Buck Creek
We had an opportunity to take a step back in time today and it was amazing to discover, not a lot has changed.
Just south of the town, (Garnavillo, Iowa) approximately two miles down a gravel road is a meandering creek, (Buck Creek). The access to this pristine hidden gem at the end of a dead end road was a pleasant surprise to us both as we discovered very little change from what we experienced years and years ago.
I was a young lad in the 1950’s when I would leave the house, many times alone, on my bike with my fish pole early in the morning to fish for trout. When the sun climbed high in the sky and it warmed, I took every chance to head for the deepest hole and cool off by swimming. I recall many hours spent just laying on my back letting my mind wander as I contemplated the future.
When Kathleen and I started dating in high school I introduced her to the solitude and beauty of this little valley and the creek meandering through it. We dreamed and discussed back then a desire to buy this little corner of Iowa one day and perhaps settle there, but that never came to pass.
Our return there to walk the banks of the creek and to see that the two building (the old mill) and an old brick house still exist and in fact have been somewhat restored and are now some lucky family’s week-end retreat. We also learned that the private land that runs throughout the valley is still in the care of the same family descendants that owned it years ago. Cattle still graze the grass, trout fisherman still climb the stile to access the creek and if for just a moment you let your mind wander you can almost feel yourself going back to a less complicated time.
