The two most visible features of Iowa to visitors (Des Moines: construction, estates)

[edsg25]

gee whiz, guys, i'm amazed nobody mentioned the world's largest truck stop on I-80.

that and the UI tiger hawk logo works for me and, while i'm on the university, how about old capitol (isn't that an incredibly cool building to have on any campus, the old state capitol?)

the amanas.

[Dport7674]

No Kum and Go's east of Iowa City that I know of. None in the Quad Cities anyway.

[Vasily]

Maquoketa Caves state park ... beautiful river valley for hiking and the caves are worth a look:

Maquoketa Caves State Park, an Iowa State Park

Also, Effigy Mounds National Monument:

Effigy Mounds National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

[EastCB]

They are in Burlinton and Muscatine.

[RogueMom]

They had those in Montana. I got gas, etc. at them; but I never got used to that name. It's almost as bad as Siemens Corporation.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by timeofseasons

Loess Hills, northeast Iowa, Iowa City, Dubuque, just to name a few.

Where all will you be visiting?

Not sure. Would like to go see G & Gs old house in Long Grove, but we woudl need to have some other destination worth going to since five minutes looking at the house (if it is still there) and reminiscing is not worth a seven hour drive. We would probably spend a couple of days with relatives in Moline and Dixon Illinois and then visit long grove on our way to go camping for a couple of days somewhere in Iowa if we could find a good place. Our Illinois relatives often go to place that are basically on farm ponds, but 100 years of fertilizer and pesticide run off makes those ponds pretty gross. We would like to find a river or a full sized lake that is cleaner.

I remember going to the Indian Burial Mounds. It was pretty in that area. Hills and woods. I do not recall where it was.

We will also want to visit Galena on that same trip, I do not recall where Galena Ill is, but I remember going there from Long Grove, so it must be pretty close.

Mostly we would like to get away from hundreds of miles of corn (and Kum & Gos ). We like trees, hills rivers and neat old small towns. We also like historic architecture, but usually when it is coupled with other attractions. We do not like shopping or kitchy tourist places. (Mall of America and Wisconsin Dells on this recent trip did not appeal much to us. Dells are pretty but kind of ruined by all the kitchy tourist stuff.)

For those who were asking, we came across from Minnesota to Davenport. I would have to look up the freeway number (80? 90?) however the speed limit changed constantly. It ranged from 45 to 65, but I don't think it was ever 70 and not much was 65 (mostly lower) it was also surprising to find most people driving below the speed limit where in other states everyone seems to drive a few MPH above it.

I think that Iowanians must be accustomed to it. I would be that in pretty much any other place you cannot show someone under 60 a picture of a Kum and Go sign and not have them laugh. I think that in several states, they would not be allowed to use that name. Much more tame names than that are rejected even in California. They sure seem to be doing well however. They are everywhere. In Illinois, they seemed to be replaced by Pilot.

Illinois we know fairly well, so we know some of the neater places to go (we still have lots of relatives there, but all of our Iowa relatives are gone). Iowa I remembered going to some really beautiful areas, but when we drove through, what we saw looked like Nebraska (shudder).

By the way, why was so much of the corn pointed sideways? Was there a big hail storm or windstorm? Will the crop still be ok?

[steel03]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Not sure. Would like to go see G & Gs old house in Long Grove, but we woudl need to have some other destination worth going to since five minutes looking at the house (if it is still there) and reminiscing is not worth a seven hour drive. We would probably spend a couple of days with relatives in Moline and Dixon Illinois and then visit long grove on our way to go camping for a couple of days somewhere in Iowa if we could find a good place. Our Illinois relatives often go to place that are basically on farm ponds, but 100 years of fertilizer and pesticide run off makes those ponds pretty gross. We would like to find a river or a full sized lake that is cleaner.

I would say check out the area around Dubuque, or even further north to the Upper Iowa River. Clear Lake is a pretty good lake in north central Iowa. If you are willing to drive, there's Okoboji/Spirit Lake in northwest Iowa.

[timeofseasons]

Yes it has been very stormy lately in Iowa, but would have to say the same for Michigan. As for the region in Iowa you are talking about ( near Davenport) I reside more west, so would be unsure if the specific climate conditions. As for Nebraska, I was actually surprised to find certain areas within that state that are pleasant to vacation. One example would be Lake McConaughy and Oglala National Grassland which is near the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota.

[Oildog]

Most Scenic things in Iowa are the signs along I-35 and I-80 that say Welcome to Minnesota, & Welcome to Illinois.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

For those who were asking, we came across from Minnesota to Davenport. I would have to look up the freeway number (80? 90?) however the speed limit changed constantly. It ranged from 45 to 65, but I don't think it was ever 70 and not much was 65 (mostly lower) it was also surprising to find most people driving below the speed limit where in other states everyone seems to drive a few MPH above it.

All interstate's in Iowa are 70 miles an hour, except in urban areas like Davenport, Des Moines, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, etc. where it drops down to 65mph. The same as every state in the country as far as urban areas being a little lower than rural areas. I-235, the freeway through the middle of Des Moines, is the only exception with a speed limit of 60mph. I ride them all the time, and most people tend to cruise about 5mph over the speed limits.

There is no interstate in Iowa that has a speed limit lower than 65 as far as I know. It wouldn't have been an interstate if it was 45mph. If you were on I-80 or I-35 it would be the same speed except in Des Moines, Iowa City or Davenport where it drops down as you pass through an urban area. Iowa has a higher speed limit than neighboring Illinois or Wisconsin, and the same speed limit as Minnesota and Missouri.


I think you must have taken highway 218 through Iowa, that would have had different speed limits as it passed through cities, etc. Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City. You still would have been on I-380 and I-80 though, which are both 70mph. Strange - I wonder where you were??

As far as Kum and Go, it's a chain with 430 stores in 11 states, everything from Arkansas to Missouri to Oklahoma to Iowa to Montana to Minnesota. It's not really anything unique to Iowa. There's not much Iowa's secretary of state could really do regardless, it's not an Iowa thing.