Iowa Highway Ends (etc.)

When it gets below 250 Kelvin, you know you’re in trouble. Remember, being cold builds character.

Des Moines’ three lowest highs for Jan. 6 are -10, -3, and a balmy 1 above; Waterloo’s are -15, -6, and -5. Monday’s temperature will certainly place down there. Many, if not all, Iowa schools get one day more of vacation.

And because there was a “Star Wars” marathon on TV over the weekend:

UPDATE: At about 5 AM in Marshalltown it was real temperature -16, wind chill -45. Two hours later it was -17, wind chill -43.

When the Iowa Department of Transportation released its redesigned homepage in July, I was very disgruntled. I saw the triumph of style over substance, a three-button splash screen that obscured more than it helped. (In other words, I had the complete opposite reaction of this guy.)

So when word leaked out that the agency was also pursuing a rebranding/logo redesign, I was concerned. Besides the standard case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, there was also the perception of spending money for that while needing more for construction. In the state’s defense, $100,000 over five years is less than what is spent on washing important bridges on the state lines, and the total would be only a fraction of the cost of one bridge overlay.

The result probably isn’t that bad except —

OMG WE’RE PLAYING BUZZWORD BINGO.

At least there are versions without the tagline.

The Ox Yoke Innterstate restaurant at the I-80/US 151 interchange has closed, reports the Cedar Rapids Gazette. The original in the Amana Colonies will remain open. Business likely suffered after the Wasserbahn water park across the street closed in June.

Note that in the Gazette’s file photo, the motel behind the restaurant had been a Days Inn but recently closed. It then became an Econo Lodge but has been abandoned for years. (The hotel with the Wasserbahn started out as a Holiday Inn before becoming a Clarion.)

The closing reflects the decline of the “Little Amana” area. Just as the Amana Society purchased the town of Homestead to have access to the railroad in the mid-19th century, Little Amana sprung up to be by the interstate travelers of the mid- and late 20th century. But tourism revenue in the Amanas fell 25% between 2000 and 2006. There are more things competing for visitors’ dollars now, when visitors can afford to go somewhere.