At the beginning of our Precious Venture in August of 2016 we visited Iowa briefly as we hurried to the northeast to see the Fall Colors.  We were happy to have a second drive through Iowa in April 2017  to visit our friend Catherine and her son Jack in Des Moines and a chance to explore the covered bridges of Madison County.

Amidst the wandering thunderstorms the countryside of Iowa unveiled itself with the bountiful farmlands and dotted with patches of forest, numerous creeks and rivers, quaint small towns nestled in comfortable glens and atop rolling ridges, and the quintessential covered bridges with their histories dating back to the mid 1800s.

Getting off the beaten path and exploring the countryside is where this trip around America has always shined for us.  It was such a joy to explore the backroads of Iowa, find one gem of a covered bridge after another, and getting our Jeep muddy 🙂

Even if you don’t remember the movie Bridges of Madison County or were not born in time to see it, exploring central Iowa will help you understand the setting, this is middle America at it’s best.  After you have seen enough bridges, pull into Northside Cafe in Winterset IA for lunch.  Scott Valencia, co-owner gave us a history lesson of his fine restaurant and the food was great!

Take the time to enjoy Madison County when you can.  You will not be disappointed 🙂

As always our photo gallery at http://www.compositionbyjohn.com/Covered-Bridges-of-Madison-County-IA or at Facebook.com/compositionbyjohn show all our pictures.  Thank you for visiting our blog 🙂

John and Roni