Close by our camp we visited a most picturesque little town called, Winterset. It is a town of roughly 6,000 inhabitants who take special pride in its history, beauty and deep community spirit. This is most evident when you discover that many of its gorgeous parks and the bountiful hanging baskets of flowers adorning every post in town, are maintained by volunteers.
We were fortunate to have the services of a lovely guide, Leslie Allen. Leslie works with the town’s Chamber of Commerce and has a passion for sharing her love for her town and the people who live there. Leslie also has an incredible family history of generations of Allens dating back to 1849 when her great grandfather built the family’s first home in Winterset. There’s even an old photo on the wall outside the Chamber that shows a collection of construction workers featuring Leslie’s great grandfather and great uncle.
Probably the most famous former resident of Winterset is old Duke himself. Yep, I’m talking about actor John Wayne. Close to the town’s core is the John Wayne Birthplace Museum. And beside it is a small, lovingly maintained white house which is where John Wayne was born. (It is also the house where one of Leslie’s aunts was born, which is another story.)
A short drive away is City Park with 76 acres of lush, well-manicured lawn, gardens, trees and the occasional animal or gnome carved out of tree stumps. A few years back, seven ash trees in the park had to be removed when hit by the dreaded emerald ash borer. A local chainsaw artist named, Gary Keenan, put his talents to work and transformed the seven unsightly tree stumps into extremely sightly works of art. His carvings are now a fun feature for visitors and a reminder to all of us, young and old, that when life throws you a lemon, time to make lemonade.
Before leaving the park we came across a giant rock commemorating the discovery of a special variety of apple in Madison County by a gent named Jesse Hiatt in 1872. Originally introduced to the apple world as the “Hawkeye Apple,” people found his new apple so delicious, they just started calling it a Delicious Apple. So, now you know when you’re crunching into a Delicious Apple, you can thank Jesse Hiatt and Madison County for that delicious discovery and gift to apple lovers everywhere.
Our last part of our special tour with Leslie was visiting a number of the incredible covered bridges throughout Madison County. Most folks may remember these bridges from the movie, “Bridges of Madison County” or the popular romance novel, The Bridges of Madison County, written by American writer Robert James Waller.
I have to admit, Bernadette loved both the book and the movie. Me, on the other hand, never read the book and couldn’t keep my eyes open during the movie. All I know is the main characters, played by Clint Eastwood and Merryl Streep, would secretly meet up at the covered bridges. Their fun didn’t last long though, and by the time I awoke at the end of the movie, there was poor Clint peeling off in his rusty pickup at a rainy corner, leaving behind his secret lover and the bridges of Madison County.
While, not a big fan of the book or movie, I am a big fan of these bridges. Visiting some of them was certainly interesting and even an old guy like me can understand the romance of meeting someone special under a covered bridge. In fact, before we leave Winterset, I plan to send Bernadette a special invite. Maybe I’ll deliver it with a bushel of Delicious Apples. Bernadette could never resist a good apple.
Special thanks to Leslie Allen for her warmth, easy laugh and our incredible tour of her beautiful town, Winterset.