I lasted longer than that. Actually in the mid-80's I made it most of the Iowa games. The people sitting around me would be shocked when I showed up in ISU colors for one game every other year. Around 1989, when I finally realized it was quicker to get to Ames than it was to get to a game at Kinnick from Cedar Rapids, my unbroken string of attending ISU home games began. Back in those days there was more room around Kinnick, but there were fewer roads leading in and it was frustrating seeing people walk faster than your car. After the games trying to get downtown was just as bad depending on where you parked. Unless you parked downtown in the first place.
So for more than 25-30 years I attended the ISU games in Iowa City and I had very little problems except when we started winning. A few Hawkeye fans were walking behind us as we walked back to my car and they were doing and saying about anything to try to try to provoke me. It was a bit scary but we just ignored them and kept walking. I didn't think the girlfriend could protect me.
What stopped me from going to games in Iowa City about 10 or 15 years ago was the parking situation kept getting worse. For a period of time I would park in the lot at the top of "the hill". I could always get one of the corner spots because I arrived at sunrise, just like I did in Ames. Then the hospital expansion pushed students into that paved lot, so I was forced to the hill. I liked that spot because you could take the highway 1 exit and approach the hill from the south with little traffic. Leaving that direction wasn't bad either.
Then they closed the hill. That was about it for me. I was done going to games in Iowa City, but the next time we went with the GF's Hawkeye sister and brother-in-law. He had spot in the church lot off of Melrose. It was a nightmare getting there. Early game and they didn't open the lots early enough so everybody had to converge at once. I was convinced that was my last time. Not worth the trouble.
Except two years later I won tickets at a Friday night party. I thought I would park out west and take the train, but it didn't start running early enough for my tailgating schedule. Ended up parking by the Vine and lugged my beer up to the lot next to the stadium to tailgate with friends. On the walk I met Chuck Grassley and we walked and talked volleyball. He wouldn't accept any of my ISU colors, claiming he's a Panther. This would be the last game I would ever attend in Iowa City. It will be an unusual circumstance for me to ever return.