More Fun In Iowa… Who would have thought!!!

We had one more day with John and Jane before they would be leaving Sugar Bottom Campground so Jane wanted to take us over to the Amish and Mennonite countryside just outside of Iowa City. The small town of Kalona (known as the "Quilt Capital of Iowa”) is in the heart of it and we made a stop just outside of town to do a little grocery shopping. We shopped at the Community Country Store and as is typical of Amish stores there was no electricity yet they were innovative enough to keep the store comfortable using ceiling fans. Their produce and meats are kept cold as well.

We always enjoy stopping at the Amish groceries because not only is the food fresh and tasty it is nearly always much cheaper than typical grocery stores in cities. We bought a lot of produce, some bulk items and I also bought a four pack of parsley to plant for a mere 75 cents. I planted it next to some basil I have already been growing in a pot and although there was a strong thunderstorm last night, my 75 cent investment fared well.

After shopping we had hoped to stop for a beverage at the Kalona Brewery but it was closed on Tuesdays so Jane drove us back into Iowa City/Coralville to stop at another brewery called Backpocket Brewing Company. Most of the bars and breweries in this area have splendid happy hours. Most of them offer buy one get one free and for craft beer that is a bargain. John and I had a couple of different IPA’s and both were good but I preferred the one called Raygun. Sharon and Jane had a porter they both enjoyed.

The next day John and Jane moved about 25 miles north where they will be closer to their grand-daughter.  Since its not far we will see them again before we go. After they left we decided to play the disc golf course right here in Sugar Bottom Park. We were able to walk about 1/4 mile on the bike trail to hole number one. This course was long and hilly. The majority of the holes were tight and surrounded by dense vegetation. Although we had fun playing we spent a good deal of time throughout the day searching for our errant discs in the brush while trying to avoid the plentiful poison ivy. We likely won’t play this course again but that is okay as there are others nearby…

This park has been great for nice walks and for picking black raspberries that are in season.  The weather has also been cooperating so we are enjoying our time here in Iowa and are both glad we extended our stay.