1/4 of a Century - My Birthday Trip 2020

I am a huge fan of birthdays. I believe that they are meant to be celebrated and not just pass on by… So when my 25th birthday arrived, I knew we had to go all out and celebrate me being a quarter of a century old! 😊 Luckily, my husband, Sam, and I were able to take off work to celebrate. What better way to kick off the festivities on a 93 degree day, then a road trip in a convertible?

We had scoped out some potential options for lunch locations and ended up deciding on Go Fish Marina Bar & Grill in Princeton, Iowa. This location was built right on the Mississippi River in 2007. It is owned and operated by John and Krista Kay of Davenport, Iowa. I was encouraged to see a large variety of the items on their menu were made with fresh and local ingredients. Supporting local is always big for Sam and I!

So we arrived at this fun and enjoyable place right on the water. We got there early, and there was no one utilizing the outdoor dining when we arrived. We sat out on their deck, which also featured an awesome, shaded tiki bar. If outside dining isn’t your preference, they had plenty of tables inside and I was surprised with how awesome the view of the water was even from in there! Their menu wasn’t too extensive, but just enough options. They had a nice selection of mixed drinks and frozen drink specialties. We both enjoyed a strawberry daiquiri in their take home beverage cups that change colors; a neat keepsake for my birthday celebration...

I generally like to ask the waitstaff what they recommend but our waiter was new to the job, just this week. Sam ordered the fish and chips and I selected the cowboy burger with the onion tanglers as my side. The pieces of fish that Sam had were nice and big. He also said their fries were great. My burger’s meat was Iowa black angus and it was cooked tenderly and tasted good. The onion tanglers were described to me as onion rings. These had more breading and less onion than what I’d prefer, but still a nice option as a side. Pricing was a bit high for a burger in my opinion; but overall, the view was so enjoyable to just sit back, relax, and enjoy a cold alcoholic beverage on a hot day!

Once we checked out at Go Fish, we punched Iowa City into the maps. The drive was primarily highway with lots of truck drivers... it was no surprise then when we drove past the World’s Largest Truck Stop. I will admit, the last time we drove for homemade ice cream in Iowa it was a bit disappointing, so I was nervous that this next homemade ice cream location wouldn’t be up to par…

We pulled up to Heyn’s Premium Ice Cream. (Don’t be fooled into just driving by since it is a homemade ice cream place in a strip mall.) We were the only ones inside, which was great for me. I always need time to examine all the choices, ask questions about the flavors, and have a few samples… I was immediately impressed by the hand-drawn and creative labels

for each of the ice cream flavors. I’ve never seen that before, and it just added a personal touch, to the already “homemade with love” ice cream.

I sampled the Snickers Swirl, Chocolate Covered Cherry, and Coffee Oreo. (There were so many other flavors too that caught my attention, but I had to try to narrow my choices). First thing I noticed: Heyn’s does not skimp. When the employee spooned the samples she always made sure to have the mix-ins included to get the full effect (example: chunk of Oreo in the Coffee Oreo or a full maraschino cherry in the Chocolate Covered Cherry). I was impressed by all three samples. I think I even embarrassed Sam when I said out loud

“Wow, you guys have really good ice cream!”

So I ordered a waffle cone with Coffee Oreo and Snickers Swirl. Coffee Oreo was my favorite, but both were amazing! Although the store does not make the waffle cones, the cone was nice and fresh as well. Sam sampled the S’mores; personal preference: he didn’t like the chunks of marshmallows- he prefers the marshmallow cream. However, he ended up ordering the Chocoholic Delight: a chocolate base with brownie, fudge, and Heath bar. He really liked the creamy, homemade flavor and texture of the ice cream. Throwing in the Heath bar also made it unique compared to the traditional chocolate flavors he elects to order at other locations.

We took in all the fun signs and sayings inside the store as well. I would certainly agree now that “a day without Heyn’s ice cream is like a day without sunshine”.

I was grinning ear to ear as we left our ice cream location. Sam already had the next destination punched into our maps: Amana, IA to check out Amana Colonies for our first time. It was about a half hour drive, but easy to get to. Immediately when we entered the town, it reminded us of a combination of Galena, Illinois & New Glarus, Wisconsin: old town vibes, fun shops, neat signs, and German sayings throughout. Logically, our first stop was the visitors center. I met a sweet lady there who was very helpful and provided me with a map. We had limited time before some of the shops closed, and she helped us select a few that fit our style.

First stop was the Heritage Design to buy a piece of fabric as a keepsake for the day. The two ladies were so helpful on showing me some of their favorite pieces and also bringing out a fabric they thought I’d like. And I certainly did! I purchased a yard, and then Sam and I were on our way. We then stopped at some of the shops on the main drag: Creative Colony (neat to see work from Iowa artists), Amana Colonies Bakery & Café (which had fresh breads, rolls, etc.), Amana Colonies Popcorn & Ice Cream Company (which smelled great and sold Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream). I was on the hunt for a piece of Dutch/apple crumb pie to take home from either Ox Yoke Inn or Ronneburg Restaurant but neither had it. However, their selections did sound tasty and I’d like to try a family-style meal at one of these two locations if we do return in the future.

Then we stopped at the Amana General Store to get an ornament (we created a tradition where we buy one in each state we travel to). Holy cow- walking into the International Christmas Market was fun! It was literally like walking into “Christmas in July”. The General Store had plenty of gifts, candies, bread mixes, jams and preserves that were all reasonably priced in my opinion. It was neat to see so many local things. Especially since we learned some of the history of the colonies, and Amana comes from Song of Solomon in the Bible which means “remain true”… It was humbling to read how they relied on one another and their talents. No one had cash incomes, they were all given vouchers used to buy goods. And I can see how their talents were used to create many different goods, crafts, produce, furniture, and more!

The last stop on this hot day was for a tasting at Iowa’s oldest microbrewery: Millstream Brewing Co. You could watch their production through the glass windows, and the drinks were good too! After our sample tastings, Sam ended up buying a 6 pack of homemade bottled root beer to enjoy on summer nights at home.

My heart is so happy to be able to celebrate and do so much at age 25. I am thankful for the memories. I hope regardless of your age that you let travel inspire you and make a mark on your life as well.

Love,

Blonde Ambition