"Rock Star" road tripper checking in! Self-proclaimed anyway! Road trips and visits to all 50 states are my game. Find your next road trip destinations here. Fill your bucket list with fantastic US journeys. I love road trips and spare no effort in making my travels and experiences inviting for members of the road-tripping family! Pick a trip you want to take, or get inspired to plan your own. - - The Driveby Tourist (or call me Stan!)
Future Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk
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On the way home from my week in Chicagoland and Route 66, I couldn't resist seeing this place. It's in Riverside, Iowa, near Iowa City. The TV series and Star Trek books stated that Captain Kirk was born in Iowa. In 1985, a city councilman suggested that someone contact Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the original Star Trek series. Since no Iowa city was mentioned, Roddenberry gave his approval. In a later movie, Riverside received recognition as the birthplace. A plaque erected attests to that recognition. As a direct result, Riverside now hosts the Voyage Home Museum and an annual Trekfest event on the last weekend in June. If you are near Iowa or a dedicated Trekkie, you might want to join the festivities! While attending the Midwest Travel Network Conference earlier in the week, I found that a presenter, along with her husband, owned an ice cream place in Mason City, Iowa. I decided I'd stop for some ice cream since I'd be traveling directly through the city! The ice cream sundae was "to die for," and the tour and conversation were even better! If you are interested, I had Praline Pecan, Strawberry, and Chocolate Chip ice cream topped with hot fudge and caramel sauce. And pecans on top of that! Again, if you find yourself near Mason City, be sure to stop at Birdsalls for the world's best ice cream! They make it all by hand with a recipe handed down from the founders back in 1931! Until next time.... Stan |
Stan Wiebe
"Rock Star" road tripper checking in! Self-proclaimed anyway! Road trips and visits to all 50 states are my game. Find your next road trip destinations here. Fill your bucket list with fantastic US journeys. I love road trips and spare no effort in making my travels and experiences inviting for members of the road-tripping family! Pick a trip you want to take, or get inspired to plan your own. - - The Driveby Tourist (or call me Stan!)
Sorry, I didn't include that the Great American State Fair is on the National Mall in Washington, DC. I hope it doesn't get "political," but since it's Washington, it probably will (or already is). But it's a good place to celebrate the 250th anniversary. If you are old enough to remember the Bicentennial in 1976, you'll likely remember it receiving much more publicity and celebration. I make a supreme effort to keep politics out of The Driveby Tourist. It's about visiting America, one road...
I’m sure you’ve heard about visiting all fifty states here! Approximately 1.3% of Americans have visited all fifty. I visited my fiftieth state for the first time around in 1987. Amazingly, it was New York state. So far, not a big deal. However, in 2014, I decided I “needed” to visit all 50 again! And I completed that in January 2023, upon visiting Hawaii. Now, I’m up to 30 the third time around. So, when the All Fifty Club asked for volunteers at their booth at the Great American State Fair,...
I did another section of Route 66 on my recent trip - from Pontiac to Carlinville. I'll have more about the trip in a blog post later. I dropped in again at the Route 66 Hall of Fame in Pontiac and then visited more places along the way. One of them is the Museum of the Giants in Atlanta, IL. It has a collection of giant Muffler Men and other characters, placed there because of their proximity to the Bunyan Giant across the street. More later. Route 66 is full of fun stops. Here's the link to...