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Now on Zazzle!

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A quick post to let you know that you can now buy products featuring photos taken for randomiowa.com on Zazzle! All proceeds will be reinvested into the site. Currently available are several products featuring a snowy view of Des Moines with more to come! buy unique gifts at Zazzle

August 16th - Nevada, Iowa

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While summer may now be officially over (especially weather-wise) we still have one more installment in our series documenting some of the cities along U.S. Route 30 in Iowa. Our last destination is Nevada, Iowa ! Like its central Iowa counterpart Madrid, which we also visited back in March , the pronunciation of Nevada is different from that of the well-known Western U.S. state . The county seat of Story County with almost 6,700 residents, Nevada proudly identifies itself as the "26th best small town in America"! 9 shots were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, with two added to the updated article on Wikipedia. Here are a couple of my favorites: Links Nevada, Iowa pictures on Wikimedia Commons Updated Nevada, Iowa article on Wikipedia City of Nevada official website

August 2nd - Brooklyn, Iowa

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After indicating back in May that this city was on our list, we finally made it last month to Brooklyn, Iowa! Fortunately on the day of our visit it was very windy, which helped show off this "Community of Flags" . In addition to the central display of flags from all 50 states there are also flags from other nations throughout the downtown area. I discovered two (of I am sure many) interesting stories about Brooklyn while researching for this post. Firstly, that the community (again, of about 1,400) raised $52,000 in one month to save the William Manatt house, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Secondly,, that the editor of The Brooklyn Paper spent a week in the city covering the Iowa Presidential caucuses . 9 shots were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, with two added to the updated article on Wikipedia. Here are a couple of my favorites: Links Brooklyn, Iowa pictures on Wikimedia Commons Updated Brooklyn, Iowa article on Wikipedia "Frie

July 12th - Lowden, Iowa

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Has it really been this long since we've posted? Where did the summer go? Apologies to our loyal readers! The fourth stop on our U.S. Route 30 tour was the city of Lowden, Iowa! Incorporated in 1869 and yet another city of around 800 residents, Lowden showed evidence of a prosperous past and present with an impressive & well kept City Hall (built in 1902), a restored train depot, and even a disc golf course! 4 shots were uploaded to Wikmedia Commons, with two added to the updated article on Wikipedia. Here are a couple of my favorites: Links Lowden, Iowa pictures on Wikimedia Commons Updated Lowden, Iowa article on Wikipedia

Now on Facebook!

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Just a quick note that in addition to following us on Twitter you can now become a fan of this site on Facebook! You can either search for us from within Facebook or click on the link in the left hand menu. As always, we would love to hear your feedback and suggestions for future destinations. No matter which method you use, thanks for following our travels! Commons / Steven Walling

July 12th - Wheatland, Iowa

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The third stop on our trip along U.S. Route 30 was Wheatland, Iowa! Another smaller city (800 inhabitants as of 2000), it was certainly not quiet the evening we arrived, including an ice cream parlor off downtown that was particularly popular. Wheatland is also home to an old city hotel which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Unfortunately it currently appears to be in a state of disrepair, but certainly made for some interesting photos! 5 shots were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, with one added to the updated article on Wikipedia (one other photograph was already present). Here are a couple of my favorites: And here are a couple of the more artistic shots taken of the Wheatland City Hotel Links Wheatland, Iowa pictures on Wikimedia Commons Updated Wheatland, Iowa article on Wikipedia

July 12th - Calamus, Iowa

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Our second stop along U.S. Route 30 was the city of Calamus, Iowa! With a population of around 400 (as of 2000), we were unfortunate to arrive just after the end of their weekend summer festival! 5 shots were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, with two added to the updated article on WIkipedia. Here are a couple of my favorites: Links Calamus, Iowa pictures on Wikimedia Commons Updated Calamus, Iowa article on Wikipedia