After spending my usual Monday lolly gagging at the layover without internet or TV, I finally gathered enough motivation to get suited in my freshly cleaned uniform and head to the airport where I could begin another week long of Midwest airport hoping in cold and windy weather… or so I thought. Shortly after getting airborne from Omaha, as we were climbing through clouds, the ice condition light in the cockpit illuminated, indicating that the plane what getting coated with a sheet of ice. Icing is one of the most dangerous phenomenon for airplanes because not only it adds weight and therefore requires more power to maintain altitude or airspeed ; but most importantly, it can disrupt the air from flowing smoothly around the wings. Ultimately, if not properly dealt with, the airplane loses enough lift and stalls. To reduce the build ups on the most important parts of the airplane, our turboprop uses what we call deice boots. Basically, when turned on, they inflated thanks to extracted air from the engines and shatter the ice at regular intervals. Unfortunately, one of our boots malfunctioned, forcing us to make alternate plans once we got on the ground, at our first stop, in Cedar Rapids. Why can’t I be stuck in Honolulu ? … ok I don’t fly anywhere near Hawaii but can’t a guy dream ? Anyway, so after going back and forth between maintenance and dispatch, my captain and I are being told that we will be staying in town for a couple of days until the plane is ready to go. After realizing that we are in the business district where the opportunities to entertain myself are pretty limited, I went online to see if there was a museum in proximity but the major flood of 2008 did some important damages and they are supposedly still closed. I was left with streaming show online to do some catching up with some of my favorite shows, thanks to the very useful website Netflix. Luckily, this unscheduled vacation was not too long and within 36 hours, we were on our way to Cincinnati for a quick turn before heading back to Nebraska early morning. During my time in Iowa, I did learn two interesting things. The city is nicknamed “the city of five seasons” because of the changing seasons in the Midwestern landscape where supposedly taking the time to appreciate everyday beauty extends life which is almost like an extra season is added to every year. Well I will say that for having been in Iowa at different time of the year, it always seems to be cold and windy, so I think it would make more sense calling it the city of one season. The other thing I have learned by the local them self, is definitely more in line with reality. Because of all the factories surrounding the city, there is a constant smell of grain and processed food lingering above the area like smog above Los Angeles. After decades of such wide range of interesting but sometime unpleasant smells, they nicknamed their town, the city of five smells.