Leaving Omaha today, I chose to take the scenic route home to Ames. So, I headed north up I-29 to Mondamin, and turned off to hook up with Hwy 183 to 141, which took me on the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway. Then on to Dennison where I met up with Hwy 30, the Lincoln Highway. The intent: to see prairie and rolling hills, and to drive through Jefferson where I’ll join RAGBRAI for the first of my a two-day ride at the end of July.
Not versed in geological history of the region, I can say before heading into the Loess Hills, I saw Iowa farm land as flat as a pancake. I image if I’d had a level, the bubble-blob would have rested smack dab in the middle. And in the hills over looking that same flat valley, a path trailed off atop looking akin to the range along Skyline Drive above Palo Alto, California where I used to live.
And heading into Dennison, and eastward towards home, I noticed what appears to me farmland rimmed in prairie grasses. I’d heard rumors farmers were doing this, as the root systems of prairie grass cleanses nitrogen runoff. Wizzing by switchgrass and other grasses whose names are not known to me yet, hope gurgled up inside me.
Of course I had to eat. On recommendation I dined on the five-dollar Monday special at Cronks in Dennison (three fried chicken legs, fries, coleslaw, biscuit and a cookie (I didn’t eat the biscuit nor cookie hoping for ice cream down the road.), and delighted in a peanut butter fudge waffle cone at an ice cream spot off the cute historic square in Jefferson.
What struck me most today was the expanse of land, a sea of waving green.
Hi Ana, I enjoyed your observations as you traveled through the Loess Hills recently. I don’t know if you know the geological history of those formations, but it is unique and very special. Those hills were not carved by glaciers as some other hills in Iowa are, rather they were created over millions of years from blown soil that came from Nebraska and piled up along the flood plain. If one digs down through one of the Loess hills..maybe as much as a hundred feet (depending on the size of the hill), the soil would continue to look like the black loam that it is, and you would find very little clay anywhere. There are only two places in the world where Loess type soil can be found, and in both of them it was because the winds blew it there over time, and it created the hills you drove through. One of the two places is here in Iowa of course, and the only other place in the world is in China! I have seen photos of the Loess Hills in China and they are terraced and are used for farming, while ours in Iowa are a natural resource we protect and enjoy. Yes much of Iowa is as flat as a pancake along the flood plains of both the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, and in the middle of the state as well. On the western border we have the Loess Hills, and on the eastern border we have hills that were carved by glaciers and water erosion. The thing is many people who just end up driving in Iowa’s Loess Hills see them as hills and nothing more. I am glad you saw the signs and wanted to see what it was like and now you know. There has been some effort to turn it into a kind of national park, but so far there has not been support in Washington to do that.
Farmers ARE growing grass land barriers around farm land to act as filters to absorb the nitrogen run off, and not cause problems in our watershed areas. It might interest you that Ada Hayden Memorial Park on the north edge of Ames is using that approach as well. There are several ponds around the North West, West, and South West sides of the lake that catch the water run off and hold it there for absorption into the grasses and cat tails there, rather than to just run directly into the lake. It is working very well and the ecological health of the lake (a former gravel pit) has never been better. There is a 2.5 mile long trail all around that lake that is very popular for people to use for walking, biking, roller blading, and any activity that is not motorized.
I love seeing seas of waving grass, and in some of my recent landscape photos, it is evident there as well. The Iowa farmers know so well, they are stewards of the land they own and use, but at the same time wish to not create a run off problem for streams and water sources downstream. I think the awareness and stewardship is higher than it has ever been, as better farming practices are used, and as wetlands are now protected and encouraged for filtration purposes, and not always tiled and drainer for raising corn and beans.
What I liked about your reflective piece was that you were seeing and feeling more than just the hills and grass, but you could see and understand the importance of a harmonious connection between the Loess Hills, the farmers, and those tourists who drive through the area. There is a sense of peace in that place, that is beautiful, and can be felt no matter which season of the year it may be. I have been there in the fall when there is color on the leaves and it is truly beautiful. All Iowans and visitors to Iowa benefit, when this increased sense of awareness and responsibility towards others, results in the positive outcomes that are starting to present themselves.
I am glad you chose to take the scenic route to Ames, and experienced one of the most impressive natural resources in Iowa and in the United States as well, as no where else in this country can you find hills made from wind blown soil. I have photographed RAGBRAI a couple of times when it came through central Iowa, but this year they come down Beach Avenue west of the stadium, which is right at the end of my street!! I will be down there some of the time taking photos of tired, sweaty, and invigorated bikers…maybe you.
Hi Bob!
Thank you so much for the geology lesson. It’s all very interesting. And thank you also for catching the feelings I had for what I was seeing during my road trip. I like to write as such because I think people miss it, and catch it and think about it in the future when they too are driving. I am very familiar with Ada Hayden Memorial Park. I bike there, and walk Avy there. Lovely spot. And Ragbrai turns on Beach just before my house on the next corner. Thankfully. Hahaha. I plan to be one of those riders riding around the stadium when I drag myself into Ames. Having a real bed and shower of my own is the impetus for me riding again. Perhaps I’ll see you with your camera.
Cheers! Thank you for your thoughtful response.
Ana