I consider myself a family first type person, as I’m sure many of you do too.  It’s tough these days to get kids to “unplug” and even tougher to get them to look out the window and see the countryside on family vacations. 

Between DVD’s, social media, texting and gaming, it all adds up to a ton of time focused on something less than a foot away from their face, and I think sometimes they are missing the best the world has to offer.  So, I will climb down off my soap box and highlight a few spots in the Midwest where you’ll find affordable, quality family vacation getaways. ... Read More

Hello everyone! I wanted to take a moment to share with you some of my favorite places to eat and stay in Iowa. Yeah that’s right, I said Iowa. I think it’s about time for the little landlocked state to get some credit. 

When I tell people I’m from Iowa usually they pause and then ask if potatoes are grown there.  No, that’s Idaho – an entirely different landlocked state.  In Iowa we grow corn and that’s what our cows eat. There is nothing better than a corn-fed, inch-and- a-half-thick cut of beef seared medium rare and paired with a good Pinot noir.  ... Read More

A little preparedness goes a long way: this statement sounds like good advice. For those of you who have ever been on one of those family vacations where Murphy’s Law seems to establish an all out theme, I just want you to know that you are not alone. 

Let me tell you about one of my family vacations turned catastrophe.  Oddly enough, it ended up as one of my family’s most talked about (and laughed about) memories. ... Read More

Tailgating has two definitions according to Wikipedia. One involves driving too closely behind another vehicle, which as a professional driver and a AAA employee, I do not condone. 

The other is a social event that takes place around the tailgate of a vehicle and “involves consuming alcoholic beverages and grilling food.” While correct, this simple definition lacks the tradition, the spirit and the overall sense of camaraderie that tailgating brings to fellow sports fans. ... Read More

NEWS! I-29 is now mostly open. The FINAL update from the Iowa DOT website on Nov. 14 states that:

"I-29 was reopened to traffic on Sat, Oct. 8. Contractors are currently working on the bridge approach paving and pile stabilization under the northbound bridge at milepost 1.4. Temporary median crossovers are in place routing the north- and southbound traffic into the southbound lanes between mileposts 0.8 and 3.2, while the bridge construction work is performed. Work is expected to be completed this week."

With flooding along the Iowa/Missouri border, travelers using I-29  have been affected by detours and alternate routes.  Currently a 32-mile stretch of I-29 is closed between exit 24 (near Bartlett, Iowa) and MM 110 (Rockport, Mo. / jct 136). The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is recommending that travelers detour to Des Moines, Iowa, via I-80 and I-35. This detour, the first of three listed below, is also the recommended truck route to help reduce traffic along alternate routes. The pros and cons associated with the three detours between Omaha, Neb./Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Kansas City, Mo., are noted below. ... Read More