Author Archives: Jeff

Mar 28

Heads we win, tails you lose

Posted on Tuesday, March 28, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 21, 2012: Current HMS Elementary School in Hartley, formerly Hartley High School. Once again, a beautiful Art Deco school building is facing the challenge of time, cost, and utility. Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn has issued a challenge to its voters. If a … Continue reading →

Posted in Schools | Comments Off on Heads we win, tails you lose
Mar 27

Some date edits, and a highway that was legally dead

Posted on Monday, March 27, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Going through the legal descriptions of Iowa highways — just the state ones, not the US routes — have merited some editing to some pages. Mostly, these are fixes to time spans, now that we have dates of Highway Commission … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Some date edits, and a highway that was legally dead
Mar 24

Historic highway meetings in Denison and Denison

Posted on Friday, March 24, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The modern-day Jefferson Highway Association, dedicated to promoting the 1910s north-south Pine to Palm Highway, is having its 2017 convention in Denison, Texas. The JH ran through Iowa mostly on now-US 65 and 69, sharing the Lincoln Highway in Story … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Historic highway meetings in Denison and Denison
Mar 23

Links on IA 12 page fixed

Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

June 4, 2014: The national north end of US 77 is just across the border at I-29 in Sioux City. Well, this is embarrassing: When I moved the website from mac.com, I moved the locations of the IA 12 South … Continue reading →

Posted in Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Links on IA 12 page fixed
Mar 22

Closing off an ancient curve, and Centerville’s IA 60 history

Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

  Appanoose County in the 1948 (left/top) and 1951 Iowa Highway Commission state maps. Notice the non-existence of Lake Rathbun. Drake Avenue is shown as the north-south piece of IA 277, but it actually belonged to IA 60, as you will … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction, Highway Miscellaneous | Comments Off on Closing off an ancient curve, and Centerville’s IA 60 history
Mar 21

Analysis of 2017 RAGBRAI route

Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 23, 2008: RAGBRAI riders enter the west side of Tama. FORTY YEARS after its first and only visit to Allamakee County, RAGBRAI is going to end in Lansing. From Orange City (which is new as a starter town; others … Continue reading →

Posted in Maps | Comments Off on Analysis of 2017 RAGBRAI route
Mar 20

947. Palmer

Posted on Monday, March 20, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

March 20, 2003: A Fort Dodge Messenger newsrack in Palmer announces the beginning of U.S. military action in Iraq. Fourteen years and five ISU men’s basketball coaches ago, I took my first solo multi-day trip to photograph Iowa highways. Palmer … Continue reading →

Posted in Trip Reports | Comments Off on 947. Palmer
Mar 18

Bring on the Boilermakers

Posted on Saturday, March 18, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

October 29, 2016: Penn State scores one of its many touchdowns against Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana. The final was 62-24. Yes, I watched both Iowa State and Purdue play football in person in 2016. You can’t hurt me. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Sports | Comments Off on Bring on the Boilermakers
Mar 17

US 20 detour starts next week

Posted on Friday, March 17, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The detour for US 20 in western Iowa that originally was going to last through two winters but then discontinued will restart Monday, the Iowa DOT says in a press release. Construction will go on throughout the year, pushing ever … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on US 20 detour starts next week
Mar 16

Turnarounds before the tournament

Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2017, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

December 8, 2016: Harbaugh? Harbaugh. Harbaugh Harbaugh Harbaugh, Harbaugh Harbaugh. I freely admit that in the two days I saw the ISU basketball teams come out flatter than flat in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, I had my concerns about the season. But they got better as … Continue reading →

Posted in Sports | Comments Off on Turnarounds before the tournament