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U.S. 20: Dubuque
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At the western edge of Dubuque, Iowa, you are faced with a dilemma. Should you continue on present-day U.S. 20, a fast-paced four-lane freeway? Or should you make a right turn onto the previous two-lane alignment?
We chose the right turn.
And it was the right turn.
We were rewarded with a pleasant drive through the hilly Iowa countryside past farm fields full of corn and pastures where cows grazed lazily. This stretch of old U.S. 20 passes through a couple of small towns, and plays hide and seek with the railroad that runs alongside.
And the highway offered a couple of surprises, too.
At the intersection of U.S. 20 and Old Highway Road, turn right onto Old Highway Road.
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| Protector: A bronze statue of a soldier stands guard over the Iowa Army National Guard on Old Highway Road, or old U.S. 20, at the outskirts of Dubuque, Iowa. |
Standing Guard
You'll immediately come upon the Iowa Army National Guard on the north side of the highway. That by itself is nothing out of the ordinary. The statue of the soldier at the corner of the property certainly will catch your attention, though.
We stopped and looked closely at the monument but could find no plaque or other inscription. It's just a striking bronze statue.
You'll enjoy 10 miles of that rolling Iowa countryside after passing the Dubuque County Fairgrounds (start looking to the south here for a nice view of the countryside from above) until you approach the town of Epworth, Iowa.
This community is growing, or at least is becoming a victim of urban sprawl. The east side of the town boasts recent residential development.
Slow down as you get to the heart of Epworth. The speed limt drops to 25, then 20 in the downtown area.
But Do They Offer Free Checking?
One of the great disappointments on this trip through the Midwest was the discovery of the Olde Bank of Epworth Cafe on the north side of Main Street. Well, not the discovery itself, but the fact that because of personal reasons, the owner was forced to close the cafe for a few days.
We peeked in the window of the Olde Bank and saw the vault standing open in the corner of the dining area. Oh, how I wanted to step inside and try a piece of pie here, while exploring the inside of the cafe. But, alas, it was not to be.
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| New life: The Olde Bank of Epworth Cafe sits quietly along the north side of old U.S. 20 in Epworth, Iowa. The cafe in a former bank building, unfortunately, was closed on this weekday afternoon. |
So, if anyone reading this gets a chance to stop by the Olde Bank Cafe in Epworth, Iowa, on old U.S. 20, please drop me a line telling me how the pie and coffee is, OK? Thank you.
Continuing west on old U.S. 20, you'll soon be back in the Iowa countryside again surrounded by corn and grazing buffalo.
What? Did I say buffalo?
Yes, on the south side of the highway between Epworth and the next town, Farley, among all the cows and other routine farm animals, is a peaceful herd of buffalo taking it easy by the side of the road.
I Won't Even Pass the Collection Plate
I'm pretty sure you wouldn't see a herd of buffalo along the "new" U.S. 20. (Nor would you stumble upon the quaint Old Bank Cafe, either.) Let this be a lesson to you: Get off the interstates, the main highways. Explore the backroads two-lanes more often.
All right, enough preaching. Let's continue.
Shortly after the buffalo sighting, you'll roll into Farley, Iowa.
Farley is another small, quaint Iowa town (with a very slow speed limit, too), but I was stilling thinking of the missed opportunity back in Epworth so we drove through and, at the west end of town, saw the road ending at the four-lane.
(Racing fans will be happy to know that Farley is home to the Farley Speedway, a half-mile dirt high-banked oval, about a mile southwest of new U.S. 20 on Olde Farley Road.)
At this point, we hopped on new U.S. 20 and sped the remaining six miles to Dyersville, Iowa, for the baseball fan's pilgrimage to the "Field of Dreams."
New U.S. 20 now bypasses downtown Dyersville to the south, so you have another choice to make: Visit Dyersville or bypass "The Farm Toy Capital of the World."
Continue west on U.S. 20 (Coming soon!)
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