Hugh Calloway

I rarely enjoy setting an early alarm, but a donut run is one of the few exceptions. There…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 27

I have gone to an Iowa orchard for apples and somehow come home talking mostly about the bakery.…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 27

The windshield was still fogged at the edges when I pulled into the first small-town diner. Inside, coffee…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 26

You know that moment on a road trip when the scenery suddenly gets much better than you expected?…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 26

By the third early-morning breakfast in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, I had started judging hash browns before I even…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 25

The first properly chilly lunch break of fall changes the rules a little. Suddenly, a cold sandwich on…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 25

I usually know an Iowa bakery stop was worth the drive when the passenger seat ends up holding…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 24

I have learned that antique shopping in Iowa is rarely just about the shops. Half the fun is…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 24

I did not expect one of my better seafood meals in Iowa to come after a drive past…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 23

I have learned that some Iowa views make much more sense once you stop worrying about the fastest…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 23

I knew I was in trouble when I reached into a flea-market bin for one thing and came…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 22

I have learned that fabric shopping gets dangerous the moment I spot a good sale rack. Suddenly, the…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 22

Honestly, I never walk into an Iowa bakery planning to buy much. Then I see a tray of…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 21

I know fall has really arrived in Iowa when a sandwich suddenly feels incomplete without soup beside it.…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 21

I have learned one thing about exploring Iowa’s Dutch food shops: showing up with an empty trunk is…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 20

Once Iowa mornings turn cool, I start thinking less about getting somewhere quickly and more about where breakfast…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 20

The best catfish stop I found in Iowa did not announce itself with much more than a parking…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 19

You know those restaurants that seem completely happy doing things the same way they always have? I have…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 19

I knew I was in the right kind of Iowa diner when the plate landed in front of…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 18

I have learned that Iowa covered bridge trips rarely stay as simple as they look on the map.…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 18

I have learned one thing about antique malls in Iowa: the building usually looks much smaller from the…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 17

I have learned that some of the best fall meals in Iowa require a little commitment from the…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 17

There is something about seeing fall from a train that makes you forget how slowly you are moving.…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 16

By the time I reached Donnellson, Iowa, I had already passed enough soybean fields to lose count. Then…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 16

I thought ranking apple cider donuts across Iowa would be a pretty easy fall assignment. Then I started…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 15

September in Iowa has one foot in summer and one muddy boot in fall. Cool mornings, warm afternoons,…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 15

September turns Iowa farm roads into a pretty convincing reason to ignore the original plan. A quick stop…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 14

I have very little resistance to a fall breakfast menu, especially once pumpkin pancakes and cinnamon start getting…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 14

I have learned that an Iowa fall drive gets considerably better when pie, a giant tenderloin, or a…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 13

I have learned that stopping at a country bakery “just to look” is a very expensive form of…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 13

I am usually reluctant to call any pizza worth a three-hour drive. Then I followed a gravel road…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 12

I have learned to pay attention when locals mention an Italian restaurant without needing to explain why they…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 12

A one-pound burger is already hard to ignore. Put it in a tiny northeast Iowa community reached by…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 11

I have a weakness for restaurants that look completely ordinary from the parking lot and then make me…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 11

I have made the mistake of ordering breakfast in Iowa like I was only mildly hungry. Then the…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 10

Iowa apple season has a dangerous side effect: suddenly, pie feels like a very reasonable road-trip goal. These…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 10

My favorite Iowa road trips usually start with a full tank and very little planning. Give me a…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 9

Iowa prairies know exactly how to make a quiet fall entrance. After a summer of green, the grasses…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 9

I knew I was in for an interesting shopping trip when the scenery included cornfields, horse-drawn buggies, and…

By Hugh Calloway · Sep 8