Day Three Recap - Iowa

Sorry about the lack posting the last couple of days. We didn't have easy internet access when we arrived in Iowa and after 13 hours of driving yesterday, we were exhausted!

But now we're back and you're getting a double dose of updates! Who's love you, baby?

Our departure from Chicago was a bit hectic and surrounded by crappy weather. We had a small encounter with the security guard leaving Kim and Justin's which made Operation: Smuggle Cats Out a bit more interesting. D got in the car and immediately said, "I'm not cut out for this sneaky stuff!"

Monday morning traffic in Chicago was... interesting. We're used to crazy drivers in Baltimore, after all 695 is our version of Nascar. But the beltway around Baltimore is pretty open so you can see people coming and weave in and out of traffic pretty easily. Chicago had lots of turns and tons of different expressways merging in and out of the one we were one. Plus snow and icy rain. Fun!

We gave Ender and Valentine their first dose of Valium with breakfast and they promptly zonked out in the back of the car.



Once we got out of the Chicago area, we were back in farmland Illinois. For the most part farmland in the Midwest is the same no matter which state you're in. But there are some neat farms along the way. One of the more interesting and unexpected aspects of the Midwest is how many small lakes litter the farmland and were frozen due to one of the toughest winters that has hit the Midwest in recent memory.





We had a nice surprise (cause we suck at geography) when we entered Iowa, crossing the Mississippi for the first time in our lives. It did feel a bit like we should have been in a covered wagon. The river is really impressive and we wished we were crossing in the summer when all of the river boats would be out on the water and the foliage would be in bloom.





We stopped at the Iowa Welcome Center and took some pictures of the river. Plus we couldn't resist snapping a picture of the label on the paper towel dispenser in the bathrooms. Remember parents - it's up to you to teach your kids good hygiene. Lessons from the Heartland, kids.



Plus check out all the famous Iowans:)




And since we weren't in a huge hurry to get to our next stop (it was a short 5 hour driving day), we decided to take a pitstop at the Buffalo Bill Musuem in LaClaire, Iowa on the Mississippi. This one is for Joe (who told us to stop along the way) and Brian (our native Iowan). Woo-hoo!



So, yeah... the Buffalo Bill Musuem may have honestly been one of the saddest things we've experienced on the trip so far. We went in around 3:30pm and were greeted by one older lady and one middle aged lady. As we signed into the Guest Book, we realized that we were the first visitors that day. They hadn't even turned on the lights in the display cases. That should have been the first sign to turn around. Then the nice little old lady had us sit down and watch a 10 minute video about the history of Buffalo Bill in LaClaire (it turns out he was born there). We'll spare you the details, dear reader, but rest assured it was painful. PAINFUL.




Half of the museum was just collections of random stuff from the history of LaClaire, which as near as we could tell had NOTHING to do with Buffalo Bill. But there was some Old West stuff there that was pretty neat. The monkeys reflected on the authentic artifacts and enjoyed the learning experience.



Random funny sign from LaClaire - meet Sneaky Pete.



Also in Iowa - the World's Largest Truck Stop. Or so we're told, we didn't stop to get the paperwork to back up this claim and we feel this was a wise decision. We imagine the world's largest truck stop is kind of like Pirate Island in Pirates of Caribbean.



In Iowa we stopped at the Steak and Shake (that one's for you Tylar!!) before heading to my friend Phil Hester's house. We enjoyed some steakburgers, fries, and onion rings. Mmm... beefy.



Then we got of I-80 West and drove out to North English, Iowa, where my friend Phil Hester was kind enough to let us spend the night with his family at their lovely home. Phil is a hella talented writer and comic artist. He's currently writing The Darkness for Top Cow and I admit as Publisher I'm a bit biased, but I think this will be one of the best runs on The Darkness and one of the best comics coming out in 2008. Phil's also the co-creator of The Coffin, Deep Sleeper, and Firebreather. He's been the artist of Green Arrow and Ant-Man. And he's a hecka of a nice guy.





The drive out to Phil's was abut 10 miles of uninhabited farmland. But the hospitality was worth it. And Filip got to geek out a bit in Phil's studio looking at another artist's workspace and checking out Phil's extensive original comic art collection which included works by Jack Kirby, Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Kevin Nowlan, Carlos Pacheco, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, John Byrne, Mike Mignola, Alex Toth and many, many more. It was like being in a candy store:)





And the Hesters had a very cute dwarf bunny named Midnight, which was probably the most exciting thing for Danielle. Oddly enough the comic art didn't do it for her;)



And that ended Day Three!