Over my now 48 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States.  I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 30 states I have visited (60% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning.  Working in alphabetical order, we start today with the 29th state to be added to the Union: Iowa.

State: Iowa
Joined the Union: 1846
Visits: 1

To the best of my knowledge, I’ve made a single trip to the Hawkeye State, coming in 2014 on the backend of a trip to Minneapolis with Danny and Michael to see the White Sox battle the Twins.  On the way up, we took the route through Wisconsin, so, to mix things up, we decided to come home through Iowa.  If I had it all to do over again, I would have made a different choice.

I’m sure there are things to do and/or see somewhere in Iowa, but we did not encounter any of them on the long drive back home.  When it came time to find something to eat, we eventually found an exit that contained a Steak ‘n Shake.  This is where things got a little more exciting.  The restaurant was next to a hotel that seemed to be holding a furry convention of some sort.  Some of the costumed folks had made their way over to the Steak ‘n Shake, which was very confusing for a young Mr. Michael, who had not yet reached his tenth birthday.  After some awkward questions, his curiosity seemed sated, we finished our meal, and then continued our long journey back to the loving arms of Illinois.

Will I return?  I’m sure there may be a reason to do so someday, but I have no current plans.