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