First off, Grinnell's an egghead school of impeccable academic standing.
Lived there for 5 years. It's a GREAT place to raise a family. The winters can be rough. The catalyst for me moving back to Alabama was a February that never got above zero degrees.
It is a very long winter in the upper mid-west particularly when the wind chill is nearly 60 below. It looks pretty desolate. I have traveled pretty much throughout Iowa over the years. In the 80's we traveled over to Kinnick Stadium to see Penn State handle a pretty good Iowa team. Several things I remember...Penn State separating Iowa running backs from the football, The Iowa golden girl got my attention on the sideline, the mid-western weather that day was incredible, the clouds hung like large puffy cotton balls in a perfect sky, Alabama lost to MSU and the score, when announced, received a big round of applause from the stands.
Yeah, but U. of Chi-Town had Jay Berwanger's Heisman House absenteeism to overcome! Thus the DIII stockpiling.
And if you are into pheasant hunting (and ducks on the potholes first and on the grill later), Iowa's a good drive-through state en route to North Dakota and the 'Bama Lite Bison, as well as...the Roger Maris Museum at the West Acres Mall in Fargo!
