Out of the Dust, Back into the Mud

The Iowa Department of Transportation in the 1930s touted the saying, 'Iowa- Out of the Mud' to attract drivers to roll through the state on fresh concrete roads. Prior to that time the image of a Model T slugging through axle deep mud was all too common a sight here in the tallcorn state. Today miles of gravel roads help tie rural Iowa with towns and cities. Its very common to see this sight (above) of a vehicle churning up rural roads and producing lingering plumes of fine partical dust. Overly abundant rains this year make this scene a rareity and may signal a return to mud conditions for some roads during this wet period.