It's an hour before Barack Obama will speak in Des Moines, Iowa, and two friends, home from college for winter break, plan to be there. They could have spent their break lounging, skiing, or vacationing at the beach, but Allison Seger, a sophomore English major at Carnegie Mellon, and her high school friend, Abbie Locke, choose instead to make the 120-mile trek from Omaha, Neb., to Des Moines. Their goal--to see as many political speeches as possible before the first 2008 presidential caucuses.

But as they near shining structures beyond Iowa's cornfields, the young women realize that the skyline isn't Des Moines, but Sioux City--about three hours northwest. Seger isn't exactly sure how they got lost, but she doesn't rule out that perhaps it's because Iowa's terrain has a vast sameness to it; 97,000 farms contribute to the highest state ratio of agricultural to urban land in the country. Eventually they find their way, though not in time for Obama's speech. But there will be another chance as Iowa is littered with politicians; eight Democratic and 12 Republican candidates all vying for votes in the state's 1,784 precincts.

Seger (right) isn't exactly sure how they got lost but during their six-day political road trip, Seger and Locke hear Barack Obama speak, as well as Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Bill Richardson, and others.

During their six-day political road trip, Seger and Locke do hear Obama speak, as well as Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, John McCain, Bill Richardson, and others. Seger says the excitement of in-person speeches far outweighs television coverage. Being there allows voters to see the differing approaches. For instance, Clinton and Obama speak for close to an hour, Seger says, leaving just minutes for questions. On the other hand, McCain presents less but takes more time fielding questions. In fact, during McCain's town-hall meeting, Seger has a chance to ask him about his environmental policy. "His answer was surprisingly"--she pauses to be politically correct--"extensive."

As candidates schmooze for votes, the friends since high school drive from county to county in Seger's 1992 Ford Taurus they call Boris (rhymes with Taurus), staying with friends and relatives along the way. Their version of Thelma & Louise ends not long before their college semesters resume--Seger at Carnegie Mellon, Locke at Creighton University.

Back on campus, Seger says that Iowa made more of an impression on her than she ever imagined. With the candidates' rousing speeches, poise under pressure, and gritty determination still fresh in her mind, she becomes a political science major, too. "I hadn't really considered poli-sci at all before the trip," she says, and then poetically explains, "Sometimes, it's good to get lost." --Matt Stroud