I thought I was heading toward another ordinary Iowa farm stop. Then the road opened up beside a field of sunflowers, and suddenly the whole afternoon looked brighter.
The flowers seem to go on much farther than you expect, especially when the late-summer light starts warming the rows. I slowed down almost immediately, partly for the photos and partly because this is the kind of place that makes rushing feel ridiculous.
What surprised me most was how quickly the setting changed my mood. One minute I was following directions, and the next I was wandering through a sea of yellow with no interest in checking the time.
Where The Sunflower Rows Begin
My first surprise was how close the flowers grow to town. One minute I passed houses and a gas station, and the next I was standing at the edge of a field packed with sunflowers taller than my shoulders…