Hotel Ft. Des Moines

... at things from the WWII era and tried to see what was what in concerns to things Grandpa might have done, medals and badges he earned, and equipment he might have operated. Then it was back to the Interstate Highway. I35 North was closed to a car accident which left 4 dead and 4 injured that required rerouting. I sufficiently slept through Missouri and am now awake writing this in the last 30 miles before I need to ...

... to spend more time with Alicia which was great but for some reason everytime she left the room Iowa did something good in the game so that was rather odd. They eventually won the game.<br><br>Towards the end of the night Mark and I got dragged into dancing (something about a bride card) by Alicia and Kym. It turns out Kym actually knows what she's doing which was funny cos I didn't. Kym is also a whole lot shorter than I am so while she was trying to do twirls and moves I was trying ...

... I were moving to a motel while Alicia had to pack for her honeymoon in Madrid. Nate arrived home around midday so he, Alicia, Nate's best mate Chris (who had come up from Indiana) and myself went down to the Indianola Country Club to set a couple of things up for the reception. An hours hard work and the boys headed back while Alicia took me on the grand Indianola tour to get my bearings. I saw Simpson College where Alicia studied as well as Smith Chapel (where Alicia and Nate were to ...

... Iowa). On the drive there I was able to see some of Des Moines which was great because it was difficult to see in darkness the night before. It looked like it was busier than Bunbury, much smaller than Perth though. We pulled up to the Capitol Building and it was a grand looking building built on a hill so someone had a good idea way back when.<br><br>We headed inside and god forbid we had to pass through security. Airports I could understand but Des Moines?? We're talking ...

So we left Chicago and was stuck in traffic for a little while longer and then finally started heading west. We made it about 100 miles outside of Des Moines before we stopped to sleep. We found some random campground right off of the interstate and slept there. I have never seen a place with as much dew as that place. One good thing was it was so dark and the sky was clear, so we could see alot of stars. And they were so bright! Once we woke up, we ran for the first time in a while. It was ...

Isn't it amazing the things that amaze you?! Rest stops, of all things, rest stops become a source of joy and amazement on a road trip. Heading from Minnesota (a beloved state) to Iowa which happens to have the best rest stops we have ever seen in our lives. Beautiful architecture, clean, organised and useful facilities, free wifi and overnight parking is safe and ...

... was located 5 miles northeast of town -- 2 miles of blacktop and 2 1/2 miles of gravel road and only 5 miles from the Minnesota border.<br><br>We enjoyed a steak dinner (first check mark on the need-to-eat list) at the Rake Cafe 3 miles away in Rake, naturally. Then we spent the evening visiting my parents' friends Shirley &amp; Keith. Shirley served lunch (midwest version of evening 'snack') of rhubarb bars and lemonade. Check another off my food list!

... I mentioned we're planning this awesome excursion via email!?!? With three (two now) of us in different locations in Des Moines and the other in Denver, it's the best we can do. But, I've taken a simple approach and we've nailed down some basics: Who: Well, we thought this was the simple part to have the four of us to keep costs down but since losing one we may try to find a ...

... our heads to travel Europe for five months? Well, Jason had downloaded an audio book last fall by Timothy Ferriss called "The 4-Hour Workweek" that we listened to together. It deals with creating and running an automated business that would need minimal upkeep so that you can be free to travel the world. Jason just so happened to have started an online business about four years ago called Point Man Games and ...

... in the daytime over there as it's all pretty well sign posted. But once the lights go out, it's a proper mare as they don't really have street lights and the street names are lit up or anything. But after around half an hour of driving back and forth, around and around, back past the casino, a few illegal U turns in the road, we managed to find the right road and home... We were even lucky enough that the nice woman on reception lent us a cup of milk for a bedtime bowl of cornflakes.