Des Moines and Duluth, Two Heartland Cities

(2024 Heartland Ep 5)

Our route took us across the American heartland from south to north, through Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota.  The rolling landscape was covered with corn, beans and hay fields.  There weren’t many farmers and mechanical implements to be seen, however, as it was between planting and harvest.

Des Moines

We came to Des Moines, Iowa, a small (population 225,000) city somewhat in the center of the heartland and the capitol of Iowa.  Friends of ours, Steve and Audra, chronicled their visit to Des Moines in 2023 on their YouTube channel.  Based on their positive review, we decided to spend a couple days looking around.

The Des Moines River bisects the city and was near flood stage during our visit due to heavy rains to the north.  We saw numerous signs about road closures due to flooding in low areas.

Gold in the Sky

The Iowa capitol building has a magnificent gold covered dome.  Inside, the view upward into the dome is equally as impressive.

We joined a group touring the building and learned essential facts about Iowa state government and the building itself.  Completed in 1886, the capitol has two ornate main chambers – one for Iowa’s 50 senators and the other for their 100 representatives.  Another chamber for the state supreme court is no longer in use with completion of a nearby judicial branch building in 2003.

Our tour took us to various other parts of the building, including the Iowa state law library with its intricate ‘Victorian’-style architecture and spiral staircases at each end of the library. 

We also ascended a steep circular staircase to the whisper chamber high up in the dome. There, we could clearly hear our guide’s whispered comments all the way across the dome.

Botanical Gardens

From the capitol building we drove several minutes to the Des Moines Botanical Garden.  Inside a large dome structure was an assortment of tropical plants that included various types of palms, orchids, ferns and many other tropical plants.  We have some of the same plants in our yard at home!

There are various nicely landscaped garden areas and water features outside as well, with plenty of shaded benches to enjoy the setting.  The Des Moines River is adjacent to the gardens.

Better Sculptures, Better Art…Pappajohn!

Our Des Moines visit ended with a walk through the Pappajohn Sculpture Park.  Opened in 2009, the 4.4-acre park has more than 30 sculptures by world-celebrated artists and was made possible by the generosity of John and Mary Pappajohn and other donors. 

Some of the sculptures were inspiring.  Others were difficult to understand and appreciate!

Riding the Trestle Bridge

We left Des Moines the next morning and detoured a few miles to ride a portion of the High Trestle Rail Trail. 

The highlight of the trail is a nearly half-mile long converted trestle railroad bridge 13 stories above the Des Moines River.  The bridge, originally built in the 1970s and retired in the early 2000s, has a series of decorative rotating rectangle structures.

Trouble on the Horizon

During our drive north toward Minneapolis, the sky darkened. We drove through heavy rain showers and Pat spotted a small funnel cloud. We were thankful the funnel quickly disappeared.

Duluth

Before continuing north to Canada and the north side of Lake Superior, we stopped at Duluth, Minnesota for a couple nights.  Percy was due for an oil change and tire rotation – road trips are not always sunshine and rainbows!

From downtown Duluth, we rode several miles along the shore of Lake Superior and returned to Canal Park, home of the Aerial Lift Bridge, which raises for ships entering the harbor area from Lake Superior.  A schedule with information about daily arrivals and departures of the nearly 1000 vessels that use the canal each year is posted at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center.

We didn’t see any large ships during our visit but were told a 1000-ft ship passing through the canal is quite a spectacle.                        

Next Week

The world’s best donuts and spectacular waterfalls along the Lake Superior North Shore Highway.  Is Lake Superior really all that superior?