Iowa – CountUp

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Back in September 2021 I posted a map of our 50 United States. All of the states that I’ve visited were colored green. That includes states that I’ve lived in, spent quality time in, visited, or simply drove through. It did not include states where I’ve stayed inside an airport on a layover and never ventured outside. (I see you California.)

The map (an updated one) is still the same today. There remain 21 states that I have not yet visited – or 42% of them. One of my goals (now that I’m retired) is to visit the rest of them. But that probably won’t happen.

An interesting note about Kansas (which I wrote about in 2021) is the fact that I came within about a tenth of a mile of the Kansas state line while driving on I-44 from Oklahoma into Missouri. That’s right – I-44 misses the southeastern corner of Kansas by about 550 feet !

But this post is about Iowa (as the title suggests). I’ve never been to Iowa, and that’s the point of this post. I’d like to visit “The Hawkeye State”. It intrigues me. I want to check out the historical museums and tourist areas in and around Des Moines – Iowa’s capital and largest city. About 210,000 residents call Des Moines home (including a longtime friend of mine), and almost 750,000 residents live in its metropolitan area. Des Moines is located in Polk County – named after President James Knox Polk – who served from 1845 to 1849.

Fun Facts: There are 12 Polk Counties across the U.S.A., and 10 of them are named after President Polk. One (in Missouri) is named after his grandfather. One (in North Carolina) is named after a cousin. I live about 8 miles from Polk County Florida.

The Salisbury House & Gardens looks especially inviting in Des Moines, as does the State Historical Museum Of Iowa. I see lots of photo opportunities at both places, and I think that my Flickr site needs an Iowa album.

Des Moines is about a 1,400-mile drive from home, so I’d fly to Des Moines International Airport (#DSM), stay at a local hotel, and rent a car (or take Uber everywhere). I must try one of those deep-fried pork tenderloin sandwiches !

Next #TravelThursday – It’s your Travel & Weather Together – LIVE from Sebring Florida. Let’s keep traveling together.