Day 12 (Sioux Falls to Des Moines)

We awoke to a lovely continental breakfast at The Clubhouse Hotel and Suites in Sioux Falls. Maura and I were shocked to find that they offered room service (which is a service that apparently escapes most Western hotels) and we got free breakfast. The crowd at breakfast was quite a sight. LOTS of young parents and their multiple children. We definitely looked out of place. We packed up Champ and got on the road to Iowa.

We love those "welcome to" signs. Unfortunately, Iowa just has about 40 welcome centers. We were sad to have no sign to take a photo of, but we went into a welcome center where a little old lady (let's call her Dolly) helped us get brochures on Madison County, our day's destination. We hopped back in the car, happy to see some sun for a change of pace and took off down I-29. We headed east on I-80 and slowly, but surely, wound our way to Madison County (not before I stopped at a Napa and returned the TIRE CHAINS we bought from Shasta Lakes). I really wish I could've discreetly photographed some of the characters in there. Woof. Let's just say watch out New York overalls are back.

Exit 110 came up on us very quickly and we made our way to the town square of Winterset. We pulled around the giant limestone courthouse and spotted the Northside Café!!! We hustled in, sat in a booth and whipped out our cameras. What movie geeks. But, truly, this place is unbelievable. Completely stuck in time and the food is SO cheap. I think an omelette was 3.95? WHAT? We got a late lunch and I evened ordered pie! It seemed like the right thing to do - and I had never ordered pie before! YUM. Totally worth it. Oh and we sat on the 4th stool from the front too - where Clint sat! What a thrill!

Next, we walked around the town and took photos of the old movie theater, water tower and local kids getting ready for prom! We went to the birthplace of John Wayne and met a couple little biddies in the gift shop who made for a laugh. The people in the town were very warm and friendly.

We headed out onto I-92 to see THE bridge. Which, incidentally, is called the Roseman Bridge. The road is long and unpaved and makes for a real Iowa experience. There are beautiful farms everywhere and we even saw two huge silos filled with dried corn! SO cool. The bridge itself is glorious. So romantic, and really beautiful from every angle. Also, couples have come in and graffitied the interior with their names, marriage dates and vows. It was an absolutely unmatched experience all the way around.

Before heading out of town, we wanted to catch a glimpse of "Francesca's House" (that's Meryl for all of you who MUST SEE THE MOVIE). Unfortunately the house was damaged in a fire in 2003 and you can no longer tour it. The only way to see it is from the road. The house is tucked off on a side road, but after a few minutes we found it! It even had a truck (that looked like it belonged to Robert Kincaid) out front!! An absolutely perfect way to end our day.

Off to Des Moines we went...which is only 15 miles away (and good thing too because it was POURING just as we headed out). We checked into our hotel and did a quick session at the gym. During the morning car ride I read Edible Iowa. It listed the James Beard Award semi-finalists that had restaurants in Des Moines, so we made a reservation at Centro, an Italian place around the corner. We got there at 9 and had a very tasty meal with a side of movie industry conversation (there are never any shortages). We are off to Chicago tomorrow so have another early morning. Will send more details soon when we get to my Aunt Marion and Uncle Dick's place! Sleep well.