Day 35
7:01 PM CT.

The first of many sunsets that we’ll experience from the car over the next few days.

Tomorrow we’re leaving Sioux City, IA to drive across South Dakota, through Wyoming, and on to Montana. As much as this trip is about working, it’d be a crime to do this trip and not stop at the world famous locations we’ll be passing in the next few days. We’re definitely going to the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore as well as the Crazy Horse Memorial. Anyone have any other recommendations? I’m about to spend some time looking through Let’s Go Roadtripping USA for ideas. This is the part of the trip I’ve always anticipated the most.

Sadly we’re expecting to struggle with the Internet connection for the next week at least as it’s only going to get worse. We’ll still be blogging but it remains to be seen how we’ll do with photos and episodes.

-Josh

Day 35
5:40 PM CT.

They say that if it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger. Well, that wise wisdom is certainly appropriate in some situations. However, this morning I found myself face-to-face with something that really almost killed me - and oddly enough, I don’t feel any stronger.

After our morning interview with the good people at AFSCME IOWA, we stopped at a Casey’s (think 7-11 meets WAWA) to grab a cup of coffee and something to munch on. Josh and I both purchased muffins from the baked goods/pastry section of the store. Check it out.

Well, that bugger nearly killed me. Well, maybe not an immediate death, but this muffin, packed with a whopping 640 calories and almost 40 grams of fat was just too much for this guy (and Josh) to take down. We threw them out in the trash. I need the occasional fix of junk food, but that muffin was just a little extreme.

We finished up our interview with Bruce Braley from the Iowa 1st and we’re now headed all the way back to Sioux City, where we will get a couple of hours sleep before beginning the epic trek west towards Montana. We’re like Lewis and Clark, but fatter and a little more Jewish.

Iowa has been amazing, as always. I spent some much needed time this weekend with Laura, my very understanding girlfriend who came to visit from Philly. You can check out pictures from our brief visit to the Ankeny pumpkin patch on the DoubleSpeak flickr page)

I’m really looking forward to getting out to Big Sky Country and seeing some old friends and meeting some up and coming candidates who are working hard to change the political landscape in Montana and the Mountain West.

Wish you could all see what I’m seeing: rolling corn fields, lots of cows and a really stunning sunset. Oh, and did I mention - listen to DoubleSpeak’s new Wisconsin episode!

-Peter

Day 35
12:43 PM CT.

While there’s no doubt that we’ve been on a true road trip for over a month, I feel like today is when the driving really begins. I am also starting to feel the time crunch as the days are peeling away towards November 7th and I want to make sure we get everywhere we want to be by E-day.

We left Des Moines, IA this morning after an extremely comfortable stay with a gracious host and true friend in Des Moines. David- you are a golden g-d and I can’t wait to see you again soon.

We are headed to Davenport, IA to interview Bruce Braley, candidate for the U.S. House in Iowa’s 1st district. For those of you who know the geography of Iowa, Davenport is on the far eastern edge of the state so we are booking it across I-80 E to make it there by 3:30 PM.

Braley is at a forum on Stem Cell research and will be joined by Colorado Congresswoman Diana DeGette. If we can talk to her today then we’re really killing two birds with one stone as we’ll be in Colorado too!

One piece of sad news I have is that there’s a good chance that one or more of us may not be able to finish this trip due to probable overdose on chicken skewers. Yeah, that’s right. The other night we were given roughly 50 grilled chicken kabobs that were leftover from an event that our friend organized in Des Moines. They are absolutely delicious and all three of us have eaten over a dozen so far today. This could be a long day!

Ok, so we’re going to Davenport now and then turning west and heading ALL THE WAY to Sioux City. We’ll arrive in Sioux City late tonight, have another wonderful night at Roger and Anita Wendt’s lovely home, and then tomorrow morning hop in the minivan and begin the 1,000+ mile drive to Montana.

Here we go…

-Matthew

Day 34
9:49 AM CT.

I’d have to check the archives, but I’m fairly sure this is the earliest post of the the trip. What does that say about our early morning work habits?

We’re in Des Moines, Iowa, a town that I am growing more and more attached to by the day. We’re staying with a friend at a truly unbelievable house up in the hills and spending most of our time downtown enjoying the sights, the food, and the bars. My favorite building so far is the new public library. It’s all glass paned in a copper hue and it apparently has grass growing on the roof. I promise some photos will come at some point today. This morning we’ve got breakfast with Matthew’s host family from the 2004 IA caucus and then the Eagles game. Here’s hoping for a bounceback after last week’s disappointment.

Remember the incredible stem cell ad I posted a few days ago running against nasty Jim Walsh in the NY 25th? Well Majority Action is running the same ad now against endangered PA Republican incumbent, Don Sherwood. Yes, besides choking his mistress, Sherwood also voted against stem cell research funding.

We saw The Departed yesterday. I’m a huge Scorcese fan and unless you’re squeamish, I can’t recommend it enough.

Back to the grindstone. We’ll be getting the Wisconsin show up soon.

-Josh