Dallying in Des Moines

Trip Start Feb 15, 2010

Trip End Feb 14, 2011

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Where I stayed

My Autopartment

Flag of United States Des Moines, Iowa
Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Since I didn't accomplish a whole lot yesterday in Des Moines, I decided to stay for the first half of another day. All in all I managed to visit the art museum (the building itself is quite a work of art), Fort Des Moines, and the Iowa Historical Society Museum. I saw and learned a few interesting things about Iowa and its past. Their history of farming and coal mining, but I'll spare you the history lesson this time. I also made the decision to abandon the idea of trying to learn how to play the guitar while on this trip. I'm simply not going to have as much free time as I originally imagined I would, and it was taking up far too much of my limited space, so I stopped at the nearest Post Office and launched it back home...I'll try to learn again in college...

In the early afternoon I set off again for Winterset, Iowa (birthplace of John Wayne, or as they knew him there, Marion Morrison

Missouri Welcome Sign

. The tours of the home where he was born were closed for unknown reasons that day, but it's just as well because the sun was headed west and I had more to do.

Winterset, which seems to be strangely well acquainted with Hollywood, just so happens to be in Madison County. I figured as long as I'm there it would be a shame not to see a couple of the bridges of madison county made famous by the book and movie of the same name.

After visiting a couple of the bridges and trudging through knee-deep snow in freezing temperatures to take their photos, I hopped back in the warmth of my car to plan my next move. After some browsing and calculating I set a course for Hannibal, Missouri. On the drive out of Iowa I noticed that it was one of those slightly cloudy days where the sky and the snow take on the exact same color, making it impossible to distinguish the two apart. A little disorienting at times, but visually I think it's pretty neat. I arrived at my Wal-Mart Du Jour shortly before midnight, but still found some time to wander the unchanging aisles. I really hope that after this trip is over, I don't retain some strange desire to wander around Wal-Mart before bed.

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