Saturday Fun in the Okoboji Area

Lisa’s Bake Shop in Spirit Lake, Iowa

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Some people think the Okoboji (Iowa) area is only a place to go in the Summer. I love to go there year-round! Today was no exception. I woke up to a gorgeous sunrise over West Lake. After spending time taking photos of that (see previous post), we headed to a (new to us) bakery/deli in Spirit Lake that I learned about on Trip Advisor. It’s called Lisa’s Bake Shop. It has limited indoor seating because the place sells lots of yummy things - pastries, cakes, cookies, candy, desserts, and many types of homemade soups.

I had a delicious almond pastry and an iced coffee (Dunkin Brands). My mom had a scrumptious pecan roll and OJ. I took a seven-layer bar home for tomorrow. They are my favorite. You can see photos of the treats and the shop below. I did have to laugh, though, that the two older ladies working there ran for cover in order to NOT be in the photos, but said to take as many pictures as I wanted. So I only got photos of the teen girl working. The place is highly-rated on Trip Advisor and I can certainly see why. Well worth a stop!

This afternoon we went to Spencer to Del’s Garden Center, a NW Iowa garden attraction since I’ve been a kid. We did two things - we attended a class called “Spruce Tips Make and Take.” Del’s offers these classes in a former greenhouse, with decorating supplies displayed all around. The instructor for the class was Nicole, who showed us step-by-step how to create a gorgeous outdoor arrangement. My mom and I had fun shopping for supplies and creating a masterpiece. Well, ok, my mom did most of the arranging (she has lots of experience and loves this type of thing) and I “supervised.” 😉 You can see our our (mostly her) beautiful arrangement below. Although, now that I know how to do it, I’ll do more in the future. 😁

A big part of travel is trying new experiences that each area has to offer, whether it be new foods or restaurants, art or craft classes, or outdoor pursuits. On the way back home, we took a detour and missed a turn. Instead, we discovered a new road and area of Spirit Lake neither of us had ever explored before. We discovered some gorgeous houses on the lake and some quaint cabins nearly everywhere, as well as pretty marshlands and forested areas. It was a lovely and fun drive. We topped off our little detour by driving through A & W in Spirit Lake and ordering two 99 cent soft serve ice cream cones. Yep, big spenders! Fabulous! Sometimes it costs very little to have a travel adventure! 😁