*MON AUG 11** Valley Junction to Des Moines (DSM), IA* Since Ed is from Des Moines I figured he would be able to recommend a good route to Des Moines. He said that there was a bike trail to Des Moines within a ½ mile of our campsite. I rode ½ mile on the gravel and found the bike trail, which was next to the railroad. There was lots of shade, gradual inclines, and no traffic. When I reached Park Ave. in DSM, I stopped for some cocoa and phoned Margaret Weiner who had invited me to stay with her and Jerry. Since the schedule was tentative I said I would contact her later in the day. After a 20 mile ride I came off the bike trail at Locust and 18th St. My destination was the Ritual Café at Locust & W 13th St. I rode east to 13th St.. There were no Marchers and no support vehicles. So I rode down to 5th St, went up to 4th floor and said “Hello” to all the staff at Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) that were in the office—Diane, Lisa, Anita, Sherry, and more—can’t remember all the names. I wanted to give them a hug but I was wet with perspiration. We symbolized hugs and I gave them my personal background on the March. Then I went back to the Ritual Café. Sierra Club friends, Barb and Jim Redmond, were on their way back from a family gathering in Wisconsin and had planned a rendezvous with me in Des Moines. They had lunch in the café and we shared recent developments. I needed to get my bike up to the parking lot near the Capitol where the trucks were going to park during our stay day in Des Moines. Jim volunteered to take my bike in their van. We went up and dropped the bike off at the Iowa Community College office and came back to the cafe. Then Jim and Barb left so they could get an errand done for their son on the way home to Sioux City. As the Marchers arrived I got information on the afternoon and evening schedule. I phoned Margaret Weiner so she could participate in our activities and/or know when and where to pick me up. The Climate Justice Gypsy Band began playing at 4:00 pm. Simultaneously there was an ice cream social on the sidewalk right outside the door of the café. After the Social people gathered to March to the Capitol. We had police escort. The crowd filled both lanes of an entire block. We marched a mile and ½ to the park on the west side of the Capitol steps. On the way over I talked with many people—including the Democratic candidate for governor, and a member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. I found out that Cary is still working for ICCI and asked him to say “Hello” to her for me. Sarah Spain was the MC at the Rally. The band played some introductory numbers. There was no electric outlet so I didn’t play the bass. There were numerous speakers and all addressed the issue of climate change—the Mayor of Des Moines, State Rep Robb Hogg, and many more. The number of people gathered for the Rally was encouraging—200-300. The presentations ended at 8 pm and Izzy got the Marchers up to sing the Sunset song to end the Rally. As I was taking my bass and amp back to JJ’s truck, Margaret Weiner approached me and introduced herself. She reminded me that she was a retired Episcopal priest, that she and Jerry, who’s Jewish were newly married and requested dinner at our B&B. Even though we haven’t had practice serving dinners, I said “Yes” and they were our guests. When we got my gear in the car she headed home to Urbandale. Since all I had for dinner was ice cream we stopped at a Subway on the way home. *TUE AUG 12*—*a Stay Day in Des Moines* By the time I got up Margaret was walking to her physical therapy appointment. She had granola, yogurt, and green tea out for breakfast! After breakfast Jerry took me to the dentist who did some repair on one of my molars. He also took me to the bike shop so I could get a replacement for the taillight I lost on the way back to the cafe from INHF on Monday. Jerry was tentative about it but finally decided to cook lunch. We had a late lunch and an afternoon nap. All 3 of us attended the potluck at the Unitarian Church. It was another chance to meet local people concerned about climate change. David, a periodic Marcher, showed an hour and ½ DVD of his sailing in and around the Arctic. It was personal, concrete evidence that the Arctic is disappearing. We came home and went to bed. Tomorrow morning we would have to eat breakfast and get to the Capitol by 7am. -- Peace, David