Des Moines, IA (July 9, 10, 2023)

​After Breakfast in Souix Falls, SD drive to Des Moines, IA and the Walnut Woods State Park right near West Des Moines.  It had been a few days since I had a decent shower, and the state park did not have a full bath house.  I found and went to the Walnut Creek YMCA to do a short workout, and have a shower.  The timing was perfect; it was the hottest part of the day, and the YMCA was not crowded given it was a Sunday afternoon.  I then drove around to explore Des Moines and found HyVee grocery store for a few supplies before meeting the group from Arches National Park; Mike, Kim, Patrick from Des Moines, for dinner at Eatery A, a Mediterranean inspired menu.  We were able to share the rest of our travel experiences and learn a bit more about each other.  Kim shared that she worked in the school district and had the summer off.  She offered to be my tour guide the next day. 
I had a lazy morning, cooked for the week, and organized the next stops.  Kim and I then met up late in the morning for the tour of Des Moines.  She was so generous to drive me around Des Moines stopping at the PapaJohn Sculpture Garden in downtown area surrounded by the buildings and Arts center.  We moved on to the State house and was able to slide into a free tour of the building.  The State House of IA seemed to be built at the same time as the PA State House in Harrisburg, PA with similar ideals.  The building was very ornate and had clearly been adapted for modern times as well. 
We stopped for lunch in downtown Des Moines, IA at Kildare’s Cafe and then drove through Valley Junction, a historic portion of West Des Moine with cute shops and restaurants.  It had gotten really hot, so we went over to a friend’s (Jeff & Joe’s) house to swim.  Jeff & Joe had also been on the Arches National Park trip, but had left before I met Mike, Kim, and Patrick.  Jeff and Joe came home first and hung out at the pool with us.  Then Mike and Patrick showed up after work as well.  We all went out for a Mexican dinner before going back to camp for the evening.  The visit to Des Moines, IA was completely unexpected and tons of fun.