September 2, 2009: On the northwest side of Waukon — you can see it on the map — IA 76 makes a turn off A52 (old IA 9) and heads for Minnesota. The unique characteristics of this sign are the inclusion in the first place of “Minn. St. Line” and the listing of a closer destination at the bottom.
The entire route of IA 76, but especially the segment north of Waukon, has some of the best scenery in Iowa. It’s the edge of the Driftless Area, a section of northeastern Iowa that was not ground into submission by the glaciers. (A USGS writing says the glaciers didn’t come at all.) There aren’t any straight lines here; the road hugs every hill. I drove it shortly after it was repaved, and it was beautiful.