Hiking & Running in Iowa

I brought home made fudge to Iowa.  My Dad loves fudge and used to make it on the stove top with no recipes, no scales, no candy thermometer when he was young. I took a chocolate making class with my daughter and make really good fudge that I closely monitor with the candy thermometer, wiping the sides of the pan down with damp paper towels, weighing the good quality chocolate before adding it, and pouring the mixture out onto my granite counter top where I work it with a paint scraper (new and used only for fudge). I put Iowa black walnuts on the top of the fudge.  My Dad had mailed them to me a while back and I've had them in the freezer.

So that is what I kept tasting all weekend in Iowa.

It was a short trip for a wedding. Still, I got a couple of nice sightseeing workout events in.

I was up before dawn on Saturday, donned my running clothes that I had set aside the night before so I could sneak out quietly, not waking anyone. I was just about to leave the bedroom when a pillow hit me in the head. I turned to my husband and said, "Get your ass out of bed since you are awake and come with me. Let's go hiking." So he did and we did. Approximately a 3 mile hike.

We hiked into Lamson's Woods State Preserve, Fairfield, Iowa.  We continued on along the bike path and back into town through Chautauqua Park, then on the streets back to my folk's house.

Across the street from my folks' house.

Morning light as dawn was breaking.

Birding. It's migratory season and there was LOTS of activity.

Green Heron

Mr. Heron

Breakfast of champions.

Hi!

The morning fog at Lamson's Woods.

I got up early Sunday morning too.  Dave stayed to chat with my Mom and Aunt who were already up so I went for a run.  I brought my little Nikon but the battery soon died so I had to use my Droid which doesn't take good pics.  I had nice long looks at the heron at Lamson's Woods - ran part of the same route we'd hiked the day before. It had rained over night so it was nice and foggy on the ground. Beautiful. I heard wild turkeys just outside the border of Chautauqua Park and stayed for a while, hoping they'd show themselves but it wasn't to be. A good run. Maybe 3 miles.

I love running into the fog!

Pearls or rain-heavy web?

Chautauqua Park. So beautiful!