Tamu and I resumed our Iowa travels in Burlington, a charming town on the Mississippi River that we had wanted to see in our first year, but never quite made it. Once we got there, I was glad we had not rushed to see it as it merited a real look around.
We started off at the visitor’s center on the Mississippi, where the staff was very generous and was even willing to welcome Tamu inside. The summer had turned especially hot and humid, so I was glad to have a place in the shade to sit and plan our visit while Tamu had some water. Despite the heat, he needed a walk, so we headed to Burlington’s most unique landmark, Snake Alley. Built 
with switch backs in the 1890s to haul things from the lower part of the city to the higher part, it is known as the crookedest street in the world, although this title is contested by Lombard Street in San Francisco. As luck would have it, Tamu and I approached it from the bottom, so we had the uphill climb to make on this hot day. We toughed it out to the top, and were rewarded with the shady streets of the North Hill District, an area where a lot of Victorian and Italianate homes have been restored. We made our way to the North Hill Park, where Tamu was garnered new friends and attention, which he lapped up because 
instead of water. We pressed on to Mosquito Park because, on the map, it looked like the start of the town’s river walk. The park itself provides a lovely overlook of the Mississippi, but is elevated above the river, with no way to access the river walk directly. Thankfully, it had a drinking fountain for dogs, but Tamu would not drink. He never likes to drink when he is panting from a hot walk, so I lingered at the park for 
a bit in the hope he would take advantage of it. Eventually, I headed back toward the visitor’s center, hoping he would not overheat before we got to its shade. We never took a walk along the river, as the heat was pretty oppressive and we both wanted the air conditioning after the hiking around Burlington.
We were making our way to Kansas in 2016, so I decided to head out on State Route 34 west from Burlington, and see what we discovered based on the state tourism website and historic markers along the road. Our next stop was Mt. Pleasant, a 
charming town with a central park and huge fountain. Tamu headed straight to it like it was his personal drinking bowl and finally quenched his thirst. We were not yet hungry enough to find a local place to eat, and while there were wineries, I still had a lot of driving to do after walking on a very hot day, so we pressed on along Route 34 hoping to reach Ottumwa before dark.
We arrived next in Fairfield, which also had a lovely central park and charming downtown, only theirs 
had a gazebo in the center. There is a Maharishi Vedic Center near the town, but we were not able to visit it that day. Instead, we walked around the town green asking for local advice on food and, if possible, ice cream. The green also has a statue commemorating the first Iowa pioneer born in the county, William Coop, 
along with a friend; Tamu photobombed them.
After a hotdog and ice cream, we pressed on to Ottumwa. If the name is familiar to outsiders, it is because it was the hometown of Radar O’Reilly, the company clerk on M*A*S*H. I grew up on this television show, not only because it was ubiquitous in the 1970’s, but because one of its characters was from my hometown of Toledo, Ohio. I would not be surprised if it can be found somewhere on cable in non-stop reruns even now. I would also bet I know the plot and dialogue of whatever episode happens to be playing. Because the characters were in a war zone, they often reminisced about the lives they left behind at home. The show famously featured a sign post with mile markings to these various American towns as part of the camp scenery. So Ottumwa, home of the innocent and essential company clerk, seemed like a necessary stop once I discovered it was along the route to Kansas.
It turned out to be much bigger than expected, and I had to find my way to its center, a pleasant large 
square bordered by the library, county offices, Catholic church, and war memorial. The county courthouse is topped by a distinctive statue of a Native American, presumably an Ottumwa. As it turns out, I missed my chance to eat at the Canteen Lunch in the Alley, so I will have a reason to 
head back to this part of Iowa.
From this point, we headed for the interstate and Kansas for a week.