Iowa Road Trips

It's finally time for me to recap a couple trips I took to Iowa last month. I might make it to the Quad Cities once a year for a concert, but to continue driving over an hour past that, twice in a month is unheard of!

But then again, when you have a chance to visit the World's Largest Truckstop and witness their Truckstop Jamboree, then why the hell not!

You may have inferred from my 1st paragraph that I drove. That would be incorrect. I'm truly sorry to have misled you. Thanks to my gas guzzling SUV (I still have it because it's paid off and hasn't died yet), I usually end up in the passenger seat of a friend's car on a road trip. For any newcomers, please meet Theresa.

Theresa and I were headed to Cedar Rapids for Mary Lambert, Gavin DeGraw and Matt Nathanson. Mary Lambert was like a breath of fresh air... such a beautiful voice and chatty gal. She was so excited and having a great day. Gavin DeGraw closed out the night with what seemed like one encore performance after another. I look forward to catching each of them again.

Those two made a Matt Nathanson sandwich. I'd seen Matt and his hips a few times, so I knew I was in for a good show. Little did I know that his showmanship has skyrocketed and venturing out into the crowd was not beneath him. I've always loved his music and sense of humor, but I wasn't prepared to be blown away. Bravo!

After 3 stellar sets, Theresa and I hit the road for a 3+ hour drive home. We hit the Truckstop on the way back, but the Jamboree was closed down by that hour. I was able to snag some popcorn, but with only a sliver of a moon in the sky, I had to eat it by glowstick.

Fast forward a couple weeks and I was headed back to Iowa... Des Moines, Iowa. Little did I know that our hotel was just beyond the city limits in Johnston. I think I know someone with that last name.

Anyway, the goal for Tom, Vince, Craigers and his kids, was to attend 3 Iowa Cubs baseball games in two days. The weather was gorgeous the whole time. We lucked out! Even though this was my second time to Principal Park, it was my first time to actually see a game.

Why hadn't I seen a game my first time around. Well, after two hot days at the Iowa State Fair a few years ago, my Mom and I couldn't handle anymore heat. The main goal was to get a Ryne Sandberg autograph for my brother as a surprise. After that mission was accomplished, we retreated to the air conditioning and ride home.

The Iowa Cubs put up a few runs in the first game, but couldn't come out on top. Trying to experience all aspects of the ballpark, we decided to head out to the bleachers for 2nd game. As I strolled the concourse, I came across a ticket to one of the suites! I then proceeded to dare Tom to crash the suite and he took the challenge! Check out his experience here.

The next day our plan was to play a little disc golf, then head to the ballpark in hopes to catch one Iowa Cubs win. I regret I don't have a video instead of the photo below. Tom's disc landed in a hole with water and overgrown grass across the top. He couldn't flip the disc out with his foot, so he had to reach in a mystery hole to get it. I was in the mode to snap a picture of whatever animal might run out. Craig was poised to make a hissing sound at the precise moment that would guarantee the highest cat-like springing back jump Tom could ever muster. It was EPIC! Like I said, wish I had done a video.

Even though the Iowa Cubs couldn't pull out a win during our time in Des Moines, it was a fun weekend with my brother and friends. We headed back to Peoria in the daytime, so glowsticks would have been a waste. Within a half hour of reaching home I totally lost it. Here's the random 73mph panorama photo I took.