For about a month I have been wanting to visit this lavender farm located on the western edge of Iowa so when I got a chance to go to Council Bluffs, Iowa, for work, I made sure this farm was on my route.  The Loess Hills are a geographic phenomena that gave rise to bluffs on the normally flat terrain of the Missouri River flood plain.  I always thought it was pronounced with a long O and discovered it is pronounced “luss” or “less”.

This farm was extremely hard to find — at least for me — partly because GPS did not work for me and partly because of the Loess Hills themselves because whenever I wanted to change directions east or west, I’d have to drive further south or north to go around the bluff instead of just turning immediately right or left.  I hope that the signage will improve over time although there were a few.

I am not sure what I expected, but as you can see from this picture, it doesn’t appear to be a big area.  I think I pictured acres and acres of flowers, and perhaps I would go frolic around them?  I do have the tendency to romanticise things I plan to do, such as the time I made sure my backpacking campsite allowed a fire as I imagined hubby and I sitting by it in the evening, and instead I was asleep in my tent before it even got dark!

I did buy lavender-scented items, such as lotion and lip balm, from the farm store.  Then forgetting that I could have paid to pick my own bundle, instead I just went on the short hike to take a closer look and enjoy them.  It was definitely prettier up close.  Did I mention it was in the 90s that day?  Also I’m sure it would have been prettier if Iowa wasn’t in such a drought so there was not much green like one would normally see.

I will leave you with my best picture of the lavender.  Too bad I can’t have the scent waft out of your computer, huh!