I'm from about 45 minutes from Maquoketa Caves State Park. This video makes me want to explore the park again. It must've been 25 years since I last was there. There is a wonderful restaurant next to the park, Bluff Lake Catfish Farm, that I have been to, as well. If I remember correctly, you drive through the park to get there.
If you get a chance to go back or anyone plans to go to the Caves, check out Bluff Lake restuarant. It is west of the caves and has great food. Little rastaurant perched over a little lake. Was raised not far from the caves. The welcome center used to have animals in it that had two heads and lots of other oddities back in the day.
I was just there a month ago! Stayed in the campground (booked it months earlier). Got out early and hiked. It was great. There was no one else out there! It's a really cool place!
Thank you Brian & Michelle for sharing this trip to the caves. Somewhere I haven't been and it was truly amazing beauty! It made my 65th birthday 🥳 special 🎉
I agree that we often look beyond our state for interesting places to visit instead of exploring what’s right in our backyard. It's great that you've chosen to highlight a location in Iowa. Many people think Iowa is just flat and full of corn, but it’s actually a beautiful state. Great video! ❤
Hello Fellow Iowan, as with you I had lived in Iowa a very long time w/out knowing about Maquoketa Caves. A couple of things to note. 1. It is difficult to get a reservation at the actual campground. All the sites get booked very quickly and are super inexpensive. 2. There is very little to NO cell phone signals in/around the caves as well as the campground area. Way to many big rocks. I enjoyed your video. Thanks for sharing some of the beauty that is Iowa!
Very enjoyable video wonderfully edited and great music choices! Thanks for taking us along on your cave explorations! Not sure my knees could take any crawling or that many steps, so I appreciate your sharing! Cheers from WA state this month!
I live 45 minutes from the maquoketa caves and I would suggest that anyone that is going to visit not go through the crawling parts of the caves so many people have gotten stuck. I will say it's a beautiful place to hike and to have a picnic.
We live in Maquoketa. We have watched all your you tube videos. If we had known ahead of time that you were going to be at the caves we would have loved to meet you. We really enjoy watching your videos and have been so tempted to be living in a van like you both do. We love when you are in Iowa. I grew up in Northwest Iowa and we have been to Des Moines many times. Thanks for all the entertainment and great videos you share.
You're one of our favorite channels, and this one is exceptional! I thought Iowa just had corn and RAGBRAI. These caves were a huge surprise. Thank you for sharing them.
When I was young, the limestone kilns on the north edge of Maquoketa (Hurstville) were open to visitors. I heard that they are trying to get them opened again. That would be so cool.
Enjoyed this one, we live in Ohio and talked about the similarities with Hocking Hills before you mentioned it. Thanks for the introduction we hope to visit this park soon.
Thanks for the tour and the heads up about poor signage. I think we will attempt to follow your path through the caves in August. Also, thanks for the tour through the campground. We got two nights there. Hoping we can see what we want in one day. Safe travels!!
We bought that Osprey pack in march for a trip to New Zealand for 20 days. Wonderful pack and flattens nicely in suitcases. Now have the other version too.
Enjoyed your video. Great, clear shots inside the caves. It brings back many memories. I have been there numerous times and have squeezed into some of the smallest parts in Steel Gate Passage, Wye Cave and many others. Great fun for the non-claustrophobic.
It was great meeting you guys too! Thanks so much for stopping to say hello. We felt bad that we didn’t introduce you to our grandkids. You should really enjoy Mequoketa Caves. Enjoy! 🧡😊🤓
Fellow Iowan here. I have never been to Maquoketa Caves either, even though I've driven through the area multiple times. It's a lot bigger than I imagined!
I live near San Francisco in California and I haven’t seen much of what is really close. Glad you finally got to see a tourist spot in your home state.
We enjoyed staying at Rythm City. We lost a whole $6 on the slots. The food was great. Had to drop a pin on that state park campground. Look like a nice spot for a few days stay.
I had the opportunity to visit Maquoketa Caves last summer on a trip to visit my daughter who lives in Dubuque. Another state park to visit in the area is Bellevue State Park, That is we where camped for the week I was there. Bellevue State Park has two parts. The camping area is called the Dyas Unit Campground and the other area is known as the Nelson Unit. From an overlook in the Nelson Unit you can see the Mississippi River and a dam with a lock. I am looking forward to next summer when I head out that way to visit again.
My wife and I were there last weekend (then today this comes up on my Recommended feed - go figure). I haven't watched more than a minute of this so I can't say if it's covered or not but I have to use a cane to walk, these caves and paths were fairly easy for me to navigate. We walked just over 4 miles through it all... Yeah, my muscles kicked me @ss the next morning. It was definitely worth it though. Definitely.
