So, this review is 2 months late!! And that, simply put, is just wrong. Work gets in the way of life.
And speaking of cliches - at some point, one gets tired of them. No matter how correct they may be. Especially when used as an excuse.
So bear with.
My wife and I have been 'Coasters' (Long Island and San Francisco). Too often we had heard the term 'fly-over' country; too often we have done just that. Too often we pontificate about the country as a whole, romanticizing and criticizing things we have little to no knowledge about. Such as, you know, the lives and dreams of the people who actually live there.
Years ago, I had read 'Blue Highways' by William Least Heat Moon and swore, someday, I would do something similar. Criss-cross the country on the back roads, the non-interstates. I grew up on Charles Kuralt, on Jack Kerouac. But the trip never happened.
We moved back to Long Island following many years in Moscow, Russia. My wife is a journalist and I ran a Foundation there. As part of the process, I needed to reunite with some of my belongings stored in California - specifically my art collection, small as it is. And my wine glasses.
I also needed a car. The thought arose that we should buy a car from someone we had done business with in Santa Rosa, CA for over 20 years: Tillet's Automotive. So, over the phone and online, we purchased a 2017 Subaru Outback Limited and the journey began to take shape. This is all taking place in September and into early October.
Don't worry, this is not a lengthy travelogue. Just a brief preamble.
We first drove north through Mendocino, Ashland, Portland - then spent 4 days in Seattle before heading east on I-90. Through Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, Wisconsin and so on.
Along the way we stopped just south of Sioux Falls, at the farmhouse of John Steever. My wife found this bed and breakfast through a Google Search. She's never wrong in her intuition.
We arrived late as we were a bit delayed in getting through the spectacular Badlands of South Dakota, so we did not meet John that night. But we were the only guests that evening (he had a big group coming in the next night, so we were lucky), and the house was warmly inviting from the get-go. As we crossed the threshold into the house itself there was a bit of the feeling of having your breath taken away.
Each room was perfectly appointed, elegant and comfortable. Each one was different; each seemed to take into account the exposure, both in terms of geography, but also in terms of the view of the landscape.
This is farm country. If you don't know farm country, then you must stay here. Farm country means big families. Early mornings and early evenings. People work to produce food and feed other people. It is a culture, a lifestyle. You cannot understand this without some direct contact. Trust me, the food on your local grocery shelf does not magically appear, and there is an entire culture behind it (I'm speaking of the family farm, not industrial agriculture which has done much to destroy rural America).
John is a superb host, surprisingly loquacious and very open to sharing the details of his life (he was recently elected to the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a Producer - but you'll have to ask him in person about that). Sitting in the spacious kitchen (part of the new addition to the old house), drinking an excellent cup of coffee (we 'Coasters' are total coffee snobs, sorry!), and chatting about our individual family histories while watching John make a superb breakfast is, in itself, one of the most delightful and restful experiences you can imagine.
John's son runs the farm; his wife, Sara, owns a PR firm in Sioux Falls. Unfortunately, neither were there during our visit.
Don't have plans to travel to Sioux Falls? Change your plans and go meet John Steever. You won't be disappointed, and the house you will remember for the rest of your life. Seriously. read more