My hat's off to Iowans!

My wife, kids and I just got back from a road trip through Iowa. What a beautiful state! The farms are so well kept, and even in the old parts of town it looks like everyone gets up and mows their yard on the same day. I was also impressed by the lack of urban sprawl. It seems like you are either in town, or in the country. I might consider moving there, but I don't know if I could take the winters.

Thank you for the compliment, although apparently you did not visit the Des Moines, Waukee, Johnston, and Grimes area. Those folks who are in power from that community will not be happy until there is absolutely NO farmland left in Iowa.

I have several friends in IA and visit often, especially in early June for the Power Wagon rally.
Always enjoy IA. but yes it can get chilly.
Southern part not bad close to our weather in StL.
Tom

We live near Adel Iowa, apple computers just bought 2000 acres of farmland between Waukee and Adel. It was prime farmland, very flat. They paid 150,000 an acre for some of it. A shame to cover it with concrete but how can you blame the seller with that kind of an offer! Our county gave them a twenty year tax abatement, the richest corporation in the world!

Right now winter sounds pretty nice as it is 90 degrees and with the heat index feels like 103. So we see the extremes in temperatures, but we still choose to live here. There is no place like home, here in Iowa!

Iowa TJ

I've been across it many a time heading out west. I even rode my bicycle across it 3 different times in their annual across the state bike ride. Like someone said it does get hot their in the summer but the scenery and the people are the best. Its one of my favorite states to visit.

Great state with the Knoxville Sprint Car race track (Sprint Car Capitol of the World). Great Saturday night entertainment. I'm 200 miles from there and have been there 4 times this year!

Rag Brai? Have seen news coverage... looks pretty crazy.

I worked for my brother in the early 60s around Goldfield. Saw 83" of snow and -32 below with 10 days at the high of -10 below. Iowa is like Chicago, a good place to be from.

It is pretty crazy but its what ever you want to make of it. Not a easy thing either as you average 70-80 miles a day in the third week of July in their hottest time of the year. All the locals come to town to join the festivities. I even had a couple of different locals take me out to their farms and show me around then bring me back to town to get back on my bicycle. They are proud of what they have and I for one envy their lifestyle.

Thanks for noticing! My brother in law from Kansas and was up last year, we did some driving around looking at the crops, he was impressed how clean and trimmed everything was. So a couple weeks later I get a text, thanks to my visit I am out mowing around the fields.

You are right about that! Dallas County is the fastest growing county in the state. It's a shame to see all this good farm land being turned into houses and business parks on the east side. West half is still quite rural, for now.

Thanks for the kind words, Iowa is a pretty good place to live. There's something for everyone; very rural areas and big cities, variety of terrain, 4 very different seasons. There are some dirty towns and shady people, but for the most part folks here take pride in their homes/farms and are friendly helpful folks.

Which direction from Adel are you? I've lived in the Adel/Desoto area most of my life. I agree, it's a shame seeing all this good dirt being turned into houses and business parks.

I had the pleasure of visiting Iowa in 2014 when I did RAGBRAI bicycle ride across the state from Rock Valley to Guttenberg. As you may recall commodity prices peaked in 2013 after a run of several years and there was a lot of shiny new steel both on wheels and buildings. people are really proud of their farms and it shows.

Only spent one night in Iowa, but looks like the wife and I are going back this August to see the Farm Progress Show, the Kinze machine play and the Cinnioman Ridge Dairy farm in Donahue Iowa . Bruce

I would have to agree the local people are pretty nice. The State patrol is a different story. They have been right up with MI Officers in general, for being some of the rudest most demanding people I have encountered in the country.
Most of IA should never have been broke out of prairie though with the erosion it has.

I?m southwest of Adel, been here since 1977.

The reason Rag BRI is in the heat of August?? They gotta wait for the corn to get over 6' tall so everyone can duck off the highway and go to the bathroom. But its a hoot for the riders. Iowa's got the John Wayne museum, he was born in Winter set. They Got some of his guns and other things of his.

From my experience, Iowans are helpful and generous people. Back in my younger days I was riding across the state on my Honda 650, got a flat about ten miles from Dubuque. Rear tire--I'd worn all the tread off. Hadn't really considered replacing it before starting out from Maryland--so there I was. A man in the most beaten-up pickup I'd ever seen asked if he could help. He was a stonemason, and used the compressor from his AC to act as an air compressor to fill an air tank and run tools. Not really pertinent to the story, but I was in awe of that. He told me that--wonder of wonders--there was a Honda motorcycle dealership ten miles down the road--in the direction I was going. We loaded up the bike, strapped it down with some ratchet straps he'd scavenged from a dumpster, and off we went. He didn't want to accept any payment, although I finally prevailed and gave him something. If I recall, I don't think he was necessarily headed that way to begin with. Got to the dealer at sunset, just as they were closing the doors. I explained the situation and they wheeled the bike inside. Next morning I was back in business with a new tire and tube, chain lube and adjustment.

Later in the trip, I was at my turn-around point--Mount Rushmore. Just a guy with his motorcycle. A man from Iowa, there with his wife and kids, took an interest in me, wanted to know about my trip. We talked a bit, and he told me to stop in and see him in Des Moines if I needed a place to stay or stop and rest. Absolutely no reason for him to make this offer other than an act of goodwill. Exceedingly generous. I didn't actually take him up on his offer, but thanked him and felt that someone was looking out for me on my long ride. Good memories of Iowa and Iowans.

I've noticed that as farms got rid of the livestock there was suddenly a lot more time available for maintaining the rest of the farmstead.