A friend & I were just talking about wishing we could go there, but both in our 60s now wondering if we could even handle the walking - if it was too uneven etc. So glad to hear you were able to navigate it ok!
Iowa has many beautiful state parks. Unfortunately the state legislators have underfunded the parks for many years. There are millions of dollars of defered maintenance items 😢. At there were a few maps and signs even if they weren't always as helpful as they might be. Safe travels!
A shout out to HHSP! One of our favorite parks here in Ohio. Have you guys stopped in NE Ohio? If you ever do I would love to host you at the Rock Hall and show you some of our favorite trails at Cuyahoga Valley NP. Thank you for your videos. I have been watching for a little over a year. Recently I went back to your debut video. You have maintained great quality in your videos since day one. Awesome work!
This video was well done. I believe the placement of the mic on the shoulder made a difference. It was hard to believe this was in Iowa. Enjoy the time with family.
Thank you! I noticed the mic was actually bad when I would turn my head. Having it directly under your chin on your chest seems to work best so that when you turn your head either way, the volume remains the same and so does the person beside you because they can be on either side that way.
Michelle "for the 5th time!" LOL the struggle is real, although my Daughter gives me the hard time. Great point of seeing local sites. I'd def need those "distance" details before I headed out!
I love Iowa! Two of !my best friends are from there and I met them both in TEXAS. I was with one of them in Iowa City in January. I was with the other near Burlington in July and the humidity was terrible! The only sightseeing we did was the Amana Colonies and all I can say is YUM!!! I also realized that we don't actually have rivers in TEXAS. Iowa gots rivers!! Safe travels my friends!
I love listening to those Stl Cardinals too. 😂 Iowa does have some beautiful wonders. The Des Moines river towns in SE Iowa are like stepping back in time. Beautiful
Now you gotta come back and see Luray Caverns, you will really like it, and no crawling 😂it’s rated the most beautiful caverns on the east coast. Safe travels!! 😁
We have been spelunking many times at these caves. Super fun to go when it's super hot....then the caves feel so refreshing!! Ice Cave is sooo cool!! There is also a cave nearby called Warden cave on a farmer's land that you need special permission to explore that is also so amazing!!!
Thank you for sharing those beautiful caves!! If you ever make it to South Central Kentucky you should check out Mammoth Cave. There is so much to see in Kentucky and we travel everywhere else to see things. We should do some more travel here.
Glad to hear this. My Aunt,, Carole McGuire Peters, was supposed to have a family reunion at Denny Peters but it flooded there. Wonder if our families know each other, which would be a typical Iowa thing.
New subscriber here! What an awesome video!!! I had been wondering what this place was like. I would love to take the grandkids there for a weekend. Thank you !
I neighbors, we live in dead central Wisconsin by the famous cheese factory, you would love it. You can harvest host by our house 3 blocks away. Have followed you I think the entire time you been on. Love the Saturday mornings with you. And we do vicariously travel thru you.
Has that part of Iowa had a lot of rain recently? Would flooding affect the cave? We were just in southwestern Minnesota during the Rapidan dam break!!
did you happen to notice that ghost vaper while you were in that one cave? Scary, I got anxiety watching you go through those caves..lol great trip thank you
Yes we did!I was telling Michelle that when I seen it at first, I thought it was either my breathe or heat from my body. It was neither…I tried a few times to see my breath over the camera and not once would it do it, but the vapors would keep happening.
Because we were never getting time to use them. Every weekend when we were filming, it would never involve using the e-bikes. So we figured we may as well put them in storage instead of then being something else to worry about.
Funny how you can live in a state all your life and not see the wonders that are there. We have seen a lot while finding the Freedom Rocks in every county in Iowa. Iowa is not just flat ground with corn and beans. 🤓😎🥸
I'm from about 45 minutes from Maquoketa Caves State Park. This video makes me want to explore the park again. It must've been 25 years since I last was there. There is a wonderful restaurant next to the park, Bluff Lake Catfish Farm, that I have been to, as well. If I remember correctly, you drive through the park to get there.
If you get a chance to go back or anyone plans to go to the Caves, check out Bluff Lake restuarant. It is west of the caves and has great food. Little rastaurant perched over a little lake. Was raised not far from the caves. The welcome center used to have animals in it that had two heads and lots of other oddities back in the day.
I’ve lived in Iowa for 55 years and I haven’t been to this park! It’s now on my list of things to do…with no crawling! Thanks for taking me along!
I was just there a month ago! Stayed in the campground (booked it months earlier). Got out early and hiked. It was great. There was no one else out there! It's a really cool place!
