We left home at 7:15 because we needed to get gas before we picked up Keegan at 8:00 a.m. Keegan would be taking this trip with us to see Hunter. Hunter is taking a summer class at ISU and hadn't been home since March so we decided to make a short visit to him.
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| Across this bridge I-80 west leads to Iowa. |
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| The trip to ISU Ames cannot be complete without first stopping at Iowa 80. It is about the half-way point so we always stop to stretch our legs and get a bite to eat. We usually spend a hour and a half and it refreshes our bodies. |
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| We took a different way to Ames this trip. We turned north on I-380 to Cedar Rapids and got on US 30 which is known as the Lincoln Highway. It was the first transcontinental highway which stretches from Astoria, Oregon to Atlantic City, New Jersey. It is 3,112 miles which makes it the third-longest highway in the U.S. It is a very nice four-laned highway through rolling hills of farmland. The traffic is mild. We like it much better than the bumper-to-bumper traffic of 18-wheelers on I-80. |
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| This marker indicates that the Youngville Cafe (pictured below) is located on US Highway 30. |
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| This is the Youngville Cafe |
Originally this building was built in 1931 as a roadside business with gas station and cabins and known for it classic comfort food, especially homemade pies It was a "one-stop" business on US 30 that travelers of that time frequented. The business was closed in 1967 but was restored and is now run by volunteers who open it on Tuesdays for approximately two hours. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately today is Monday so it was not open. Maybe another trip to ISU will be on a Tuesday and we can stop.
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| The old style gas pump. |
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| This is the main street of State Center, Iowa....the geographical center of Iowa and is located at the midpoint of Iowa's first railroad. It has a population of 1,400 and the main street looks like so many other small town main streets that have been emptied by Walmarts and internet buying. |
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| Our destination: Iowa State University. We arrived around 3:00 p.m. Hunter picked us up from the motel and took us to his apartment. Keegan will stay with him the two nights we are here. We played a game of Crazy Cards and then we went out to eat at Wallaby's. It was a good place to eat. No one left there hungry. We returned to the motel to play another game of cards. Keegan was tired so he went to the room to rest while the three of us played cards. The boys left for Hunter's apartment around 8:00. They will be back her at 10:00 tomorrow. We plan to spend the day in Des Moines touring the capitol building and a monument display in a park. I am sure we will play at least one more game of cards!! |
