...or visit. Sure, Iowa isn’t the biggest tourist destination, but last time I went back, I saw the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend…a definite “must see” in Palo Alto county.

But if you grew up wanting an urban experience, you just won’t be happy. I hate to drive, I like being around a variety of strangers, and I hate those hot, humid days with all its mosquitoes. Mostly, I am depressed and scared by the vast, mind-numbing landscape of a relentless monoculture of corn and soybeans. Farm life was a lonely, monastic experience I may be all the better for, but it wasn’t that enjoyable.