[Oe List ...] Fwd: GMCA Aug 13-14

[David Zahrt via OE]

*WED AUG 13*  *Des Moines to Mitchellville, IA*



I inquired about bike trails and was able to find one. I had to ride around
the south end of the Fairgrounds where the State Fair was still going so
the traffic was bumper to bumper. I finally got to the trail and took it to
Altoona. It was so nice to be on a trail—shade, no traffic, and gradual
inclines. At Altoona I got on Hwy 6: it should be called Old Hwy 6 because
it’s an old highway! On the way I saw as number of cattle yards. I was
reminded of the times I managed a herd of cattle. I kept them where I
wanted them, and moved them from one place to another opening and closing
gates. They had been trained to be obedient to my commands.



That reminded me of the woman on the March that wants to treat the marchers
like a herd of cattle. Mitchellville has a Woman’s Correctional
Institution. I wondered if the woman who’s treating the March like a herd
of cattle should be placed in the Correctional Institution. I rode into
Mitchellville and discovered that I had ridden 2 miles past the Daniel
Mitchell Park where we were to camp at night. So I rode 2 miles back to
camp. There were meetings scheduled but the Marchers were late, so they
didn’t happen. JJ and I went back to the library in Mitchellville. We
stayed and didn’t look at our watches. We left for camp wondering if we’d
missed dinner. We were late but there was still something to eat. There was
no evening meeting. I put my sleeping bag/mat out under a tarp. The tarp
collected dew and my sleeping bag was very damp in the morning. I won't do
that again unless the tarp is waterproof.


*THUR AUG 14*  *Mitchellville Park to Newton, IA*



 I left as soon as the Circle-up was done. I have forgotten that Iowa has
such rolling terrain: up and down hills on old Hwy 6. They’ve re-named this
section F48. Colorado and Nebraska had shoulder (bike lanes) 5-7 ft wide. I
don’t understand why Iowa has such poor bike lanes. Sometimes they’re
non-existent. The best ones are 2 ft wide. If they are 3 ft wide they have
washboard-like grooves that leave a little more than a foot for the bike to
ride on. I went to the 1st Presbyterian Church. Right across the street was
the United Presbyterian Church: both giant buildings! There was a potluck
and a series of presentations. One of the presenters was a Dan Kelley, a
state legislator who knows Ed, and he sited all of the work Iowa has been
doing to create investments in and employment for renewable energy. When
the presentations were finished we were introduced to the families that
were hosting us overnight in home-stays.


Carl and Barb Zacheis hosted 5 of us; Ed, his son plus a dog, Kelsey,
Juliana, Zach S., and me. Kelsey is among those who have filed *Our
Children’s Trust *lawsuit against the State of Oregon. She was recently
informed that she will be on Bill Moyers’ show.  On arrival I immediately
took a bath in the tub. Then I went downstairs to the lounge where the rest
were gathered. We didn’t talk for long because the plan was to return to
the church at 7am. That meant getting up, packing, loading, and returning
to the church by 7am. We went to bed and kept the morning schedule.
-- 
Peace, David
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