Dows

A little extra preparation goes a long way when exercising in hot temperatures. I knew that the day was supposed to be hot, (the temperature peaked at 93 degrees), so I had enough sense to pack more water than necessary and extra food stuffs in case I needed a quick energy boost in the extreme temperatures. With these essentials covered, riding bike in high temperatures doable, even fun! There is something irresistable about pushing your body to an extreme, but still knowing in the back of your mind that you have covered all of the essentials to survive. Everyone I told about my next bike trip to Dows gave me a blank stare rarely seen outside of a death in the family. I assured them that I would return much like I had left and not to worry.

My trip started early as I rode down the Siloam hill, West out of Iowa Falls and towards my first stop outside of Popejoy. There was an obstacle on this trip that I had not yet tackled. A two mile stretch of loose gravel on Eagle Avenue. I took my time as I rode the dusty road north out of Popejoy to Forgy's Farm Fresh, owned by Julie and Jeffery Forgy. 

When I arrived, Julie offered me a homemade frozen fruit cup, which I eagerly accepted and consumed with what I would assume was an enormous smile on my face. Julie explained to me that the farm's produce is sold to customers through a Community Supported Agriculture program. Customers can buy a membership and in turn receive a box of assorted vegetables once a month. The vegetables vary depending on what is available at certain times of the season. When I visited the farm, Julie and her daughter Naomi were picking potatoes, beets, carrots, broccoli  and cabbage to fill their customers' boxes. Julie said they started raising vegetable to have healthy food for their young family. Now that all her children have left the nest, Julie recognized a lot of local interest in local foods and began providing vegetables to local restaurants and stores. Forgy's Farm Fresh is now partnered with Healthy Harvest of North Iowa to promote their business and they hope to expand their customer base and general awareness of the benefits of locally grown produce, both for the farmers and the customers.

As I left the Forgy Farm, eventually heading west on S25 towards Dows, I realized for the first time how beautiful this part of the Greenbelt really is. The road is lined rolling hills and wetland sanctuaries filled with tall grasses, birds and prairie flowers. The stretch of land is a fantastic break from the seemingly endless fields of corn that dominate the Iowa landscape.  

By the time I coasted down the hill into Dows I was drenched in sweat and ready for a water break in the shade. After rehydrating I visited the Dows' Blacksmith Museum, which is run by the Dows Historical Society. Inside the large building I found Dick Jackson waiting patiently in the shade. Jackson has been giving tours of the shop since 2001 and has lived in Dows since 1929. The museum is filled to the brim with antique blacksmith equipment, some of which were actually constructed by the former owner, Frank Quasdorf. A single engine in the basement once turned a series of belts and pulleys that ran most of the equipment in the shop. Although the pulleys do not still run equipment, a number of machines are still operational including a unique trip hammer that was state of the art in its day.

After the blacksmith shop, I stopped in at the Mercantile on Ellsworth Avenue. The large building is filled, upstairs and down, with in-numerable objects for sale. From china to books, you can find what you need at the Mercantile. The main level also has a small cafe that serves sandwiches, shakes. I ordered a hot ham and cheese and a black raspberry shake along with a few cups of coffee for quick caffeine boost back out the door and into the hot sun.

After a quick walk through of the Dows school house, I arrived at my final stop, the Dows Depot. As the official welcome center of Dows, the building is filled with history and all the information you need to plan the rest of your tip to central Iowa. When I entered the building, I was greeted by Sharon Gardner who showed me all the unique items the building had to offer. In the back of the room Sharon demonstrated a wind-up mechanical train which raced around an antique track, much like the trains of the now by-gone era of the steam engines that used to drive the economy of Dows. 

As I climbed the hill on my way out of Dows, the beauty of the area struck me once more. Dows and towns in this part of Central Iowa are like little hidden gems that almost no one outside of the area really know anything about. But if you simply put forward even the slightest amount of effort to learn about the place and the people that live her, you receive 10 fold what you put in. I want to say that Dows is the friendliest and perhaps the most beautiful smalll town I have visited in the Greenbelt, but I still have a few more trips to ride before I can be absolutely sure.