April 18, 2006: North end of US 67 near Iowa’s easternmost point. US 67 is a diagonal route, although its later northernmost segment runs more north-south. For nearly 35 years, 67 defined the eastern curve of Iowa from Davenport to Dubuque, running concurrently with US 52 for no particular reason.
Two of the numbers are out of place sequence-wise, but Iowa has every odd US route number from 59 to 71, plus 75 and 77.
June 12, 2011: Downtown Chicago at the “classic” or “traditional” end of US 66.
It is always interesting to be traveling on a lonely Iowa county road and hear news and traffic on WBBM. (Less so to actually BE on the Dan Ryan/Kennedy and hear the same.) The bustling city is six hours away, and I enjoyed walking up and down the Magnificent Mile, but the gravel roads and open skies and peaceful fields have their own magnificence.
May 19, 2004: Downtown Albert Lea, less than five miles from US 65’s north end. This is also the south end of MN 13. It would have been smarter for Minnesota to extend US 69 either to this intersection (instead of 13) or have it come up with 13 to I-90 rather than have it continue to end at old US 16.
December 29, 2001: G.E. Patterson (Calhoun) approaching 3rd Street in Memphis. The problem is, even 10 years ago, official maps show that all the US routes have been moved east onto Danny Thomas Boulevard. But signage, and Google, still direct along 3rd and a 2nd/3rd one-way pair.
Today, we get our televisions back.
After weeks of political ads filling daytime television, evening television, Christmas specials, and football games, it’s time for a few months of seed corn and herbicide commercials. (Remember, the Jan. 3 date is all Florida’s fault for blatantly and repeatedly violating both parties’ rules.)
The closest Iowa caucus in history went past midnight, until someone in Clinton County woke up.
I consider it my duty as an Iowan and someone interested in the political process to see as many candidates as I can. That’s true no matter which party. In the last week, I made it to see four of them, in addition to two I saw before the straw poll.
Four candidates in four counties in six days isn’t quite my 2008 mark of four candidates in four counties in three days, but it’s close.
Every time I go to an appearance I am reminded of what a massive logistical undertaking a campaign is. There are sticker rolls to distribute, materials to print and set out, yard signs to arrange, advance teams to get rooms and chairs, and someone to figure out if it is actually physically possible to be in Grundy Center or Guthrie Center after being somewhere else hours earlier. All of that is before the candidate and media entourage set foot in the building.
And in four years, despite the quadrennial outpouring of criticism, Iowa will do it all again.
The final score for 2011: Before the straw poll: Michele Bachmann, Urbandale; Tim Pawlenty, Indianola. Between Christmas and caucus: Rick Perry, Osceola; Ron Paul, Perry; Rick Santorum, Indianola; Newt Gingrich, Ames.
For comparison, this was 2007 (in chronological order): John McCain, Des Moines; Mitt Romney, Des Moines; John Edwards, West Des Moines; Fred Thompson, Urbandale; Rudy Giuliani(!), Clive; Mike Huckabee, Indianola, Hillary Clinton, Traer(!!); Joe Biden, Ames; Barack Obama, Boone; Chris Dodd, Indianola. Huckabee, Clinton, Biden, and Obama were the four in three days. Four years before that, I saw Edwards and Howard Dean in Toledo.
Cumulative by county: Polk 5, Warren 4, Tama 3, Dallas 2, Story 2, Boone 1, Clarke 1.
April 19, 2008: East junction of US 50/63 in central Missouri. My southernmost point traveled on US 63 as a signed route. (Arkansas shoved it onto I-55 and I-40 to nonsensically meander down to Louisiana.) US 63 is four lanes from this point to Kirksville although it is on surface streets in downtown Jefferson City.
July 7, 2008: US 62 and 68 leave Ohio and head into Kentucky northwest of Maysville. US 62 is one of the nation’s longest diagonal routes.
March 19, 2007: North end of US 61 in Wyoming, Minnesota. The route used to go up to Duluth and then along the west side of Lake Superior to Canada.
June 25, 2006: Junction five miles north of the Iowa/Minnesota line by the Minnesota welcome center for both roads. Iowa finished four-laning IA 60 in 2008 and Minnesota is completing the connection to I-90.
Iowa’s design turns 15 years old Monday. Will 999ZZZ show up before the end of 2012?
