Category Archives: Maps

Jul 23

Koality control

Posted on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

This clip is from the RAGBRAI support vehicle map for today. /stares //STARES Does Gannett not have proofreaders for anything anymore? (This is a rhetorical question. — Ed.) And what map service were those support vehicle route directions copied from, … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous, Maps | Comments Off on Koality control
Jul 18

RAGBRAI LI and picking routes

Posted on Thursday, July 18, 2024, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

I did my annual look at RAGBRAI on my Substack site. This year, I concentrated more on the issue of mapping out routes in southern Iowa. The plain fact is, there are fewer options to choose from.

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous, Maps | Comments Off on RAGBRAI LI and picking routes
Apr 26

Iowa border history, with a focus on the Iowa Great Lakes

Posted on Friday, April 26, 2024, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Arnold Garson of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative wrote a Substack post last week about how the Iowa Great Lakes almost didn’t figure in to the state of Iowa. His writeup touches on the paired-states issue before the Civil War (slave … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous, Maps | Comments Off on Iowa border history, with a focus on the Iowa Great Lakes
Apr 08

An early RAGBRAI LI correction

Posted on Monday, April 8, 2024, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The RAGBRAI map and pass-through town list was not unveiled until April (a first) and on a weekday (another first). It ran in the Des Moines Register both online and in print on April 4 (and was off the website’s front … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa Miscellaneous, Maps | Comments Off on An early RAGBRAI LI correction
Jan 22

Tama County map meetings on three mornings

Posted on Monday, January 22, 2024, at 9:00 AM by Jeff

Notice for three public meetings regarding the proposed five-district map for the Tama County Supervisors will be this Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday — all at 9:45 AM (UGH!). So this blog post is live at 9 and if you hurry … Continue reading →

Posted in Maps, Tama County | Comments Off on Tama County map meetings on three mornings
Dec 06

Cedar Rapids, Fairfax finally touch

Posted on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

(Delayed until I needed fillers. — Ed.) Despite annexations in the southwest quadrant of Cedar Rapids over the past half-decade, the city limits have never touched Fairfax. The right-of-way for Williams Boulevard (US 151) around the intersection with Stoney Point … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography, Maps | Comments Off on Cedar Rapids, Fairfax finally touch
Jun 01

2023 state map doesn’t have the blues, it has the teals

Posted on Thursday, June 1, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Memorial Day weekend in odd years means the release of the new Iowa highway map. The 2023 map (extremely large PDF) was available online a week ago. But when I loaded it, things felt off. The shade of blue was … Continue reading →

Posted in Maps | Comments Off on 2023 state map doesn’t have the blues, it has the teals
Apr 14

RAGBRAI L map notes and analysis

Posted on Friday, April 14, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 29, 2021: RAGBRAI riders enter Center Point. RAGBRAI was not held in 2020, so 2023 marks the 50th ride. (The plague ended a lot of continuous/consecutive records.) My analysis (with passing corrections) of the RAGBRAI L map is based … Continue reading →

Posted in Maps | Comments Off on RAGBRAI L map notes and analysis
Mar 29

But what does Metropolis-style pizza look like?

Posted on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

My previous complaint about “Superman & Lois” had to do with my inability to suspend disbelief when Smallville’s football team played Metropolis in a day game that required an overnight hotel stay. Now, the show has established Smallville is within … Continue reading →

Posted in Maps | Comments Off on But what does Metropolis-style pizza look like?
Mar 20

RAGBRAI L: Count-up to 50

Posted on Monday, March 20, 2023, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

In a change from January, the RAGBRAI L route announced March 13 does not have a total of 50 communities. A RAGBRAI staffer posted online on March 15 that road construction and bridge issues have affected plans, and that the century … Continue reading →

Posted in Maps | Comments Off on RAGBRAI L: Count-up to 50