It seems like just yesterday, we were arriving to Sheldon, moving into our little apartment, and getting to know one another. Somehow, it is already the halfway point of our internship. Over the past few weeks, I have gained some of the most valuable experiences of my life. I have learned so many new skills and ideas that will be very beneficial in my everyday life and future career. Now, not all of the things I have learned have been “educational”. Over the past few weeks, traveling from county to county, I have developed favorite places to stop. Here is the official top 5 list of the best places to go (more like eat) in the Northwestern part of Iowa from Region 1 interns.
Number 1, Sheldon: If you’re from around Sheldon, you have probably heard of Dairy Dandy. Natalee and I enjoy late night drives for turtle sundaes. We definitely recommend the ice cream from here. Hmm… typing about makes me want to go eat some.
Number 2, Rock Rapids: The best place we have eaten at is by far Slade’s Drive In. They have the best bacon cheeseburger. If you have passed by without eating it, you should be ashamed and make a trip next time you are nearby.
Number 3, Orange City: Now this one is my ultimate favorite. Orange City’s Town Square Coffee House. They have a seasonal hibiscus lemonade that is amazing. Every time we drive by, I tell Maddie and Natalee we should stop for one.
Number 4, Okoboji: We haven’t spent much time in Okoboji, but a few weekends ago after Bike-N-Bite, we stopped by Tropical Sno for snow cones. Tropical Sno melts in your mouth. My favorite flavor is lemon-lime. This weekend, we will be at the Lakes Area Farmers’ Market in Spirit Lake, which means we might even have to stop again.
Number 5, Spencer: Just like Okoboji, we haven’t stopped much while in Spencer. However, we recently ate at Chens Garden, and the sesame chicken and crab rangoons were so good. We only have half of our summer left to explore more of Spencer.
As a Culinary Food Science major, my brain is always on food, but I can promise you we haven’t only been eating. This week has been another busy one. We
had PoP club on Monday, Orange City Area Daycare and Spencer’s YMCA garden lessons on Tuesday followed by Bright Beginnings Daycare garden lessons and Sibley Donation Garden on Wednesday. This past week, we educated the kids on flowers and plant parts. Thursday was suppose to be spent in the Sanborn Donation Garden, but we got stormed out! Friday we will continue to plan for our Saturday’s food demonstration at Lakes Area Farmers Market where we will be serving a Summer Bounty Salad. We will also continue planning an educational program for adults called Bite By the Barn for the Clay County Fair.
Continue to follow us weekly on our blog, as we approach the final downhill slide!
– Alyssa