Hopscotch Honeymoon Part XII: Quick stop in Keokuk

After the splendor of the Grand Hotel, I thought the honeymoon would be all downhill from there. I heart surprises! After spending an extra two and half hours rained in at the Mackinac Airport, we finally embarked for Iowa, flying over the picturesque farmlands of the upper Midwest. We arrived late having fought a monster headwind the entire way and were greeted by a friendly airport employee who brought us keys to the courtesy van. One thing I love about small airports–the courtesy cars. Free to pilots for a few hours or overnight as was our case. Just fill it up with gas and bring it back on time. It’s refreshing to see that level of trust still present in society. In any case, we found our next B&B and I was shocked. SHOCKED that the Grand Anne was actually so opulent. See what I mean below…

Weather was pretty icky all day.

In low visibility, T consults the 496 gps for weather information.

Headwinds added HOURS to our trip. Nothing like being held at the whim of mother nature. Ugh.

Still, lots of funky farmland to look at. I still want to know why farmers make those patterns!

Despite haze all day, by the time we reached Iowa, the sun and clouds became spectacular.

See what I mean?

So peaceful above the clouds.

Looked like we were flying over cotton.

Pretty cool view.

If we had to face headwinds, at least the view was fab.

Shawna and clouds.

Ohhh yeahhh.

Too bad I can’t make a living on cloud pictures.

I’ve taken hundreds of sunset pictures and they never fail to awe me.

Sunset over Iowa somewhere.

Descending over the Mississippi.

Landing in Keokuk, IA.

The Grand Anne.

We enjoyed the 22-bedroom mansion although it was weird to be the only guests! The house was incredibly quiet.

When we arrived, the innkeepers were caring for their grandkids upstairs. They left the front door open and provided a note with instructions. Kind of spooky to wander a strange house unaccompanied.

Kept waiting for people to jump out at us although I enjoyed taking pictures everywhere.

Elegant seating areas and furniture.

Unlike many of the B&Bs we visited, the Grand Anne featured quite simple decor. Lots of textures and patterns, but few trinkets and doodads everywhere. In some areas though, the rooms seemed almost too simple/unadorned which probably speaks more to the struggle of trying to decorate a 22-bedroom mansion!

The house was built in 1897 and maintained as a private residence until the 60s, I think.

Not that I need a wildly ornate mirror, but I totally love this.

The wood paneling featured six or seven different types of wood throughout the house. The rich colors were absolutely gorgeous.

Designer George Barber created the house.

Too muggy and hot to sit outside, but the hammock looked comfy.

Our short stops typically include touring by car in search of food.

Keokuk, Iowa!

I l-o-v-e-d our room. If I could have fit that bedroom set into the 182, I may have tried to abscond with it.

Random details, colors and textures made me fall in love with the room that wasn’t supposed to be ours. Originally we booked the tower suite but recent flooding had caused the roof to leak and we were moved to the Judge’s Chambers. A happy accident as far as I’m concerned!

Breakfast was a weird affair. Although we were the only people dining, they sat us at opposite ends of a long dining table.

I had to shout to speak with my goofball sweetie.

I almost screamed at another egg dish but this puff thing turned out to be quite tasty. Diced green chilis added a tasty twist to the egg and cheese concoction. T liked the maple syrup bacon.

Wood paneling? Yum.

Thanks to my B&B adventures, I’m going to start putting walnuts in my yogurt. Hello tasty!

So I read reviews of the Grand Anne and most people wrote about the wonderful hosts and how delightful the hospitality was. I have to say that our visit was subpar on the hospitality front. Our innkeepers ran the property for the owners and had their grandkids visiting. As a result, cute-but-loud children ran amok and the innkeepers actually left us to lock up as they had to return the children home. Talk about bizarre.

Funky fixtures like this make me want to ditch our boring door knobs and drawer pulls.

Cool chandelier.

Despite my lamenting of the cute-but-loud grandchildren, this mansion must be a super fun place to visit as a munchkin.

The innkeepers told us that at Christmas, there are trees in every parlor!

See what I mean about details?

A bird cage, I think.

Stained glass added to the ambiance.

Push button light switch and rad wallpaper.

Check that register!

So cool!

In the morning, we bid farewell to the Grand Anne and headed back to the airport.

The inn faced the Mississippi and from our window, you could see the river.

Love all of the textures here.

The round spire was our room. 🙂

Neighbors.

Apparently Grand Avenue was/is something of a high street in Keokuk. I read the guest book in our room and a woman visited the inn after having grown up in the town some 60 years before. She said she could never have imagined herself staying in such a fine place as a little girl. Pretty cool.