From Iowa City to Davenport.... not

I am so relieved to get past Des Moines - there's a huge accident on 235, the route I would have taken, had I made it to Des Moines in time to do the action.

I decide to try to make it to Iowa City. The roads look finally clear east of Des Moines but there are still hulks of vehicles strewn in the ditches and medium. Most of them have bright pink or orange ribbons flying from their disabled frames but some are still running, evidently more recent.

I find the roads passable, but I am going 45 or 50mph.

I make it to Iowa City turn off only 20 minutes late, thinking there's a chance of connecting with activists still. But these hopes are very short-lived as I proceed down the off-ramp - the streets are NOT cleared! This is a major road and snow and ice are packed down with evidence of two brown tire lanes but that's all you can see of the road.

It takes several minutes to traverse to the downtown area where to my horror, snow is piled in the roadway - there are no tire lanes but crunchy white snow. I cannot risk getting stuck in Iowa City so I turn down a street, away from the protest site which I am now almost 45 minutes late for, and head to the food coop, my favorite in Iowa.

There is what i hope is a parking space that appears somewhat safe from getting stuck. I leave the truck and go inside the coop to restock and talk with folks.

I only stay a few moments, as I'm worried my truck is taking up too much room on the snow-laden road. Several women ask me to take their hopes of ending war and violence immediately to D.C.; an older white man says jobs in America are his number one hope.

I leave for Davenport. I have not heard from anyone there yet and decide as the temperature begins to drop once again, that I better keep moving.