No lions, tigers and bears, but plenty of itchy creatures here in the midwest! However, we have really enjoyed our time in Des Moines. We are staying at a cute little country RV resort called Timberline in Waukee, Iowa (about 20 minutes west of downtown Des Moines). We thought for awhile we would be in Timberline for the weekend and then switch to Walnut Woods State Park which is right on the Raccoon River and a bit closer to John's neighborhoods...but then we found out about the bugs! We had failed to read up on the affect of heavy rainfall in the early summer on mosquito populations. Eww...
After arriving last Friday night in the midst of what we were sure to be gale force winds and a torrential downpour (we don't really know what gale force means, but my driver was sure we were in them!), Saturday was much nicer :) On Saturday night (after a full day of work) we headed up to Walnut Woods for a dog walk (and to see if it was worth the switch) and to check out more of the huge greenway system they have in Des Moines and central Iowa in general. We were sitting in the truck trying to figure out which trail to get on and I saw it...a mosquito.. followed by hundreds more that swarmed our truck. We sat there in awe at the National Geographic scene around us. So we canceled Walnut Woods from the place to stay list :) Then, we thought we were being smart by heading down the road to a city park called Waterworks (the name should have clued us in) for the dog walk. I had just gotten out of the truck and walked a little bit with the dogs and I was swarmed by thousands of killer mosquitoes! It was crazy! (ok, maybe a little exaggeration, but not much ;) John ran back to get the OFF and I tried to keep the dogs moving (who only wanted to stop and pee --- which was understandable, but terrible timing!) It was not as if we were the only people in the park either. I saw people riding bikes and families having picnics. I could not figure out why the mosquitoes were feasting on me! And after being attacked by similar killer gnats in Davenport Iowa, again with no else seemingly bothered, we were beginning to think midwesterners have some genetic defense! Then we saw it...four cyclists venturing across the grass, running from the trail with arms flailing and screaming "Get them off!, "They are attacking me!" "I hate mosquitoes (hey, me too lady)"...Anyway, we offered them some OFF and they were good to go. Lesson learned...stay away from parks in Iowa with any form of water especially in the evening..and we have...We would like to offer many thanks to Waukee, Iowa and their amazing greenways!
Saturday was a late night, after the mosquito debacle we headed downtown to eat dinner. We wandered around a bit trying to find the Hessen Haus (a German brewhouse that my cousin Charles had mentioned). It was 9:00 (10:00 eastern ---we had not really adjusted), and anyone who knows me knows how I get without food ;( We will use the adjective crabby-- and this is a nice way to put it. I am very thankful for my husband's patience with me during these times! Anyway, we ended up eating at Dos Rios, a really good Mexican restaurant. The guacamole was fantastic and I was happy to finally eat! We even got to hear a street band complete with horns and tap-dancing while we were eating!
This is really long...so I will sign off for now...
C&J + 4 itchy pups
Lessons Learned
1. see second paragraph --this about sums it up for all of us
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