Thank you Brian & Michelle for sharing this trip to the caves. Somewhere I haven't been and it was truly amazing beauty! It made my 65th birthday 🥳 special 🎉
Happy Birthday!
I loved when you both said "Nope!" to the camera, haha! I've been to Hocking Hills, now I need to go to Iowa as well. Thanks for sharing.
I agree that we often look beyond our state for interesting places to visit instead of exploring what’s right in our backyard. It's great that you've chosen to highlight a location in Iowa. Many people think Iowa is just flat and full of corn, but it’s actually a beautiful state.
Great video! ❤
Hello Fellow Iowan, as with you I had lived in Iowa a very long time w/out knowing about Maquoketa Caves. A couple of things to note. 1. It is difficult to get a reservation at the actual campground. All the sites get booked very quickly and are super inexpensive. 2. There is very little to NO cell phone signals in/around the caves as well as the campground area. Way to many big rocks. I enjoyed your video. Thanks for sharing some of the beauty that is Iowa!
We agree. It looks so much like Hocking Hills in Ohio. When we are in Iowa we will definitely be stopping by. Thank you for sharing 💕🥰
Very enjoyable video wonderfully edited and great music choices! Thanks for taking us along on your cave explorations! Not sure my knees could take any crawling or that many steps, so I appreciate your sharing! Cheers from WA state this month!
I live 45 minutes from the maquoketa caves and I would suggest that anyone that is going to visit not go through the crawling parts of the caves so many people have gotten stuck. I will say it's a beautiful place to hike and to have a picnic.
We live in Maquoketa. We have watched all your you tube videos. If we had known ahead of time that you were going to be at the caves we would have loved to meet you. We really enjoy watching your videos and have been so tempted to be living in a van like you both do. We love when you are in Iowa. I grew up in Northwest Iowa and we have been to Des Moines many times. Thanks for all the entertainment and great videos you share.
We would have loved to meet you too. So sorry we missed you guys. Michelle’s parents grew up in NW Iowa too.
Do you happen to now a guy in his 60's first name of Milan, has a first name for a last name?
We live about 40 miles from Maquoketa Caves State Park. Haven't been there in years. Thanks to your video, the wife and I want to go back! :)
You're one of our favorite channels, and this one is exceptional! I thought Iowa just had corn and RAGBRAI. These caves were a huge surprise.
Thank you for sharing them.
These caves just being a few miles from our farm. I have not walked thru the caves in 20 years. They are beautiful.
I gotta get out there soon! I'm from CR, so not far at all. Thanks for showing the beauty of our state.
When I was young, the limestone kilns on the north edge of Maquoketa (Hurstville) were open to visitors. I heard that they are trying to get them opened again. That would be so cool.
The trauma you guys endure ( bugs ,humidity,and those stairs)for our viewing pleasure is greatly appreciated.🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
🧡🙂🤓
Enjoyed this one, we live in Ohio and talked about the similarities with Hocking Hills before you mentioned it. Thanks for the introduction we hope to visit this park soon.
Great clarity/quality on the video. Pleasant music as well with the nice camera work and editing
Thanks for the tour and the heads up about poor signage. I think we will attempt to follow your path through the caves in August.
Also, thanks for the tour through the campground. We got two nights there. Hoping we can see what we want in one day.
Safe travels!!
I love Walk Thru Caves also. Thanks that was pretty cool
Be safe
We bought that Osprey pack in march for a trip to New Zealand for 20 days. Wonderful pack and flattens nicely in suitcases. Now have the other version too.
Enjoyed your video. Great, clear shots inside the caves. It brings back many memories. I have been there numerous times and have squeezed into some of the smallest parts in Steel Gate Passage, Wye Cave and many others. Great fun for the non-claustrophobic.
Great to meet you at the Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market! Love your videos and are planning to visit Maquoketa Caves soon!
Chuck and Linda A 😎
It was great meeting you guys too! Thanks so much for stopping to say hello. We felt bad that we didn’t introduce you to our grandkids.
You should really enjoy Mequoketa Caves. Enjoy! 🧡😊🤓
Your video quality and production are amazing. We look forward to your releases. And there is always room and time for pie.
Fellow Iowan here. I have never been to Maquoketa Caves either, even though I've driven through the area multiple times. It's a lot bigger than I imagined!
I live near San Francisco in California and I haven’t seen much of what is really close. Glad you finally got to see a tourist spot in your home state.
We enjoyed staying at Rythm City. We lost a whole $6 on the slots. The food was great. Had to drop a pin on that state park campground. Look like a nice spot for a few days stay.
