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Iowa
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If you like corn, you're in the right place...
'''Iowa''' has great rest stops, with coffee machines and free wireless internet.
An interesting way to get across Iowa is to ''actually get caught'' by the county's local sheriff department. I have heard stories from hitchhikers and sheriffs alike who will pick up a hitchhiker and drop them off at the county border in the direction that they are heading. Then the next sheriff will pick them up and drive them off. This is really useful in small counties (which are numerous in Iowa) without much traffic to bounce across the state without much work. I would avoid trying this in counties with larger cities as the sheriff department will have bigger problems that will be more important than a hitchhiker that they will have to attend to. Always give them your story as they love to trade stories about this stuff when they get back to the station for the night or home to their families.
It's legal to walk on the highway in Iowa. And you can deposit cans in Iowa, I recommend stopping at a Fareway to do so as they're usually the most lenient on their redemption policy. They also have the cheapest food at their grocery store, and great produce. The people in Iowa are usually really friendly, and the older folk are surprisingly liberal. The age group that I would try to avoid the most is the early thirties to late forties as they're usually the least accepting and usually are more hostile towards those different than themselves.
In fact, go to either of the main grocery stores in basically ever town, Hy-Vee and Fareway, and talk to the kids working there. You should be able to learn a lot about the town, best places to hitch a ride, where you can either find a couch or sleep. There is a lot of forests in Iowa where you can sleep. NEVER sleep in a ditch as stuff will probably get dumped there, sometimes drug paraphernalia. It may be tempting to sleep in a corn field during the summer but it is highly not recommended. There are animals and spider that live in there and you don't know if the farmer will be working in the field at night at all.
== Cities ==
* [[Des Moines]], the state capitol. Try to stay in West Des Moines, as most of east Des Moines is filled with thugs and becomes VERY dangerous at night.