May 1, Saturday
City Park Campground in Winterset
We took off from the house around 8 am and got to the City Park Campground in Winterset just before noon. Unfortunately, when we arrived, there was someone on our site. Check-out is at noon, so I could catch one of the people on the site as she was coming out of her Class A and ask when they might be leaving. They looked surprised to see me, but they assured me they would leave soon. They quickly packed up, and we were able to move into the site at about 12:20.
After we quickly set up, we drove into the town of Winterset.
Madison County Historical Complex
We followed signs to the Madison County Historical Complex, consisting of the 1856 Bevington Mansion and twelve additional buildings. They had just opened for the summer, so we were one of the first visitors of the year. We were first introduced to an art gallery before learning that a tour was about to begin of the mansion, so we decided to join them.
This elegant 1856 home consists of nine rooms, with all-brick construction on a limestone foundation. The bricks were made in the brickyard of the owner, Charles D. “Doc” Bevington. The walnut for the woodwork came from the hillside below the house. Bevington settled in Winterset in 1853 after going to California in the Gold Rush 1849. He was one of the wealthiest men in central Iowa and owned over 4,000 acres of Madison County land. In 1857, it was restored and furnished with Victorian richness, and it is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Though the mansion was beautiful with its many stained glass windows, we had the most fun watching the chickens huddled around a bush in the high wind.
We then explored the other structures of the complex, including a blacksmith shop, an old stone barn where the chickens stayed, a log school, a law office, a mercantile store, a Martin gas station, North River Stone School, Pleasant View Log Post Office, Winterset Train Depot, Tusha Country School, Zion Church, and a large modern barn full of agriculture displays.
After we visited all the outbuildings, we went back to the main museum and walked through the main museum.
Winterset City Park
We then drove over to the 75-acre City Park and stopped at the Cutler-Donahoe Covered Bridge that was located there. It was full of hornets and ticks, so we did not stay long.
We then walked through the hedge maze, which was lots of fun, before getting back into the truck and driving to Clark Tower, which was a 25-foot castle-like structure erected in 1926 in memory of Caleb Clark, a stonemason who was the first white settler of Madison County. The road to the structure was very narrow and very curvy.
Winterset City Campground
We then returned to the trailer to relax and enjoy some beers in the nice weather. Our neighbors had some cute French Bulldogs that we got to meet.
Downtown Winterset & Waukee Ice Cream Shoppe
After dinner, we drove downtown to Frostee’s Ice Cream Shop but found it closed. I looked online and found another ice cream store about 30 minutes away that we decided to go to. On the way, we took pictures of the courthouse and display for the first gas station in Winterset, consisting of a gas pump embedded into a wall with a plexiglass plate shield.
The Waukee Ice Cream Shoppe has a long line, but we decided to stand there anyway. It had 30 soft-serve and 20 hard-pack ice cream flavors and specialty sundaes. We got a medium cup with two flavors of hard-pack ice cream each. Before returning, we went across the street to a park bench to eat our ice cream.
May 2, Sunday
After breakfast, we left around mid-morning to visit all the rest of the Madison Covered Bridges.
Roseman Covered Bridge
Built in 1883 by Harvey P. Jones and George K. Foster, Roseman is 107 feet long and in its original location. It was renovated in 1992 for $152,515. In Robert James Waller’s novel, The Bridges of Madison County, and the movie of the same name, Roseman is the bridge Robert Kincaid seeks when he stops at Francesca Johnson’s home for directions. It is also where Francesca leaves her note inviting him to dinner.
Also known as the “haunted” bridge, Roseman is where two sheriff’s posses trapped a county jail escapee in 1892. The man rose straight through the bridge’s roof, uttered a wild cry, and disappeared. He was never found, and it was decided that anyone capable of such a feat must be innocent.
Hogback Covered Bridge
Built in 1884 by Harvey P. Jones and George K. Foster, the Hogback Covered Bridge measures 97 feet and is originally located north of Winterset. Hogback is from the limestone ridge forming the valley’s west end. It was renovated in 1992 for $118,810.
