It’s day 495.... It’s also September 12, 2020....... And we’re in Spirit Lake, Iowa

It’s day 495.... It’s also September 12, 2020....... And we’re in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

We left Akron around midday, no rush, taking our time to pack up. One last walk around that park. ...and along the river....The drive from Akron....to Spirit Lake, Iowa......roughly 120-mile trek.... through the rolling farmland and prairie of northwest Iowa. In September, the landscape is in transition—fields of corn and soybeans stand tall, nearing harvest, their green fading to gold under the soft, slanted light of early fall. The air is crisp in the morning, still holding onto summer’s warmth by afternoon.

That time of year when combines begin their slow crawl across the fields, and the scent of freshly turned earth drifting in through the open windows as we drove.

We started by heading east on Iowa Highway 3. This stretch of road is mostly flat, flanked by farmland and dotted with grain silos. Just beyond Akron, the land opens up—vast fields stretch in every direction, interrupted only by occasional tree groves marking old farmsteads.

As we continued eastward, passing through Chatsworth...and passing through Loess Hills of western Iowa.....the scenery gradually gives way to the broader plains of the state’s interior. Hawarden appears after about 15 miles, a town of around 2,500 people with its old brick buildings and a railway line cutting through.. we continued east.....

After another 15 miles or so, we were once again passing by Le Mars.....the Ice Cream Capital of the world....but this time...in the opposite direction. As we transitioned onto US Highway 75 North...we began the slow but steady climb towards Iowa’s Great Lakes region.

Northbound on Highway 75, we passed through Merrill and Hinton, two small farming communities....and all those tidy little homes....and well-kept yards, and massive grain elevators marking their town centers.

We kept going.... north...and watched as the land flattens out again, and the sky gots bigger. We'd skirt by Sioux City...and the 85,000 that live there....dodgin that crowd by around 30 miles.

At Sioux Center, about 50 miles into the trip....we noticed the land shifting again. This is classic Midwestern prairie—endless rows of corn and soybeans, the occasional red barn breaking up the horizon. The Dutch influence is strong here, visible in the neat brick buildings and windmill motifs. Continuing north, Rock Valley is next, another quiet town .....where the farms seem to stretch forever.

After passing Hull, we veerred slightly east on IA-9, heading toward Spirit Lake. The land flattens out again, the road slicing through open prairie...but this time...Wind turbines become more common—those tall, white giants turning slowly against the deep blue September sky.

At Lake Park, about 10 miles out... the change is unmistakable. Suddenly, trees are more abundant, the soil darkens, and a few hills reappear. The lakes are near. We could sense it in the air—a coolness that wasn’t there before, a slight moisture clinging to the breeze. The last stretch on Highway 71 takes you past rolling hills and pastures until you arrive in Spirit Lake, where the western shore of East Okoboji Lake shimmered in the afternoon light.

The town itself feels alive with the energy of early fall. The tourists...it felt like....were headed out, but the locals are still making the most of the season. The streets are quiet but not empty, the last boats of summer still bobbing in the marinas. The air smells of lake water and fallen leaves, and somewhere, someone is grilling....hamburgers....I think.

Our trek from Akron to Spirit Lake wasn't just a drive—but a slow transition through Iowa’s heartland, a glimpse into the state’s rich agricultural history.....further telling the story....we'd first learned of back in Craig Iowa...... and a road that leads not just to a destination, but to a place where the land and water tell a story of their own.

Iowa has a Great Lakes Region? That had been my first thought....as I was told of the area..... I’d heard of the Great Lakes—the massive ones up north—but never considered Iowa had its own. And yet, as we rolled into town, it became clear: this place was something special. The blue water. The crisp fall air. A perfect spot....to hang out for a bit...and learn.

But just like everywhere else we've been.... to really understand Spirit Lake, you have to go back—way back.

Starting...with the land itself. Another part of the country carved by glaciers over 12,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. As the ice receded, it left behind deep, clear lakes—Big Spirit Lake, East Okoboji, and West Okoboji among them. These aren’t just any lakes. They’re among the few blue-water lakes in the world, formed by those ancient glaciers. It’s what gives them their clarity and depth.

The Dakota Sioux were the first known people to settle here. To them, Spirit Lake wasn’t just water. It was sacred. They called it Minnewaukon—“Lake of the Spirit.” Legend has it that the lake was home to powerful forces, spirits that could bring fortune or disaster.

The mid-1800s saw the arrival of white settlers. In 1856, three men—O.C. Howe, B.F. Parmenter, and R.U. Wheelock—came scouting the area. They were so taken with it that they returned, staked their claims, and began building a town. But tensions with the Dakota Sioux were rising. The U.S. government was forcing tribes onto reservations. Treaties were signed, then broken...and resources...were becoming scarce.

Then came 1857. The Spirit Lake Massacre.

