The Ole' Miss at the Illinois/Iowa Border

As a University of Iowa alumnus, I've driven over the Mississippi River at the Illinois/Iowa border countless times — and it's one of my favorite locales on an otherwise flat, non-scenic trip.

Last week, we made the trip out to Iowa City for — what else? — an Iowa Hawkeyes football game, and I stopped across the border to snap a few photos of the Ole' Miss.  It was quite humid and hazy, so forgive the hazy quality of some of these photos below.

At the Iowa game, we also took a ride on the "Hawkeye Express" train from the parking lot on the outskirts of Iowa City to Kinnick Stadium.  There is some Illinois history here:

The special Hawkeye train is comprised of six Pullman Standard bi-level commuter cars originally used in Chicago's Metra Rail service primarily between downtown Chicago and the northern suburbs on the former Chicago and North Western lines.  

Enjoy...

VIDEO: 7,000-Year-Old Village Discovered in the Heart of Des Moines, IA

This video doesn't highlight any Illinois history — but it's from my alma mater (Go Hawkeyes!) and shows firsthand how history is still being discovered right under our feet here in the Midwest. In addition to spending four years at the University of Iowa, I also spent quite a bit of time in Des Moines while working on a U.S. Senate campaign. As such, I found this video to be so fascinating: discovering a 7,000-year-old village right in the heart of Des Moines. Enjoy...