<p>I-80 enters Iowa at the Quad Cities. Timing your trip just right, you may be able to take in part of the John Deere Classic Golf Tournament [Spectator</a> Info](<a href=“http://www.johndeereclassic.com/spectator.php]Spectator”>http://www.johndeereclassic.com/spectator.php) or at least visit the nifty John Deere museum [John</a> Deere Attractions - Welcome to the Pavilion!](<a href=“John Deere US | Products & Services Information”>Pavilion | John Deere Attraction in Moline, Illinois | John Deere US) The Quad Cities also hosts three casinos. I don’t know if any of them still have gambling boats, or if all of them are on shore now. For more information about this area, see [Quad</a> Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau](<a href=“http://www.visitquadcities.com/]Quad”>http://www.visitquadcities.com/)</p>
<p>The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site is in West Branch Iowa. This is just East of Iowa City on I-80, Exit 254.</p>
<p>There should be county fairs along your route in Iowa, so I suggest googling the counties you will pass through. You may like to stop and check out the prize winning animals, or you may just want to know where the fairs are so you know which towns will have all their hotels sold out.</p>
<p>My general advice is to stop at the “Welcome Center” as soon as you hit each new state. In addition to pamphlets advertising every imaginable point of interest in the area, if you arrive while the center has human staff you can learn important things like whether there really will be hotel rooms available tonight where you’d like to stop, and where the locals eat and shop. These also are good places to pick up free maps printed by that state’s department of transportation that have a lot more detail than that Rand McNally Atlas and AAA maps you have been using so far.</p>
<p>Some of the following advice you probably already know, but I’ll include it anyway for other readers who find this thread:</p>
<p>At the first National Park/Memorial/Monument/Historic Site, etc. that you visit that charges admission, buy an annual National Parks Pass instead of paying the one day fee. You may still have to pay for parking at individual locations, but this pass will get you (and three more adults in your vehicle) into all of the National Parks, National Forests, etc. for the next 12 months. This is a really good deal for families, and it should be a good deal for two people traveling together although I think only one name can be on the card if you aren’t married.
[National</a> Park Service - Experience Your America](<a href=“http://www.nps.gov/]National”>http://www.nps.gov/)
[US</a> Forest Service - Caring for the land and serving people.](<a href=“http://www.fs.fed.us/]US”>http://www.fs.fed.us/)</p>
<p>At the first National Park/Memorial/Monument/Historic Site, etc. check in the ranger station book and gift shop to find out if there is an “X Park/Memorial, etc. Foundation” that you can join. Membership will get you discounts at all of the Foundation shops at that park, and their peer shops in the rest of the parks you visit. Cost of membership varies by the location. Last year I paid about $25 at Sequoia/King’s Canyon NP, and the discounts on the purchases we made there and in the other parks along our route more than paid back that membership fee. Don’t confuse the book and gift shops managed by the various Parks Foundations, and the shops in the parks managed by a contractor. Larger parks will have both kinds, often next door to each other. </p>
<p>If you want to stay in the National Parks, keep checking the on-line reservation system, or try them a day or two later by telephone. People do cancel and rooms suddenly become available. If you are campers, look for campgrounds in the National Forests and in State and County parks. These are usually cheaper and easier to get spaces in than in the National Parks.</p>
<p>When you take the car for its pre-trip tune-up, ask the garage for recommendations for places along your route. During our Big Trip West four years ago, our Honda Accord visited one Honda dealership in Madison, WI for an oil change, and another in Albuquerque, NM for routine X thousand mile maintenance. Fortunately, no major work was called for at that routine maintenance check. If it had, I had reasonable confidence that the mechanics knew what they were doing.</p>
<p>Things we saw on our Big Trip West that you might like:</p>
<p>The WWII U-Boat at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago
[Museum</a> of Science and Industry | What’s Here | Exhibits | U-505](<a href=“http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/u-505/]Museum”>U-505 Submarine - Museum of Science and Industry)</p>
<p>The rest area on I-90 near exit 265 in South Dakota with a view over the Missouri River and an exhibit about the Lewis and Clark Expedition.</p>
<p>Just off I-90 in Western South Dakota, we visited an outdoor exhibit of absolutely GIGANTIC metal sculptures, and had a chat with the artist himself. There was an immense bull’s head that you could see in a field off to the left (South) of the interstate with just enough time to pull off at the exit onto the county road that led to the exhibit. Happykid had found a flyer about it at the rest area mentioned above.</p>
<p>North Rim of the Grand Canyon - fires had scared away a bunch of tourists, and we got a last minute cabin right near the rim. The drive in through the Kaibab National Forest from the town of Jacob Lake takes about an hour, so staying inside the park is definitely worth it.</p>
<p>Have a fun trip!</p>