Bridger Brewing in Three Forks, MT is a Harvest Host but allows anyone to stay. Best dinner we've had on the road.
Great show! I don’t comment much but my wife and I love your channel. MORE PIE PLEASE!!! 😂
I had the opportunity to visit Maquoketa Caves last summer on a trip to visit my daughter who lives in Dubuque. Another state park to visit in the area is Bellevue State Park, That is we where camped for the week I was there. Bellevue State Park has two parts. The camping area is called the Dyas Unit Campground and the other area is known as the Nelson Unit. From an overlook in the Nelson Unit you can see the Mississippi River and a dam with a lock. I am looking forward to next summer when I head out that way to visit again.
Wow thank you so much for showing us this area. It was beautiful!! What a lovely walk you two shared with us! ❤
My wife and I were there last weekend (then today this comes up on my Recommended feed - go figure). I haven't watched more than a minute of this so I can't say if it's covered or not but I have to use a cane to walk, these caves and paths were fairly easy for me to navigate. We walked just over 4 miles through it all... Yeah, my muscles kicked me @ss the next morning. It was definitely worth it though. Definitely.
A friend & I were just talking about wishing we could go there, but both in our 60s now wondering if we could even handle the walking - if it was too uneven etc. So glad to hear you were able to navigate it ok!
I miss Iowa and sometimes the snow. Grew up in Webster city but now live in Sw Florida
I wouldn't crawl through the caves, either! ❤❤
Iowa has many beautiful state parks. Unfortunately the state legislators have underfunded the parks for many years. There are millions of dollars of defered maintenance items 😢. At there were a few maps and signs even if they weren't always as helpful as they might be. Safe travels!
A shout out to HHSP! One of our favorite parks here in Ohio. Have you guys stopped in NE Ohio? If you ever do I would love to host you at the Rock Hall and show you some of our favorite trails at Cuyahoga Valley NP. Thank you for your videos. I have been watching for a little over a year. Recently I went back to your debut video. You have maintained great quality in your videos since day one. Awesome work!
Thanks for the suggestion and offer. We’ll have to try to get up there sometime. Thanks so much!
That is a fantastic Camp-Inn 550 model travel trailer at 28:15! We love our 560 model.
Iowa has some awesome sights. We will need to come visit. Thanks for sharing!!
Great video! And more transparency with the 5th time comment! You guys are the real deal….. 24/7!
That's a beautiful park. I'd camp there if there was an open space. Those caves were cool I'll bet.
This video was well done. I believe the placement of the mic on the shoulder made a difference. It was hard to believe this was in Iowa. Enjoy the time with family.
Thank you! I noticed the mic was actually bad when I would turn my head. Having it directly under your chin on your chest seems to work best so that when you turn your head either way, the volume remains the same and so does the person beside you because they can be on either side that way.
Michelle "for the 5th time!" LOL the struggle is real, although my Daughter gives me the hard time. Great point of seeing local sites. I'd def need those "distance" details before I headed out!
🤣🤓
Wow… those caves are amazing!
This was very Cool, I love walking through cave's. I've heard that you can't visit another cave for ten days.. Great video!!🎉
I love Iowa! Two of !my best friends are from there and I met them both in TEXAS. I was with one of them in Iowa City in January. I was with the other near Burlington in July and the humidity was terrible! The only sightseeing we did was the Amana Colonies and all I can say is YUM!!! I also realized that we don't actually have rivers in TEXAS. Iowa gots rivers!! Safe travels my friends!
Grew up 1mile from there. Used to ride our horse there all the time
My grandma used to go to dances there when she was young.
How cool! Thanks for sharing!🧡😊🤓
I love listening to those Stl Cardinals too. 😂 Iowa does have some beautiful wonders. The Des Moines river towns in SE Iowa are like stepping back in time. Beautiful
😂🤣 STL Cardinals…that was a good one!
My husband and I had a great laugh at your remark, Michelle about having to say for the fifth time . . . I feel your pain 😅
😂
Thank for sharing that beautiful area with us! 😘🖖🏻👍🏻🙏🏻
Now you gotta come back and see Luray Caverns, you will really like it, and no crawling 😂it’s rated the most beautiful caverns on the east coast. Safe travels!! 😁
You guys were right by us. We live in Bettendorf. Hope you enjoyed the casino and the caves
New subscriber here, loving your videos!! Would you mind my asking what camera was used to create this cave video?
Glad you enjoyed it! It was just an iPhone 14 Pro.
Very nice campgrounds also, need to make reservations long in advance.
