September 26, 2016: In March 2010, the Volga post office was “temporarily closed”. Now, there are these cluster boxes outside, which often signal the town’s post office is gone for good, but the letters are still on the building clear as day and the post office has hours listed on the USPS site.
Here are the towns in Iowa that I first set wheel in this year.
* = City limits are on the highway, so it’s not strictly the first time, but this time I went into town.
- April 13: Richland*, Floris, Chillicothe, Hamilton*, Bussey
- April 17: Fraser**, Berkley, Yale, Sheldahl, Cambridge
- July 10: Morley, Welton, Low Moor
- July 25: Westgate, Randalia, Hawkeye, St. Lucas, Protivin
- July 26: Joice, Fertile
- August 2: Earlham
- August 8: Ricketts, Kiron*, Breda, Yetter, Lidderdale, Kelley
- August 16: Woodburn, Benton*, Sharpsburg*, Nodaway, Carbon
- August 17: Valeria
- August 26: Alburnett
- September 26: Prairieburg, Lamont*, Wadena, Volga, Dundee
**The Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad goes to Fraser, but this was the first time either by car or in the 21st century.
That’s a sizable list, covering 32 new cities and 7 more-extensive visits in 23 counties. After that one-day September trip, on a gorgeous day, I was ready for…
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN.
(This would be way better for ISU to play at the start of the fourth quarter than “Sweet Caroline.”)