I had some photos laying around the old Mac and thought I would share them. This is MY Iowa... Not everlasting corn fields....
The first three are up in the Driftless Range in Northeastern Iowa, the second few are of Clear Lake, IA, my summer haunt, and the last are kind of a grab bag.

Here are more...

Finally, just a few more...

That sign ROCKS!!!

I love crazy signs. Got quite a few old ones in the basement

I feel like my graduate school experience was lacking in the real Iowa. I lived in Iowa City for two years and spent almost all of my time in the lab working on things. All I knew was a) Iowa City is surrounded by corn and soybeans and b) my walks to and from the lab were hot and muggy, or freaking cold. I was in a hurry to move back to Idaho when I finished.

Over the last couple years though, I've realized how much of the neat stuff in Iowa I missed out on. Maybe someday I'll get a chance to go back and see some of it. I do have to say I really enjoyed living in Iowa City. If there were an Iowa City, Idaho, I'd want to live there.

Iowa City is nice, it's just surrounded by NOTHING. and for some reason that's all you see on the interstate sections... I feel that many people miss out on the really great parts of IA. My girlfriend's family is from Nebraska, and she's grown up in DSM, same as I have, and the Met area has some decent sections, but nothing like the Drifties. So, I took her up to the Dubuque area, and she was like... "This is still Iowa???!!" So, I feel it's my obligation to show my state the way I see it. More to come...

I've seen lots of des moines but not much else. heading out there in July for RAGBRAI so I should get to see a little more.

I live in Des Moines, but I agree...Northeast Iowa is some of the prettiest country you'll see. Not just in Iowa, but period. My brother lives in Elkader, and I love to stop and visit Backbone State Park when I'm up that way. It's beautiful. Which, if I recall correctly, is one of the first state parks in Iowa.

Thanks for the pics Shirefire!

your photos are beautiful. oh the colors. and i love the sign!

Wow Iowa's pretty..who wouldve thunk it?

WOW WOW WOW thanks for the pics
:-D

Interesting! I've been through on the interstate several times. Those Photo's look like they come from this area, not yours. I would never have thought that there were areas of the state that looked like that.

Thanks for the Photo's! I think my next time through your state I will have to get off the Highway, and do some back roads.


Dom

Yeah, minus the Clear Lake ones, these are all taken right off the Great River Road, which runs from the Headwaters area down to New Orleans. The last one is in Greenwood Park in The Roosevelt Neighborhood of Des Moines. And, yeah Backbone was the first state park in IA, and I'm heading up there to kayak the Volga sometime this spring hopefully...

Nice pix.

All I'ver ever seen of Ia were Shenandoah and Couciltucky I mean Council Bluffs. Snore...

I get what you mean tho. I'm on the Eastern bit of Ne and it is butt-a$$ boring as far as scenery. Western bit and the panhandle are another world. The sandhills are desolate-pretty and wide open.

Love those pictures.............shatters most peoples views of the Heartland

Nice pix.

All I'ver ever seen of Ia were Shenandoah and Couciltucky I mean Council Bluffs. Snore...

I get what you mean tho. I'm on the Eastern bit of Ne and it is butt-a$$ boring as far as scenery. Western bit and the panhandle are another world. The sandhills are desolate-pretty and wide open.


Counciltucky - heh :) Where in Eastern Nebraska are you at? I grew up in Southwest Iowa, but my folks were from Valley, so I spent many summers, holidays, etc. in Nebraska with my grandparents there.

Counciltucky - heh :) Where in Eastern Nebraska are you at? I grew up in Southwest Iowa, but my folks were from Valley, so I spent many summers, holidays, etc. in Nebraska with my grandparents there.

Teeny tiny hint...

Great pics Shirefire! Thanks for posting them.

Like you said... I used to think there was nothing to Iowa from traveling on I80 only. But I took a 2 lane hwy from Iowa City to Dubuque one time during the summer (and then Dubuque to WI) and the scenery was awesome. Nice little slice of America! :D

Teeny tiny hint...

So, you're in the third largest city in Nebraska then (on Saturday's and the occassional Friday anyway).

:)

Shirefire,

Thanks for the pix. After having ridden RAGBRAI about 15 times, I can attest that Iowa is a beautiful state (including the cornfields). My advice to anyone travelling to/through Iowa or Illinois (where I now live) - gets off the freakin' interstates and enjoy the view!

My advice to anyone travelling to/through Iowa or Illinois (where I now live) - gets off the freakin' interstates and enjoy the view!

Yup, true. The drive to Shenandoah on hwy 2 post I 29 is really nice. Lotsa up n down through the loess (sp?) hills by the mizzou.

HAHAHA! I LOVE THE COUNCILTUCKY! The Loess are really pretty, I haven't spent much time in them though, just on my way to Omaha. Perhaps that will have to be a summer weekend road trip... I hear Preparation Canyon near Sioux City is gorgeous. I found this picture.

Is anyone here getting the feeling that Shirefire works for the Iowa tourism board?:-P

Wow Iowa's pretty..who wouldve thunk it?

No kidding, I have to admit I had serious misconceptions about Iowa. Wrestling and Corn.

Haha, Brawsie, I don't work for the tourism service, I just always have my camera with me. I'm a photo. minor.

I did a road trip from St. Paul down the Mississippi river valley through Iowa and into Missouri and then drove diagonally across Missouri to the Ozarks. It was one of the most beautiful and historic trips. The river towns are really cool. My family loved it. I grew up in Iowa but live in Minnesota now and with so many Minnesotans heading north on the weekends I find you can't beat the hardwood forests of SE Minnesota and NE Iowa.