The Hawkeye State is sometimes referred to as “flyover country,” the middle part of the United States travelers pass over on their way to and from the coasts. Others speed across on freeways. But Iowa is well worth driving the backroads, particularly in summer when vibrant green, perfectly manicured fields of corn and soybeans blanket hills across the state. Add covered bridges, historic main streets and majestic views of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and you’ve got several quintessential All-American road trips. One route we won’t cover in this article is the Lincoln Highway, the nation’s first cross country road for automobiles. Established in 1913, it ran from New York to San Francisco. We’ll include Iowa’s segment in a future article profiling the entire Lincoln Highway.