Dear 31,

Today felt like a blur down Dean Avenue.

I drove in this morning to a perfect sky and some people power washing cattle. I drove to and from the fair 3 times today, but thanks to the constant flow of train traffic on the glorious eastside, it felt like a good 2.15 hours of drive time. Today was hoppin' day at the Iowa State Fair grounds. And we hit halftime.

6/11 : Mid-way, not Midway

• At 2:30pm, the street in front of the grandstand was flooded with people crowded around outhouses on wheels. (Seriously.) A quick run through of the rules led to lots of whispered questions in the crowd that gathered. ("What the hell is going on here?" and "Move over Walt, I want to stand on that bench." and "I remember when I ran with a bathroom on wheels." or "No seriously, what are they doing out there?") I snuggled up to the tank-topped front row to figure out just how this outhouse race works. And I still don't really get it, but it was pretty funny to watch between the camo-hat guy and the blonde gals. Please note that in the video below, I can't explain what's on that woman's leg. 

• Did you know the Varied Industries building had an upstairs? (Sorry ribbon winner Erica, I didn't know such cool needled, knitted and hand-sewn crafts were up there!) There are also some super clean bathrooms tucked behind the beautifully crafted quilts and fancy macrame. (State Fair Tip Alert!)
• The lamb stand is my new favorite place. Not just because it's hilariously, or irreverently, positioned in front of the Sheep Barn, but also because the food is totally great. And it's a haul from the Fun Forest, so I feel like I'm burning the calories of the lamb walking taco as I am weaving my way across the grounds from the sheep barn to the back of the Ag building. 

• The Avenue of Breeds is like a one stop fair shop of livestock. I snapped pictures of a baby elk, learned there's such a thing as a baby doll sheep and stood ten feet from the chickens. The only animals with a sign that says "for your safety keep the hands out of the cage" is in front of the birds, not the giant red highland with horns or even the frisky horse that kept poking his head in his neighbor's crate. Beware of the Silver Laced Wyandotte, bro.

Day Six is in the books. Midway through this epic fair adventure. 

xo-LP