Nestled on a bend in the Upper Iowa River
Ever visited Bluffton, Iowa 52101?
We have. And we have photos and a couple tee-shirts from Randy’s Campgrounds in Bluffton to prove it.
Earlier in this summer we settled on a vacation week in early September.
Where to take it?
First choice: St. Petersburg, Florida - where Mary spent her sophomore year in high school, while her father, Richard Pannabecker, was on a Bluffton College teaching sabbatical.
Second choice: Key West, Florida. We wanted to see why Hemmingway liked it.
Third choice: Tybee Island, Georgia, just north of the Florida coast. We’ve visited here before and we liked it.
Fourth choice: Lacrosse, Wisconsin, to visit our daughter, Lindsay. It’s on the Mississippi River. It has bluffs as tall as Bluffton, Ohio, stands above sea level. It’s a college town with lots of art, history, scenery and great places to eat. We took choice four.
And, as the aged knight in Indiana Jones’ movie stated: “We chose wisely.” There were no evacuations due to a hurricane.
We took a day trip to Rochester, Minnesota. We took another to Decorah, Iowa. There we visited Seed Savers Exchange, where we’ve purchased heirloom seeds over the years.
Wouldn’t you know that the road from LaCrosse to Decorah passes next door to a familiar-sounding place – Bluffton, Iowa. We couldn’t pass up the chance for a visit. Nestled on a bend in the Upper Iowa River next to the Bluffton Fir Stand State Reserve, our sister village lies in a beautiful, remote, hilly bluff-laden countryside.
We stopped at Randy’s Campground where we met Randy, one of the friendliest guys you would ever want to meet.
He asked how close Bluffton, Ohio, is to Bluffton, Indiana.
They reason? “I get truckers who stop here with deliveries for Bluffton, Indiana. One even stopped on Christmas Eve one year!” he chuckled. It certainly is a small world. We shared some similar Bluffton stories with him.
Then we cruised the Bluffton countryside. Our photo album follows below.
We’ll hold out on visiting Hemmingway some later calendar year.
Stories Posted This Week
Saturday, November 23, 2024
- Pirate football downs Patriots in Region 22 final
- Owen D. Ziessler worked for Accubuilt
- Weekend Doctor: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
- Agenda for Bluffton Council on November 25
- Super Cute Dresses ships 10,000 packages via Bluffton Post Office in 2024
- Volunteer opportunities at Bluffton Hospital
- Invitation to provide monthly display at Bluffton library
Friday, November 22, 2024
- Ticket and livestream info for Bluffton Pirates v. Patrick Henry football
- Service of thanks at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran
- Pirate girls basketball beats Hornets in McDonald’s opener
- 100+ voices in Bluffton's Handel's Messiah chorus
- Pirate Worcester named top district defender
- BVHS receives Level 7 achievement in ‘Most Wired’ survey
Thursday, November 21, 2024
- McDonald’s Holiday Tournament, Thursday, November 21
- 2024 Fall Festival in pictures: At the Schumacher Homestead
- Fairy I. Parkins was postmaster of Benton Ridge
- Council committee and residents discuss ADUs, best and worst case scenarios
- BPL hosts Open Crafts and Game Space, November 26
- Women in Business meet November 21
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
- Bluffton Beavers sports roundup, Nov. 13-19
- ODOT prepping for first snow of the season
- Mason named OBL 2024 Banker of the Year
- October 2024 land transfers in Bluffton school district
- November chamber meeting explores member news, Blaze plans and flag etiquette
- Bluffton EMS by the numbers: October 2024
- Children left unattended in running vehicles can lead to abductions
- Icon search function goes from 0 to 30
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
- Tickets and streaming information for Nov. 22 Pirate football playoff game
- Spirit Bus for November 22 football playoff in Findlay
- Tea Bag Exchange & Tasting at BPL, November 21
- Letter: University students learn about Fair Trade
- Join volunteer crew for 2024 Ream Display-Blaze of Lights setup
- Village of Bluffton asks for updated utility billing contact information