 at the half. 

The last two times these teams played, Green Bay built a lead in the first half and the Bears stomped on them in the second half. This time Green Bay became the first team all season to score a touchdown on the first possession of the second half and then took advantage of an active defense which made the lead 31 - 7 at the two-minute warning and that's how it ended.

It was the best all-around game of the season and for many Packer fans, including this one, a team that looked lost at times showed grit and determination in a strong performance. I like our chances with anybody when this version of the Green Bay Packers take the field. Let's see what happens when Dallas comes to visit Lambeau Field.

The Milwaukee Brewers got off to a good start in the National League Championship series, winning the first two games at home. The next two games are in Los Angeles, and game 5, if necessary, will also be played n L.A. It depends on how things go, if the Dodgers win two of three in their stadium, there will be another game in American Family Field.

A marble sign in Nevada, Iowa. 10/12/26 dwm

 Monday we drove home from Ames and about half the trip on Iowa's highways and by-ways, specifically the Lincoln Highway.  We stopped to take pictures of historic road-side motels, gas stations, even an old bridge that was designed to get car owners in 1915 to take their horse-less buggy on the road.

 Home on Tuesday, which I had taken off as part of the original vacation plans, I was able to take advantage of really nice weather to get on the bike. It was the longest ride of the season.

Milwaukee took it to the Dodgers from the first pitch Wednesday night thanks to a Jackson Chourio lead-off home run. Los Angeles took a one-run lead in the sixth but Milwaukee responded in the top of the seventh to reclaim the lead, ultimately winning 6 - 2 and taking a three games to none lead in the best of seven series. One more win and the Brewers return to the World Series for the first time since 1982. Let's go, Brewers! 

Trees with color off the Ice Age Trail. 10/13/26

Thursday was my first day back at work after an 8-day vacation. I spent time a day earlier going through work email so I could concentrate on emails that needed attention and return phone calls. It was a fairly productive day and Friday should be better. 

Milwaukee didn't get a great start Thursday evening when the L.A. Dodgers scored an early run and then got a 3-run homer an inning later. But as they do, the Brewers picked away, getting two runs in the fourth and again in the fifth to tie the game. 

The Brew Crew took the lead in the sixth and that's all they needed (along with clutch pitching and solid defense) to end the run by the Dodgers and move themselves into the World Series. 

Back in the west campus office, I had thank you letters to sign, several calls to make, and envelopes to print. 

We have an event coming up next week, so some of the calls were to finalize the last reservations. At the end of the day, I placed four new donor recognition leaves on the donor wall. 

Friday we had our first freeze warning, covering most of south Wisconsin, and with that we had our first night of the fall with the furnace on.

Thanks for coming back regularly to read this blog, I appreciate you.