Day 5: Field of Dreams and Blue Mounds State Park

Day 6 was always going to be one of our longer driving days.

The original plan had us making two real stops on the way from Maquoketa Caves toward Blue Mounds State Park in Minnesota. One was Mason City, Iowa, where I had hoped to stop at The Music Man Square and Meredith Willson’s boyhood home. The Music Man is set in the fictional town of River City, which was inspired by Willson’s hometown of Mason City, and I thought it could be a fun quick stop.

But once we realized it was closed when we would be passing through, we took that off the plan and kept Field of Dreams.

Even with that change, it was still going to be a long day. It was hard leaving our campsite at Maquoketa Caves because it was such a beautiful spot, but we knew we had good things ahead of us. The kids were in great spirits and were actually really helpful getting everything loaded. Some mornings are a fight. This was not one of them.

We got on the road pretty quickly and started toward Dyersville.

First Stop: Field of Dreams

Field of Dreams was only about an hour from the campground, which made it a good first stop. The boys had never seen the movie before, so they watched it in the truck on the way there to at least have some context before we pulled in.

For Kelly, it was a much bigger deal. Field of Dreams was one of those movies she grew up watching, and she has a lot of memories of watching it with her dad. Being there brought a lot of that back. It meant more to her than just visiting another famous movie site.

I have to admit, I am not even sure I had ever watched the movie all the way through before. I knew the big scenes, and I had watched the Yankees play there on TV when MLB did the Field of Dreams game, so I had a sense of what it looked like and why people cared about it. But I did not have the same childhood connection to it that Kelly had.

Even so, it was really cool.

There is something about standing there in the middle of the corn, with the house and the field right in front of you, that makes the whole place feel familiar even if you did not grow up with the movie. It is one of those places that could have easily felt too touristy, but it did not feel that way to me. It still felt small enough and personal enough to feel real.

Brian's Moment on the Field

The best part was seeing the boys get into it. Brian especially loved it. He watches the Yankees almost religiously right now, even though he only plays soccer at the moment and has not played baseball since he was younger. But baseball is definitely in there with him.

So giving him a chance to play catch, and then actually jump into a game on the Field of Dreams field, was just a cool thing.

He got up, swung at the first pitch, got a hit, and made it to first base. Then, as the game kept going, he eventually made it all the way around and scored. It was one of those little moments that I think will stick with him, even if he does not fully realize it yet.

Touring the Site

We also had lunch there and took the tour. Our guide, Tom, was excellent. He was friendly, easy to talk to, and clearly proud of the area. He talked about the house, the movie, and the history of the site, but he also gave us a feel for the surrounding community. You could tell he loved his hometown and loved sharing the place with people.

I really cannot recommend that stop enough. For a family road trip, especially with kids who like baseball or with anyone who has a connection to the movie, it was a great experience.

Covering Miles Across Iowa and Minnesota

From there, the rest of the day became much more about covering miles. We had already dropped Mason City from the plan, and I kept mixing up whether the Corn Palace was this day or the next day, but it was definitely not this day. This was Field of Dreams, then a straight shot toward Blue Mounds State Park in Minnesota, with rest stops and fuel as needed.

By the time we arrived at Blue Mounds, it was getting close to sunset. The temperature had dropped, there was a breeze, and the whole place had that quiet prairie feel. After a long day of driving, it felt good to be somewhere open and calm.

Arriving at Blue Mounds State Park

Blue Mounds was a different kind of state park than anywhere else we had stayed so far. It sits out in prairie country near Luverne, and the main feature is a long Sioux quartzite ridge rising out of the grass. There is a bison range there too, though we did not see the bison that night and did not try to force a hike after such a long travel day. 

There was also more history there than we had time to really take in. The park has old quartzite quarry areas and a bison-jump site, and you get the sense that the landscape has been used and noticed for a very long time. But we were arriving late, so that part of the visit was more of a mental note than a real exploration.

A Peaceful Campsite and a New Friend

What we did have was a really peaceful campsite.

And then we met Blue.

Blue was a very friendly little stray kitten who came right up to us almost as soon as we arrived. The kids fell in love with her immediately, because of course they did. There was a lot of “Can we keep her?” and a few tears when the answer was no. I think they understood why, eventually, but it was still hard for them.

We have somehow had a few cat visitors on our travels over the years, and it has become this weird recurring thing where strays seem to find us and the kids completely fall in love.

They put out a little food for her, and she settled right in like she had been waiting for us.

Campfire, Rain, and Sunset

That night, the boys helped build another campfire. Brian stayed out with me for a while as the evening got colder and darker. Eventually he was tired and went inside, but I stayed out a little longer. I really do enjoy a good campfire, especially on nights like that, when the campground is quiet and there are not many people around.

Blue came back while I was sitting there and climbed right up onto my chest, purring away. I had one of those “I’m not sure this is a good idea” thoughts, but also, it was kind of nice. After a long driving day, sitting by a fire in an almost empty campground with a friendly kitten on my chest was not the worst way to end it.

There was a brief rain shower while the sun was still out, which made the whole sunset feel a little strange and pretty. The air cooled down, the prairie quieted, and the day that had mostly been about moving from one place to another ended up feeling surprisingly settled.

Another Great Day

Field of Dreams gave us the big memorable stop of the day. Blue Mounds gave us the quiet ending. And somewhere in the middle of that, between Brian getting a hit on that field and the kids trying to adopt a stray kitten, it turned into another one of those road trip days that was long, but worth it.