Dear Friends,

After four days and 42 miles of urban and suburban hiking, I arrive in rural Iowa. Tom Walton joins me for five miles of today’s 13-mile march from Van Meter to Earlham. I’ve mostly walked alone, so it’s nice to have a companion for the first two hours of today’s trek.

With Tom Walton on the road to Earlham.

It’s also nice to be out of the city. But I’m quickly reminded that there are pros and cons to rural marching.

PROS

AIR. Other than the occasional animal confinement, country air is free of the fumes one inevitably inhales in the city.

SCENERY. Sure, there’s pretty stuff in the city. (I saw some stunting pollinator plantings in Windsor Heights.) But I love the rolling vistas of southern Iowa.

QUIETER ROADS. During the first two days of rural travel, I’ve encountered very little traffic. I always walk on the left side of the road, and when a car approaches, drivers are almost always considerate enough to move at least partially into the other lane.

CONS

SHADE. There’s very little of it on the long stretches of gravel road from one farmstead to another. I’m missing the occasional relief provided by shaded city streets, especially during this unseasonably hot week.

BREAK SPOTS. It’s hard to find good spots for breaks. In Des Moines and the suburbs, park benches, cafes, and ice cream shops abound. In rural Iowa, I may walk several miles before finding a place to sit, take off my shoes, and enjoy a snack.

L to R: Shahnaj, Ed, Russ, Jackie, and Joel

DUST. With as little rain as we’ve had, getting dusted on a gravel road is inevitable. That said, most drivers are courteous enough to slow down so as not to coat me with gravel dust. But a semi hauling grain from the fields, even a slow-moving one, can leave me in a cloud that requires I stop, close my eyes, and hold my breath.

Sure, it was nice to spend a few days walking through Des Moines and its suburbs. Other than the occasional mile or two through a small town, the rest of the Save America March will be in rural Iowa. I’m fine with that.

In Earlham, Russ and Jackie Leckband join me for lunch at Beans and Beignet Cafe. Friends from Des Moines, Joel and Shahnaj, join us as well. The two couples had never met, but Joel is thrilled to discover that one of his favorite pieces of pottery was crafted by Russ.

The connections. That’s one reason I love both rural and urban Iowa. It’s also one reason I feel that, at the end of the day, most of us will remember our shared heritage, destiny, and humanity — and learn, or relearn, to accept each other and live in peace.

— Ed Fallon