Love the music!!
always enjoy your site seeing adventures
Ahhh we missed it. 😢 Well, I guess we’re going back again. ❤
I miss Christmas in Iowa, the moose coming right up to the window. 😂
Sad news for you. Proud Pies in Katy has closed down. We saw on Facebook that he said he couldn't make enough to pay rent and taxes.
Oh no! That is very sad news. They had very good pies. 😢🤓
I was unsubscribed by TH-cam. I was able to find you and resubscribe.
That’s TH-cam shenanigans unsubscribing people. Glad you found us again! 🧡🙂🤓
Were you able to walk upright or was as low as it looked? It probably cooled down while in the caves. Pretty awesome.
Yes we were upright but had to bend over a few times in certain caves. We never went in any of them that were “crawl through”.
We have been spelunking many times at these caves. Super fun to go when it's super hot....then the caves feel so refreshing!! Ice Cave is sooo cool!! There is also a cave nearby called Warden cave on a farmer's land that you need special permission to explore that is also so amazing!!!
That sure is a beautiful State Park! ❤❤
So what day pack model did you buy?
Daylite Plus
Thank you for sharing those beautiful caves!! If you ever make it to South Central Kentucky you should check out Mammoth Cave. There is so much to see in Kentucky and we travel everywhere else to see things. We should do some more travel here.
Here’s the video when we did Mammoth cave a couple years ago.
Van Life: Nashville to Kentucky | Mammoth Cave
th-cam.com/video/qJq-zmGfLpg/w-d-xo.html
We have been in Iowa for a few months. Leaving in July. Did you see where Hawarden flooded? Hope your folks are okay.
Yes, my mom and aunts houses were thankfully not effected. Thanks for asking! 🧡🤓
Glad to hear this. My Aunt,, Carole McGuire Peters, was supposed to have a family reunion at Denny Peters but it flooded there. Wonder if our families know each other, which would be a typical Iowa thing.
@RhondaD68 cool! I’ll have to ask my Mom. 🤓
Beautiful place, but I'm having a panic attack just watching 😧
New subscriber here! What an awesome video!!! I had been wondering what this place was like. I would love to take the grandkids there for a weekend. Thank you !
Welcome! Thanks for subscribing. The grandkids should really enjoy it! 🧡
Those were cool caves ❤ I wouldn't crawl in them though.
You would love Wildcat Den, outside of Muscatine, Ia
Thank you for the recommendation, we’ve never heard of it. Will look into it.
Just love your videos.
I neighbors, we live in dead central Wisconsin by the famous cheese factory, you would love it. You can harvest host by our house 3 blocks away. Have followed you I think the entire time you been on. Love the Saturday mornings with you. And we do vicariously travel thru you.
🧡🙂🤓
Oh no not a chance I’m having a panic attack at the thoughts of going underground like that you are braver than I
Has that part of Iowa had a lot of rain recently? Would flooding affect the cave? We were just in southwestern Minnesota during the Rapidan dam break!!
This was filmed before the flooding in NW Iowa. Don’t think this area, eastern Iowa, has received a lot of rain.
did you happen to notice that ghost vaper while you were in that one cave? Scary, I got anxiety watching you go through those caves..lol great trip thank you
Yes we did!I was telling Michelle that when I seen it at first, I thought it was either my breathe or heat from my body. It was neither…I tried a few times to see my breath over the camera and not once would it do it, but the vapors would keep happening.
❤ we care 😊
What if someone was crawling in while your crawling out....who backs out?
Not sure because we didn’t go in any of those that were “crawl through”.
Very nice ❤❤
Pretty place!
In the cave before ice cave, you can see white smoke and white orbs, but you have to pay attention. Haunted cave!
The video shows the white smoke in that cave!! 😳 Did ya see it?
@@LivinRVision Yes we did.
@@LivinRVision Did both of you see the orbs?
Pretty cool
Nice video. What - no pie for a whole video. Someone is slipping....
😂 🤓
Is this park near where you lived or near your families?
No it’s about 3 hours east of Des Moines.
I notice that you don’t carry your E bikes anymore, why is that? Thanks…
Because we were never getting time to use them. Every weekend when we were filming, it would never involve using the e-bikes. So we figured we may as well put them in storage instead of then being something else to worry about.
@@LivinRVision that’s sort of what I figured, thank you.
And now possibly we know what happened to the mom and child……no signs! 😉
😂
Thanks guy's
👍
C4YT
Funny how you can live in a state all your life and not see the wonders that are there. We have seen a lot while finding the Freedom Rocks in every county in Iowa. Iowa is not just flat ground with corn and beans. 🤓😎🥸
Agree!! Iowa is a beautiful state with rivers, rolling hills, trees, oh and the occasional farm. 😉