Destination Oskaloosa

The other day Aidan said he wanted to go with friends to an out-of-town skate park. (Why, oh why, does Des Moines not have a skate park?)

"Who's driving?" I asked.

"A friend," he said.

Me not like. 

Imagining a carload of teenage boys driving two hours in rural Iowa, I made a counter proposal. I realize kids drive all the time, especially in rural areas. But Bob and I are on the same track with this: we not like. We nervous. We imagine worst.

"I'll drive," I said. 

Thus: destination Oskaloosa. One hour SE of Des Moines. Population 11,500 (roughly). It may be January but it's about 45 degrees and feels pretty balmy. After one hour of me and four lanky man-children  packed in my little car,  we came upon the skatepark. Aidan and his friends practically cheered. You've never seen a carload of happier 15-year-old boys, stuck inside winter for too long. “Mom! Stop the car! Let us out!” I immediately braked, no parking spot needed. The boys seemed to hurdle out of every orifice of the vehicle, racing with joy for the cement hills and valleys. Wild horses set free.

Yes, please.

But Oskaloosa, Iowa has even more for the mother part of the party. Far more. While skaters skate, their driver explores. Smokey Row Café (not sure I'm loving the statue, stay tuned 'til I learn more) and The Vault bookstore (photo, left), are two amazing independent hotspots that have survived the evil empire that often ruins small towns (that big box store that starts with a W, which I won’t spell out lest I add to its SEO value). I knew I needed to find these two places after dropping off the boys thanks to a quick online search, but I didn’t know that they are next to each other. As an extra bonus, I found them connected by an open door in the old brick wall between the two establishments. Old wood, vintage brick, marque lighting, books, home made quiche, coffee brewed onsite, free wifi, charging stations, playlist extraordinaire (so far including the Decemberists and Damien Rice), and a picture window view to the stunning town square and county courthouse.

What have I been waiting for?

Oskaloosa, Iowa is the kind of place that makes you wonder if the locals know a secret that you have to find out for yourself. Why is it so lovely, and why didn’t I know about it? It may be 60 miles of travel, but it's my travel. All because my son wanted to skate. Maybe it will be the spring of Iowa skate park discoveries. The season to tune up my travel writing. If you can't be where you want to be, be more fully where you're at. (With apologies to Stephen Stills.)

Yours truly.