*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