Iowa 2025 Trip Report (Day 7)

Written by ceddammit

On Day 7 of my Iowa State Vacation, I went looking for a beach. No, I did not get lost, nor was I under the delusions of some other form of geographic confusion. I had actually heard of a beach on Iowa’s east coast and had to see it for myself. So, I headed east to the town of Sabula, the only Iowa town located entirely on an island.

When approaching from the west, about midway between the mainland and the town of Sabula, you cross Driscoll’s Island. This island is basically just a picnic / photography area. Check it out:

This is all there is to Driscoll’s Island.
My rental car this time was a Chevy Trax. It had no room for my left foot and a complete lack of acceleration. In short, bleah!
Looking back at the mainland from Driscoll’s Island.
View of Sabula from Driscoll’s Island

Sabula is not a big town, so I just drove until I found the beach, which didn’t take long. So, here it is, that most mythical of creatures, an Iowa beach!

From this distance, it appears to be a pretty steep beach…
…it also appears to be owned by a railroad, and it doesn’t look like there’s any public access to it. But look at that flock of peckerlins!

After leaving the beach, the railroad crosses the island to the Sabula Rail Bridge over the Mississippi River. According to HistoricBridges.org, this bridge was built in 1906 by American Bridge Company of New York City. Check it out:

Overview of the Sabula Rail Bridge
Rotating “swing span” lets boats pass though.
I was lucky enough to be there as a train was crossing the bridge.
This train consisted largely of car cars.
A few miles north of Sabula, the Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge carries U.S. Highway 52 across the Missippi.

I spent the rest of the day on Iowa’s portion of the Great River Road National Scenic Byway, slowly meandering to the north, until I reached my next hotel in the city of DuBuque. I made several stops along the way, attempting to find worthy scenery. I passed through a plethora of quaint riverside towns along the Great River Road, but none of them inspired my camera. I only got these few pics:

I got as far north as the Mines of Spain (again, I’m not lost, that’s just what they call the place) before I decided to call it a day. To be continued…

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