Greetings From Des Moines! Where The "S"s Are Silent. But The Fun Is Loud!

 As mentioned in a previous post,  Cheryl is running the Des Moines Half Marathon on Sunday.  Tomorrow, she will be running the 5 mile "challenge" beforehand.   In 2019,  she ran the I 35 Challenge which was back to back half marathons.  In different cities! ( Des Moines and Kansas City!)  And 2021 was the Year of the OX!   Cheryl's spirit running animal! But after a year off for the Pandemic, Cheryl's initial hopes of running a FULL marathon were downgraded to a weak kid challenge. She has been on the fence about the whole Marathon for several weeks now, and after last week's performance, was flirting with the idea to switch BACK to the full marathon after she had already paid $15 bucks to downgrade.   Confused?   You should be!   But after today, the official die has been cast.   She will be running the 5 mile and the half marathon over the weekend. 

So what to do in the mean time...  Well, we decided to check out the local sites here in Des Moines.  I am always impressed with the river trail and the art that adorns the green areas. Cheryl and I walked down near the botanical gardens and were able to see plenty of color in the form of flowers.  Pella might have the Spring covered during Tulip Time, but the Fall flowers are making a showing now in Des Moines.

There were other touristy/history things to discover.   The history of the Boat people from Laos and Cambodia.   

The Bridge that was built by men to celebrate Female Achievement.  

And the Skateboard Park.   Having no desire to break my neck or any other part of my body,  I usually stay safely clear from places of self injury such as this. However, it was bustling with activity today.  I noted that there were a LOT of kids there, and wondered if the Covid restrictions were helping the truant kids with their Skateboard and X Game Training.   Who ever said a pandemic was a bad hing for everyone?  ( Ok, I won't go down that rabbit hole....) Truth be told, I don't even know what the education system is up to here in Iowa at the moment.  Having no kids does keep you out of certain loops. 

But I digress!  The real reason I wanted to check out this are was the Murals.   Call them graffitti, or defacement.  the Des Moines Graffitti artist are on an entirely different level!  Personally, I think they are more akin to comic book artists and Tattoo artists, judging by their art forms and technique.  But I work with chalk, what do I know???

Finally, the Expo started and we were able to enter the area.   The Expo was rather small compared to previous years.  I'm sure the Pandemic jitters still having an influence.  But lots of people were there and seemed to be behaving normally.   We got Cheryl's bibs, Swag, and checked out the expo for any additional souvenirs. We found two fellow runners ( Mike and Pam from Clinton and Quad Cities)  and they pointed us to the shoe salesmen who were moving out inventory from previous years for $10!!!  I bought one of the last pairs of shoes in my size.  ( a pair of Asics!)   Cheryl already has plenty of shoes and could not find anything she wanted or needed.  Lucky me!

After catching up with the Zakoseks,  ( Mike and Pam)  Cheryl and I headed to Cheryl's next stop:  Donuts!  Namely:  Krispy Kreme!   The morning rush was over. ( by mid afternoon? makes sense...) So we purchased the last few Boston Creme donuts for the hotel room.   Cheryl always has to get into the spirit of donuts by wearing the Krispy Kreme hat while I open the box.   

Sometimes the boxes are hard to open.  But I managed!   And both Cheryl and I were able to enjoy a taste of Michigan in Iowa.  ( I don't know if Krispy Kremes are originally from Michigan.  All I know is that is where I first enjoyed one.) 

Finally in the Hotel now,   Enjoying a new beer from Alaska.   The Midnight Haze special release!  Fruity aroma,  dark taste without a caramel, chocolate, or coffee note.   There is definitely a burnt note with the bitterness of the hops, but I find it to my liking.  possibly closer to a brock than a stout.  It is called an IPA, but it lacks the traditional hoppiness of IPA's that I like.  Still.... a good find!  I will be enjoying it later.  

Thanks for stopping in!  And wish us luck on Sunday!  The 5 Miler will not be too much of a hassle for Cheryl.  But the Half Marathon is where she has set two previous PR's and it is a flat course.   She may be tempted to try besting her previous times again.   We shall see.