Saying Goodbye, North Iowa Style

Goodbye’s are never easy. It doesn’t matter if it’s a dear one who has passed or someone who is moving away, they are never easy. If you follow any of the North Iowa Bloggers, you know that we’ve been saying “goodbye”, “farewell”, “until next time” to two of our dear friends, Beth Ann & Jeni! Both of them are moving or have moved on to bigger & better things (although, I don’t know how without the NIB, but I digress… 😉 ) and followed their hubby’s for jobs. I know that they have amazing futures ahead of them and thankfully for social media, we’ll always be just a Tweet, Facebook post, or Instagram away from each other! But, I would be remiss if I didn’t say how much I’m going to miss seeing their smiling faces and hugs at gatherings and events!

Since they were/are leaving, we must have a get-together because that’s what the North Iowa Bloggers do, right?  (You can read about past get-together s HERE, HERE, HERE,& HERE!)  And, since Jeni & Beth Ann had given themselves their own hashtag (#FarewellTour2015) it had to be big and it had to be good.  So, a couple weeks ago some of us met for an evening in Clear Lake. We started with The Landing on Clear Lake for supper!  What a fantastic experience!  Between their small, but eclectic menu and the views of the lake on the patio, it can’t be beat!  Everyone’s suppers looked delicious and I can’t wait to go back again, strictly for the Sweet Potato Fries.  I’ve always tolerated sweet potato fries and have “liked” a few, but I must tell you, I LOVED theirs!  They were salty, crisp on the outside, seasoned with something delicious, and soft on the inside without being too sweet!  Y UM!  I paired the sweet potato fries with their grilled mahi mahi sandwich which was also amazing!  It was seasoned well, juicy and grilled to perfection!  Yum!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it again!

After supper, we headed over for a ride on the Lady of the Lake! I’ve ridden on the Lady a few times now and love it every time!  In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m going to try and get T to go once more for date night this summer!  We couldn’t have asked for a better night to cruise the lake.  It was perfect temps, calm, and the sun shone!  The Lady of the Lake is a great paddle boat that cruises the perimeter of the majority of the lake (not all of it because that would

be a long ride) for approximately 90 minutes!  This was the first cruise that I’ve taken that wasn’t for a private party and that was really neat experience because the new owners have put together some dialogue about the history of the lake.  I have to admit that I missed the majority of it because we were busy visiting, but that’s ok because I don’t get to see these ladies all too often and wanted to cherish each last minute with my dear friends!

A few things to keep in mind for cruising.  It’s cash or check only, so come prepared!  A ride is $14 per person and can seem a bit steep, but totally worth it to me!  Take your camera because you will get amazing pictures!  They must have 8 people to cruise, so if it’s just 2 of you on a week day there is a chance you might not get to go!  Plan your parking accordingly!  There isn’t a ton of parking in downtown Clear Lake and if there is anything else going on, you will have to walk quite a ways!  They do have a cash bar with both non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks and a few snacks (chips & nuts) for sale!  Cruising the lake on the Lady is a truly magical experience and I recommend it to anyone of any age!

While we are sad to see Beth Ann & Jeni go, we couldn’t have done it in any grander style than with The Landing & The Lady of the Lake! So glad to have a few last moments with these ladies, more time with the rest of the ladies and to be a part of #FarewellTour2015!