July 26th – 27th – Grinnell, Iowa

It was blissfully cool and rainy! Woo-hoo! I think the high on the 26th was down around 67 F – room temperature. The rain was a welcome relief too, after days in the desert and then into the rain-starved prairies. We stopped for lunch at a cute diner in a small town, where Toby and I stood out like sore thumbs. The food was good and filling though, and people were friendly.

Then we arrived into Grinnell, the town of Toby’s alma mater, and went straight towards the college. It’s a beautiful campus, full of old buildings and green spaces and many trees. Toby showed me the science buildings and residences where he’d lived. Much had changed in the last 8 years since he graduated; buildings had been added, knocked down, or renovated. Still, it was great to get a feeling for the place!

In town, we found a café with coffee, tea and snacks, and rested for a while. Got a motel for the night, and went out for a memorable steak meal! Rube’s even has internet ordering capabilities now! There is no menu; instead, visitors get a tour of the meat fridge, choose a cut, and grill it on the gigantic brickette-fired BBQ! Potatoes, Texas toast, and a salad bar are included. What a fun place! I had a small (8oz) filet mignon, while Toby had a 20oz rib eye.



The following morning, we headed back to campus, where Toby was able to meet up with one of his mentors, Luther. We sat in Luther’s office/lab and had a lovely chat. Having to get to Chicago that afternoon, we had to leave Grinnell before lunch, and drove eastward into Illinois.