Modern Rest Area

We are in our last day of motoring through Iowa. We do not move quickly because we are pulling a trailer that limits our speed. By this time we are tired of driving and have been taking two-hour shifts.

At one point I see a sign indicating that a "Modern Rest Area" was some 30 miles away. Of course rest area signs are common along interstate highways, but the "modern" was unusual. We are from Iowa. We spent eight years at Iowa State University near the location of the rest area getting our degrees and we began considering just what amenities might be available at a modern rest area that were unique. Flush toilets would be nice, but these have become quite common. Many rest areas have converted from paper towels to those air hand dryers. Most do not work very well. Perhaps modern technology has improved the hand dryer and Iowa has been allowed to be first to roll them out.

Eventually, we arrive and what we found was unique. The rest stop might be described as the Iowa State rest stop along I-35. The rest stop had a decorating theme based on digital computing. The walls had a pattern reminiscent of punch cards. Technology words - memory, digital - were embedded in the walls. The rest stop recognized the role of ISU and John Anatasoff as creators of the first digital computer (labeled as the Anatasoff-Berry computer). I have read many books on the history of digital computing and understand that creator is a unique label that many might contest. Still, as an ISU alum, I am glad I visited the modern rest area.