Cedar Covered Bridge
Built in 1883 by Harvey P. Jones and George K. Foster, Cedar Bridge was 76 feet long and was the last bridge open to vehicles. It was built over Cedar Creek north of Winterset on US Highway 169. It was moved to its present location over the same creek in 1921. In Robert James Waller’s novel, The Bridges of Madison County, Cedar Bridge is where Francesca Johnson meets Robert Kincaid to help him take photographs. Cedar is also the bridge on the novel’s cover. The bridge was renovated in 1998 for $128,073.
After being nearly destroyed by arson, Cedar Bridge was rebuilt and was re-opened to the public on the Covered Bridge Festival weekend in 2019. It is the only one of the covered bridges that you can drive across.
Holliwell Covered Bridge
Built in 1880 by Harvey P. Jones and George K. Foster, Holliwell is the longest covered bridge, measuring 122 feet. It remains at its original site over the Middle River, southeast of Winterset. Holliwell was renovated in 1995 at a cost of $225,000. It is featured in “The Bridges of Madison County” movie.
Imes Covered Bridge
Imes, the oldest of the remaining covered bridges, was built in 1870 and is 81 feet long. It was originally located over the Middle River west of Patterson. In 1887, it was moved to a spot over Clinton Creek southwest of Hanley. Imes Bridge moved to its present location over a natural ravine just east of St. Charles in 1977. It was renovated in 1997 for $31,807.
Monumental Park
After visiting the last of the covered bridges, we headed over to Monumental Park to enjoy the lunch that Lisa packed.
The monument in the park’s center was dedicated on October 17, 1867, and was one of the earliest Civil War monuments erected in Iowa. It is a 14-foot marble monument on a 5-foot limestone base. There are inscriptions on the four sides. The cannons, included in 1878, are six-pounder bronze field guns from the Civil War. The cannons and carriages are in excellent condition.
John Wayne Birthplace Museum & Home
The John Wayne Birthplace & Museum includes his birth home and a museum with the largest collection of John Wayne artifacts. The museum opened in 2015 beside the four-room home where Marion Morrison was born on May 26, 1907. He lived there for three years.
Madison County Freedom Rock
Located near John Wayne’s Birthplace Museum, we saw Madison County’s Freedom Rock. Painted in 2017 by Iowa muralist Ray ‘Bubba’ Sorensen II, this is one of 95 rocks around Iowa that thank local veterans, firefighters, and policemen and portray local attractions. The one in Winterset features John Wayne depicted in various service uniforms, local prisoners of war, local military heroes, and a female veteran with a Quilt of Valor.
South Des Moines Sculpture Park
We were not ready to call it a day, so we decided to visit various quirky attractions around Des Moines that we found on the RoadsideAmerica website. Our first stop was a crazy little sculpture garden in South Des Moines.
The South Des Moines Sculpture Park has about 18 quirky sculptures in a long, narrow strip of land in a residential neighborhood. A trolly stops in the 1930s & ’40s, it was purchased by Chuck Mettler and Phil Barber, who tried to add a new sculpture or 2 each year.
Plumbers and Steamfitters Training Center
This large monument features two mighty hands clutching two pipe wrenches and combining their torque in a 2006 steel sculpture celebrating the Plumber and Steamfitters Local Union No. 33.
Papajohn Sculpture Park
In the middle of downtown Des Moines, this beautifully landscaped 4.4-acre sculpture park was created in 2009 and features artwork by 25 of the world’s most celebrated artists.
Iowa State Capitol
We stopped at the beautiful state capitol building down the street to take pictures and enjoy its view overlooking Des Moines.
Evening
The weather forecast predicted storms the next morning. We decided to get packed up and connected to the truck to leave quickly in the morning.
May 3
Luckily, it did not rain when we woke up, so we could finish packing and get to the dump station quickly. We were on the road to Ponca State Park by 8:30 am.