STW2 Hop 2: Oelwein IA to Fairmont MN

202 miles via IA 281, US 218, US 18, I-35 and I-90. Cumulative tow miles: 382. Truck miles: 341. Cumulative truck miles: 521.

Another easy trip through beautiful farmland, with a couple of Amish buggies at the start. Nice day, flat terrain, a good audio book (Every 15 Minutes by Lisa Scottoline) to listen to… a good day on the road. Parts of I-90 were pretty rough, but no damage. Just about 3:10 door-to-door.

Our Iowa home was the Lakeshore RV Resort and Campground in Oelwein MN. This park was surprising in several respects. First, the entrance is a disaster – it looks like you are entering a gravel pit or a auto salvage yard.  The roads are narrow (we had to very carefully navigate around a large rock). When we arrived the office was closed (at 2:30 pm!) and I had to call a number.  I was given verbal instructions where to park.

Not a great start.

But things got better.

We got set up and I took Rusty for a walk.  And then the good surprises started to unfold. The recreational facilities – a beach volleyball court, a playground and a beach with a floating platform – were in great shape and very appealing.  Most surprising was the mini-golf course which was very difficult (but not unfair) and a lot of fun.  I played about a half dozen times (it was free!) and finally got my score down to 25.  No pool and no cable TV, but we pulled in 12 channels over the air.  We would definitely stay here again.

We had two adventures during our free day in Oelwein. The planned one was a trip to the Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville IA. I was expecting something very commercialized, with an admission. I can’t say that I was disappointed to discover that it is free of charge. Yes, there is a souvenir shop, but you are free to wander around the field – or play ball on it – without supervision. I got some nice photos. It was very cool to be on the actual field where Kevin Costner “had a catch” with his dead father. Or to walk into the corn field, just like James Earl Jones. A very high coolness-to-price ratio.

The other adventure was dinner. We decided to seek out a sit-down restaurant in downtown Oelwein. There weren’t many options but Valone’s Family Restaurant offered breakfast all day which Jett likes, so we gave it a shot. We didn’t do breakfast, but the meals we selected – fried chicken for me, pork tenderloin for Jett – turned out to be better than we had any right to expect. My chicken was perfectly deep-fried with a crusty batter that was reminiscent of tempura. Jett’s pork tenderloin was breaded and fried, which initially disappointed Jett. Until she tasted it. It was probably the most tender, most finely seasoned pork she has ever had. I had a very nice piece of strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert. Even the coffee – which is generally very weak in diners like Valone’s – was very good. Bottom line: an exceptionally fine dinner at a very reasonable price with excellent service (thanks, Mary!). If you are ever in Oelwein, check out Valone’s.

With our two nights in Iowa we were able to add our 37th state to our map.