Since Bob Shelter Campground was close to Ames, Iowa we decided to make a road trip to the north and check out Iowa State University. Iowa State University actively recruited our daughter Katie to play ccollegiate softball there so we wanted to visit the campus. Katie was not interested in playing for Iowa State University simply because it was too dang cold in the winter but that wouldn’t stop us from wanting to see the campus especially after reading how pretty it is.
Before walking the central campus we saw the football stadium so we pulled into the parking lot and checked out the stadium. It is not a gigantic stadium but we sure could tell there is great pride in their athletics by seeing all the banners supporting the student athletes. We even found a statue of the mascot which is known locally as Cy the Cardinal. I always found it curious as to why the school’s teams are called the cyclones yet their mascot is a cardinal. The story suggests a cardinal was selected from the cardinal and gold of the official school colors… Well I guess that is answer enough.
After checking out the athletic facilities we parked amongst a sea of cars there for freshmen orientation. We started walking the campus and before long we found the central part of the campus which definitely lived up to the hype about Iowa State being one of the most scenic campuses in the USA.
The campus has a ton of greenspace much of it fashioned as gardens so the feeling was as if we were visiting an arboretum or a botanic garden. Blended into the garden are the campuses buildings many of which are architecturally interesting all by themselves. We also noticed several museums scattered throughout campus and most of them are free (suggested $3 donation). We planned to visit a few but ran out of time because we so enjoyed walking around the campus.
The campus is extremely beautiful and even has more green space than my alma mater, Texas A&M University which I thought couldn't be beat. It ranks right up there with the beauty of the campus at Duke University in Raleigh North Carolina. Even after all that eye candy and all those steps we drove into the old downtown area for a short stroll before ending the day at the Olde Main Brewing Company where we scored a great happy hour that included $5 pitchers of their craft beers! it was a great way to end another fun day our Road of Retirement…
NOTE: We left the COE park yesterday and drove east to Amana Colonies RV Park in Amana, Iowa where we will stay two nights.
Ever see a mascot look like a cyclone? Never could quite understand why college team nicknames were the way they were. Stanford Cardinal, but not the bird. Hope you are avoiding all the nasty weather in the great Midwest. Maybe that's the real reason you've avoided the heartland for so long.
ReplyDeleteWe have been following your trail closely. When we leave in the spring, we hope to go through those areas on our way out to Colorado. Adding many of your stops and campgrounds to our list. Keep up the good work.
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