Led by Chief Inkpaduta, a small band of Dakota Sioux raided the settlement, killing over 30 settlers and taking four women captive. The attack sent shockwaves through the region. When news reached Fort Dodge, a 100-man relief expedition set out. By the time they arrived, the devastation had already settled in. Those who survived rebuilt, but the scars remained.

In the decades that followed, Spirit Lake grew. The railroad arrived in the late 1800s, fueling trade and tourism. Agriculture took root, and the town evolved into a hub for farming and industry. But it was the lakes that shaped its future.

By the early 1900s, Spirit Lake and the Okoboji region became a Midwest vacation destination. Resorts popped up. Fishing, boating, and summer homes followed. Even today, during peak summer months, the population swells with tourists coming to escape city life. In the fall, the crowds thin, and locals savor what they call “a perfect Iowa day”—mid-70s by day, crisp 50s at night. But winters here? Brutal. Snowstorms can roll in fast, and ice fishing takes over where summer boating once ruled.

Today, Spirit Lake is home to nearly 6,000 residents. The economy has shifted over time, but tourism remains a backbone. Agriculture still plays a role, and in recent years, manufacturing and retail have grown. It’s a place where old Midwest values meet a modern world.

And speaking of the modern world… let me tell you about a campfire conversation that changed the way I saw work.

One night as I sat around a neighbors campfire... swapping stories with people from all over the country—Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey. That’s where I met Deseree. A third-generation teacher. She loved teaching. She was good at it. But she had to leave because she couldn’t make a living doing it. I had to think about that....let it sink in...—a profession so vital...i mean...think about a world without teachers.....but also....realizing....that we live in a world where the teachers we do have....cannot make a living doing what they love....the very same world....in which a basketball player.....or movie star....can make millions...in one year? Ahhh....it's not right....is it?

In Deseree's case.... she’d turned to gig work. Something I'd never heard of. In moments....she'd shown me how I could download an app....and in seconds......learn of gig work opportunities....all around me....Deseree....who had just arrived from Mississippi....was here for a Remodeling gig at the Walmart here in town. For a couple of years now she had traveled all across the country...state to state...remodeling Walmarts. And she was making double, sometimes triple, what she had as a teacher. That night...listening to the fire crackle....and the fall winds slip by.. I was realizing just how much the world had changed...and kept changing. Deseree asked if I was lookin for work....she said they typically like to have around 100 folks on each project...but here in Spirit Lake...they'd struggled to get to 50. While I hadn't come here lookn for work....I figured "Why Not"...sounded kinda fun....and within minutes Deseree had walked me through setting up my account in the app....and I'd be headed off to work along with her....tomorrow night. I'd spend 4 nights actually....learning how all sorts of places....Walmart...Home Depot....Lowes....even Target....hire 3rd party companies to manage over night remodels. And here in Spirit Lake...I'd experience first hand....how around 60 of us would walk through the front doors of a Walmart....at around 9 oclock at night....as the last of the stores customers for the day were leaving.....and then spend 8 or 9 hours....moving shelves....carts of product moving in every direction as pallots full of cardboard made their way back to compactors all night. And carefully putting things back together...pricing...resetting shelves in their new spots...on newly tiled and waxed floors....readying the store for another day of shoppers by 5 or 6am....then returning the next night doing it all over again.

A world I knew nothing of...and it was so fun....I met folks from all over the country...some had been doing it for years....others....newbies....just like me. And some....from right here in Spirit Lake....here to made a few extra bucks for Christmas shoppin.

The company invited me to stay on through the end of the project....estimated completion...2nd or 3rd week in October...as much as I was tempted....I remembered where we were.....I remembered winter. Thought it best to cut our stay short and begin wandering south a bit....with an eye on the weather....keeping winter .... behind us.

We spent our last couple of afternoons and evenings in Spirit Lake....enjoying walks around the lake....and thru the parks..as I looked around at Iowa's great lakes...I kept thinking about The US Great Lakes....Those 5 lakes that comprise the largest body of freshwater in the world.....and how we had never seen those either. Hadn't even given it any thought really...but learning of Iowa's Great Lakes Region....I guess I had sorta put those other Great Lakes on the list of places to see as well....that would be another time though....This summer is slippin away from us....and given our preference to avoid winter....best not to trek the 400 miles or so back into places like...Minnesota....Illinios....Ohio....Wisconson....those folks.....they do winter!

So here we are, in a town where glaciers carved the land, where spirits still linger in the lake, where settlers fought and rebuilt, where summer tourists flock....and lakes shift from filled with boats.....to ice fishing huts...then back.

Spirit Lake had seen boom and bust, war and peace. And now, in its own quiet way, it was revealing another truth: the way we work, the way we live—it’s all shifting.

And just like any place we've been.....Spirit Lake....More than just a stop on the road.... A place with stories of it's own to tell....

We'll likely head south tomorrow.....realized I hadn't even looked at a map since we arrived......didn't even really what south meant....or where we might stop tomorrow night....

Another town? Another park? Or just another night alongside the road in a rest stop.....

Wherever it is....

I wonder what we'll learn there?