JHA Conference 2023
Day 1
Into Illinois
Day 2
Sociability Rendezvous
Day 3
Mason City, We Are Here
Day 4
Bus to the North
Day 5
Seminar Day
Day 6
Conference Wrap
Day 7
Home I Am
June 11, 2023 (day 7)
The day started with a whole new breakfast experience and ended with a
familiar (and fondly remembered) brewery experience -- and getting home.
June 10, 2023 (day 6)
The conference ended with flags flying and I, after a couple of stops in
Mason City, set off for home.
June 9, 2023 (day 5)
There was no travel today as we hung out in the Park Inn Ballroom for
a day of presentations then returned there for the awards banquet. I did
manage to slip in a pre-banquet dessert however.
June 8, 2023 (day 4)
Today was bus tour day and we got as far north as Owatonna, MN. Other
stops included Northwood, IA, and Albert Lea, MN.
June 7, 2023 (day 3)
The caravan's last day included a couple of museums, a couple of mayors,
a theater, ice cream, and a ballroom. Day's end saw us switch from caravan
mode to conference mode.
June 6, 2023 (day 2)
Almost all of our driving was on the expressway which led us to the
Largest Truckstop in the World but we also found the (possibly) largest
gathering of Sting Rays in the world and the (undoubtedly) best chocolate
& peanut butter milk shake in the world. In addition to all that, we
stopped at American Pickers, crossed a swinging bridge, ate popcorn, and
connected with the Jefferson Highway 2023 Iowa Sociability Caravan.
June 5, 2023 (day 1)
This trip journal is starting when I am already on the road between two
conferences. I've split the trips between the two days of travel that
involved neither conference. Today had many windmills, one big guitar, and
lots of traffic. Plans to join the JHA Sociability Run for its final day
caused a move to interstates.
Prelude - September 28, 2022
This is one of two trips added to the "Fixed Leads" at the same
time. Actually, for a short while, the two conferences were scheduled to
occur at the same time. Thankfully, organizers for the other event, the
Society for Commercial Archeology conference, became aware of the conflict
shortly after their initial announcement and were able to reschedule.
The dates for the 2023 Jefferson Highway Association conference were nailed down more than a year ago. The location was nailed down long before that. The 2020 conference was to take place in Mason City, Iowa, on June 3-6 but COVID-19 caused it to be called off and rescheduled for June 2-5, 2021. When that also fell to COVID-19, simply sliding it another year was not feasible since the 2022 conference was already set for Pittsburg, KS. So, after a three year delay, Mason City will host the JHA conference on June 7-10, 2023. Talk about anticipation.