Friday in Decorah

Paul and I spent the morning kayaking the Upper Iowa River, paddling a stretch about 12 miles long and pulling out near Decorah.  It's so nice that the river runs through and around the downtown area, one of the many things that makes Decorah such a nice place to live.

This is a shot of one of the river's spring-fed waterfalls - cold, clean water coming through cracks in the limestone.   

The girls insisted we put up the tent.  Since we drove it to California and half way back without using it (messing up Taryn's pre-engineered packing plan in the process) that seemed like a good idea.  

After our trip, Taryn and Karen went downtown for a few hours of shopping by themselves.  They deserved it.  Paul and I left all four kids with babysitters and met the girls at Rubaiyat, a restaurant owned by Paul and Karen's friends Andy and Kim.  The food, craft beer, and dessert were all excellent, bested only by the company.  I like this quote from the menu:  "Drink wine. This is life eternal. This is all that youth will give you. It is the season for wine, roses and drunken friends. Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life."  

We followed dinner with a drink at La Rana, another nice bistro just around the corner.  We marveled at the blue moon on the ride home.  What a delightful way to end our time with great friends.  

Decorah - Fish Hatchery and Phelps Park

We enjoyed another lazy morning, then headed off to tour the fish hatchery.  The kids loved feeding the swarms of fish!

A nice lady let SE reel in a fish!

We then drove to Phelps Park.  The kids had a blast on the playground and then set out for a little hike.  SE wasn't down with hiking so she and I hung back.  I read my book under a tree while she played on the playground.  Everyone was happy!!

We ended the day with fabulous Mexican food at Don Jose's and, of course, one more stop at the ice cream shop.

Decorah - Dunning Springs

Ahhh...we slept fantastic.  We finally let the boys wake up the girls around ten!  I think they had some rest to catch up on.  After a nice and lazy morning, we set out for lunch in Decorah.  This may be the cutest town I have ever seen.  It has a small population with one elementary, middle, and high school. Despite the size, it has so much to offer:  a local farmers market, co-op grocery store like Whole Foods, great restaurants, boutiques, a vibrant downtown area, and even a knitting store!  They have a great parks and recreation system, lots of outdoor activities, surrounding farmland, and beautiful scenery.

We ate lunch at a great coffee shop and then checked out the ice cream shop down the street.

After lunch we went to Dunnings Spring Park to explore a bit.  It is amazing to me that this beautiful spot is just a quick drive from main street.  As we arrived, there was a couple getting engaged up on the waterfall.  The kids explored and of course put their feet in the water.  My tootsies weren't getting anywhere near that 48 degree water!

James pulled this guy out of my hair.  EWWWW!

Back home we ate brats and fresh sweet corn.  James and Paul went for an evening bike ride around town.  The City of Deborah has a 12-mile loop trail that encircles the downtown area, runs along the Upper Iowa River and surrounding fields, and has a endless supply of fireflies.  We got the kids settled in bed and enjoyed more adult time.  A perfect day.