*THU AUG 07*—*Bridgewater to Greenfield, IA* It was foggy and misty. As soon as the circle-up was done I left for Greenfield. I think I rode the road on RAGBRAI one year (2009?). I remember I stayed at The Brass Lantern B&B that ride and that Marty & Terry Moore were the innkeepers. When I stopped at Casey’s for cocoa I phoned them. Marty answered the phone and we re-established acquaintance. I indicated I wanted to stop and see them. I came through town and stopped at the Presbyterian Church where we were camping that night. Then I went through town another 1 ½ miles to The Brass Lantern. The mist had turned into a steady light rain. I almost turned around but I decided I wanted to make the contact. We had an extended conversation that both reminisced and anticipated the future. Marty is the Chair of the IBBA. She has ceased publishing a statewide flyer and has gone to using the Internet. I rode back to the Presbyterian Church. They allowed us to use the basement auditorium/kitchen. There were several meetings held. One was focused on future events—Des Moines and Chicago. Gavain suggested that we blockade the L-train in downtown Chicago to bring attention to the ‘big business’ in downtown Chicago. I think that is not the way to go because it could appear that we are against public transportation. The dinner was informal so Izzy, Luke, Gavain (on the Cello), and I practiced a song that Izzy’s daughter has written to tell Obama to stop the KXL. *FRI AUG 08*—*Greenfield to Dexter (along the Hwy), IA* Liz gave me directions to the next campsite that concluded with 4.5 miles of gravel in hills. The hills were so strenuous I probably walked a mile while getting to the destination. I got there and waited, journaled, and ate lunch. None of the trucks arrived so I attempted to call Liz. My phone wouldn’t work. I went to several houses to see if I could use as landline phone. I was surprised to find that the countryside was so uninhabited. At the third house I found someone home. They recognized me because they had been at the Presbyterian Church in Greenfield the previous evening. I phoned Liz, who told me that the campsite had been changed! The couple knew where the campsite would be. The husband suggested that we put my bike in his pickup and he'd drive me to the campsite. I willingly accepted his offer. It didn’t take long to get to the campsite. I was extremely grateful and thanked him for the ride. Those who chose to had dinner in discussion groups. I chose the group that read and discussed *World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony* by Will Tuttle, PhD. The statistics about how many resources agriculture consumes and throws away to make animal products for human consumption was astounding to me. It made me re-think the prospect of becoming a vegetarian. It was dark after dinner so we all went to bed. -- Peace, David