Courier April/May Courier | Page 40

Snowfall in love with Iowa
Total eclipse of the heartland
COMPASS

Midwest U . S .

COMPILED BY KENDALL FLETCHER

Snowfall in love with Iowa

Known mostly for prosperous cornfields and rolling plains , Iowa is trending as a major wintertime destination with lots of events , activities and some beautiful scenery to boot . Two popular spots are Des Moines and Dubuque .
Go skiing Travelers can hit the slopes at Sundown Mountain Resort in Dubuque , where 85 acres of cedar forest await . Seven Oaks Recreation in the Des Moines River Valley offers tubing , skiing , snowboarding and a lodge with cozy amenities .
Or , more uniquely , go snowshoeing Visitors can dust off their snowshoes ( or buy their first-ever pair ) and cover the Mines of Spain and Swiss Valley Nature Preserve in Dubuque .
Go ice skating Indoor ice skating is available at Dubuque ’ s Mystique Community Ice Center , or outside at Allison Henderson Park . Brenton Skating Plaza in Des Moines boasts an outdoor rink , perfect for skating beneath the stars .
Wear your regular footwear and go exploring The historic mining and milling towns along the 26-mile-long Heritage Trail from Dyersville to Dubuque is the perfect way to cover lots of ground while learning state history and enjoying the peacefulness of winter . The trail , popular for hiking and biking , can be traveled by snowmobile in the winter .
Ice skating at Des Moines ’ Brenton Skating Plaza
Don ’ t forget to eat Wood-fired pizza sounds perfect when it ’ s cold out , right ? Travelers can hit up L . May Eatery in Dubuque , or Gusto Pizza Co . in Des Moines . And there are plenty more unique restaurants in the cities to choose from .
For more information on wintertime activities in Iowa , visit traveldubuque . com and catchdesmoines . com .
DMCITYVIEW . COM

Total eclipse of the heartland

There ’ s no place like Kansas to watch the first total solar eclipse since 1979 .
The northeast part of the Sunflower State is in the direct path of the impressive and rare occurrence , and several organizations and institutions are putting together events to watch and celebrate it on Aug . 21 . Kelli Hilliard , travel development manager with Travel Kansas , says the hype of the solar eclipse began a couple years ago when tour operators began contacting her about bringing groups to see it .
ISTOCK
“ We ’ re really mostly excited for the fact that it ’ s going to bring a lot of people to the state ,” she says . “ It ’ s just such a cool event .”
Kansas will host special speakers at Benedictine College in Atchison , including Fr . Christopher J . Corbally , S . J ., president of the National Committee for Astronomy in the Vatican City State for the International Astronomical Union , and Fr . Paul Gabor , S . J ., vice director of the Vatican Observatory Research Group . They will offer lectures on the eclipse , astronomy and the church .
Atchison County will have watch parties at Benedictine College ’ s football field , the Mount St . Scholastica Convent and the Amelia Earhart Airport .
Doniphan County will have Kansas ’ longest exposure time during the eclipse , and viewing sites will include Courthouse Square , the 4-H Fairgrounds , and the Troy High School softball / baseball diamond and football field . Ancillary activities at the different sites will include walking tours , live music , food vendors and a street dance .
There will also be events hosted in Brown , Leavenworth and Nemaha counties .
Visit travelks . com / solareclipse for developing information or contact Hilliard at kelli . hilliard @ ks . gov .
38 April / May 2017