Iowa

My Dad and his family around 1912.He's on his
Dad's shoulder, his brother is standing.

Iowa is the state where my Dad was born and grew up.  His parents were descendents from England and Germany and lived on a farm near Merrill, Iowa, a small town at that time. 

I have enjoyed visiting the Amana Colonies several times.  There are seven small villages northwest of Iowa City.   The Amana Colonies are on the National Historical Register.  The villages were originally settled by German religious people around 1855.  You can visit many wonderful shops there that feature local craftsmanship.  There is a handmade furniture store, a woolen mill, wineries and other interesting shops.   We enjoyed the cheese and wine tours and were fascinated to see the craftsmen at work.  We enjoyed eating at a wonderful restaurant with authentic German food.  Portions were generous and everything was delicious.

Vintage postcard near Sioux City
Bridge across the Missouri River

Des Moines is the Capitol and largest city.  One of the things that intrigued me when I visited there about twenty years ago was the Skywalk system connecting many of the downtown buildings.  At that time I thought it was a great idea so that people could enjoy shopping, walking, and eating on their lunch hour without having to go outside from their office during the winter weather.  Although Skywalks are not unique now, at the time it was the first one I had experienced.  I believe the system is still in place and has recently been updated.

Iowa is predominately an agricultural state although manufacturing and other industries including new green energy power, such as wind power, have helped diversify the economy in the last few years.  

Typical cornfield view (my photo)

Much of the state is grassland or cornfields but the land is not flatlands.  Iowa is very beautiful with rolling hills and prairies.  In the Northeast part of the state are steep hills and deep valleys.

There are prehistoric earthen mounds located along the northeast boundary of Iowa on the Mississippi River.  The Effigy Mounds National Monument area contains many conical mounds and also about thirty of them representing animals.  These mounds were built by Native Americans about 2500 years ago. There are hiking trails but no roads or camping facilities in the park.  Camping is available at Yellow River State Park.

Fall scene (my photo) Crisp clear air,
foliage turning colors, harvest in

There are several websites to explore to learn more about Iowa.  Below are two that have information about all areas of the state.  I prefer the Iowa Beautiful site because it was easier for me to navigate with my old computer.

http://www.iowabeautiful.com/

http://www.traveliowa.com/