Iowa was the last state before crossing the mighty Mississippi. It would be a landmark event to actually cross over that river and be on the eastern side of the continent. We enjoyed Iowa for its rolling hills. The leading misconception is that Iowa is a flat Midwestern state. It is not flat. Most of the hills were created from the old glaciers that moved south from the northern great lakes over that land eons ago. So going north and south you will have very little hills but moving east and west you get the gentle rolling hills covered in corn. Iowa also has an infinite network of roads that are easy to enjoy on a bike since you can pick and choose your route as you go.