Some news from the middle of nowhere. Adventureland Park in Des Moines opens this Saturday. Masks are NOT required.
There are only two Gerstlauer Infinity coasters in North America, and they've got one one of them (the other is at Knots in California), the Monster. It has a beyond vertical 101 degree drop hill, and a night lighting system that changes the track color as the cars roll.
They'll be bringing an S&S Freespin online later this summer, and their other coasters include two woodies, the Outlaw (a CCI design) and the Tornado (the park's original), as well as a Maurer spinner.
Also the Iowa House today passed a bill outlawing vaccine passports in most public places (only hospitals and nursing homes are permitted to ask for proof of vaccination).
Texas, South Carolina and Florida are mask free as well, though Disney requires them still.....Not that anyone should be supporting the Maus.
Tennessee lifted mask mandates statewide as well.
Technically we never had a mask mandate (people were 'urged' to wear masks but not required), but EO 77 gave the six counties with local health departments authority to enforce their own rules but EO 80 removed that authority. My county board of education is still requiring students to wear mask which they insist they have the authority to do but I have my doubts.
Good for them, I bet it will be packed too when people go there just to not have to deal with masks and crap.
If I make a road trip this summer I may actually end up in Iowa for a little while. I've only barely been through there on I-29 and don't even think that counts, but have considered trekking up to UPMI. Can't decide if I want to screw with leftist states at all though, or even if I'm going to do a road trip this summer.
Some years back I drove from Pittsburgh to Denver using only state and local roads and an oversized travel atlas from Rand McNally. It was great, a ton of fun, and I got to really see America.
During this trip I went through Iowa and Jack Kerouac was right: The prettiest girls in the world live in Des Moines.
It really is a fun way to travel. I did similar last summer up into Wyoming and South Dakota. Essentially made the trip the fun part and not the destination. I was on the interstate a bit, but probably less than 25% of the total miles.
We were on a deadline but had about a week to to get there. So we meandered a lot through South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Some of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. We accidentally ended up seeing Mt Rushmore, Toadstool Geological Park, a few ghost towns, and just a bunch of other really cool places. That part of the US is so underrated. And remote. There were a couple of days we didn't see anyone else.
Taking a trek up to UPMI sounds amazing. I might give that a shot.
Ah yes, good old Highway 2. The Death Star Treench run. Two hundred miles long, hundred feet wide. That last twenty minutes before St Ignace with the beach is nice tho.
Shit, I haven't been to Adventureland in years; got family out that way.
Iowa also recently passed constitutional carry; I still find it funny the flatland of corn and soybeans with a rapidly-developing urbanite population is leaning towards the 'based' end of the spectrum.
For statewide office, the balance is very close but slightly in favor of the GOP. In the districts, 2 (Iowa City) and 3 (Des Moines) are the only places where the democrats are competitive, 1 and 4 are deep red.
But at the state level the GOP has total control over the assembly.
The important thing about Iowa though is the incumbency effect. Iowans love incumbents. This is how Tom Miller (D) has been attorney general since 1979 with only a 4 year break in 91-95 to try for governor, and how Grassley and Harkin coexisted for decades. Iowans love the incumbent, which is why Meeks winning in Loebsack's old district is so big because it'll take years for the democrats to get rid of her.
What I found more interesting was the protests last year. Specifically how they ended with the derecho. Days to weeks without power sucked all the enthusiasm out of the protests and they haven't come back yet.