Harvesting Soybeans

The Bridges of Madison County and the Field of Dreams movie site were both a treat to visit while in Iowa.  A final and unexpected highlight of the trip for me was a ride in a John Deere Combine that was harvesting soybeans.

While driving through the state, I tried to photograph fields being harvested as we sped by them.  Little did I know that I'd have the opportunity to get up close and personal!  We stayed with some wonderful relatives for a night in a peaceful small town surrounded by fields of corn and soybeans.  My husband's father's cousin's husband's brother Jim was harvesting soybeans on the evening we arrived and my husband's father's cousin's husband Buck was nice enough to take us out to see it.  I've never seen a combine up close before.  Standing next to it was a thrill, getting a ride in it was amazing!

Here's a shout out  "안녕하세요 (hello!)"  to Marsha, Buck, Jim, Greg, Corey, Caitlin and Halie :)

I'm 5'1" and the tires on the combine towered over me.  Thanks for the ride, Jim!!

The combine was GPS guided so there was no need to steer until you reached the end of a row and had to turn around.

The soybeans are separated from the stems and pods during the harvesting process.

A short video from outside and inside the combine:

When the combine has a full load of soybeans, they are unloaded into a grain cart.  A John Deere tractor pulling the grain card drives along side the combine and the beans are unloaded while the combine continues harvesting.

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"Every day may not be good,
but there's something good in every day."
~Author Unknown

Field of Dreams

Field of Dreams is a movie made in 1989 featuring Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones.  The movie takes place in Iowa and was filmed near Dyersville, Iowa.  The Field of Dreams movie site is open daily from 9am to 6pm for tourists.  Seeing the recognizable house and running the bases in the baseball diamond surrounded by corn fields is a thrill for anyone who has seen the movie!

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"If you build it, they will come."

~Field of Dreams

Iowa, From a Car Window

We were in Iowa for about one week and we spent quite a few hours in the car.  These photographs were all taken from the back seat of our rental while driving through the state.

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"Half the fun of travel is the aesthetic of lostness."

~Ray Bradbury

John Wayne Birthplace

While touring the Bridges of Madison County, we passed through the town of Winterset a few times as it was in the center of the county.  It was in this little town of Winterset that on May 26, 1907, Marion Robert Morrison was born.  You may have never heard that name before but I'm sure you've heard his stage name... John Wayne.

John Wayne was born in a small four-bedroom house that has since been restored to its 1907 appearance.  The house now stands as a museum filled with an impressive collection of John Wayne memorabilia, hundreds of photographs, and letters from famous people.  His newspaper birth announcement is part of the memorabilia in the house and states "A thirteen-pound son arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Morrison Monday morning."  Thirteen pounds!  That large baby grew up to be a 6'4" American icon and the epitome of masculinity despite being named Marion.  He is an acclaimed part of American film history.

John Wayne only lived in this house for the first three years of his life but that was enough to make the house a tourist attraction that draws in tens of thousands of visitors a year.

I suppose there aren't too many other tourist attractions in Iowa competing for this award ;)

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"Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway."

~John Wayne