I kinda sorta not really conquered my fear of heights...

I absolutely, positively loved the trip to the Iowa State Capitol! It's probably the historian in me combined with my love for the state of Iowa. I haven't gotten to read everyone's post on the capitol yet but I noticed Cody mentioned he thought it was good to have a guide to explain things and I totally agree, some of what she said confirmed information I already knew while other tidbits I learned for the first time. The way some people feel about going backstage for a concert or to meet someone famous is how I felt sitting in the Supreme Court Room or walking into the Governor's office. It was a great experience! There is really no point in listing all the rooms I enjoyed walking through because I enjoyed every single part. (Oh and a quick side note in reference to the title: I made it to the top but I was still shaking from being scared when we ended the visit haha!)

The theme or, message I took away from the guided tour was that the state government (and probably the state as a whole) feels it is important to preserve what the capitol was like originally. I agree with this restoration project not only because it brings out and promotes the beautiful and detailed work that the builders provided but it also shows how dedicated the state of Iowa was to showing the rest of the country that its people were proud and strong. I say this because I'm sure not too many people would think of Iowa as having one of, if not thee most outstanding capitols in the country. Nor do some people think much about the state in general. Just as Iowa tries to show in the current time and atmosphere that it is not in fact, a backwards state, so did the planners of the capitol by combining using Iowa materials (to show that the land, in various ways was able to provide resources), innovative minds of the Iowans and new technology to create a masterpiece. -Kaitlin D