Spring has sprung in the Midwest, and we’ve been on the receiving end of our yearly scheduled deluge of rains that help turn a brown world, hanging on from a long, cold winter, into a land of greenery. It’s something close to the heart of any born-and-raised Midwesterner; we trade the ice and snow for wind and rain, and we are happy for some respite before the sweltering heat of summer drives us back inside.

Of course, all this water brings with it other treasures from up North, in the form of nitrates and other such things being washed cleanly off those squares of black gold that make up our landscape. Field tiles spew a never-ending stream of dirt into ditches and streams, eventually joining with thousands of others, making the long journey south along our major waterways.

This was the hot topic last year, but quickly forgotten amid a world full of wars and rumors of wars.

The water in the Great Des Moines area, today, is just as dirty and filled with our collective sins as it has ever been.

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Tired of all the politics and hubbub of Des Monies life? Need to be reminded that some of Iowa’s water is less polluted than others? If so, then you should head to NE Iowa in search of beautiful fall hiking down in the valleys where the cold clear streams run clean and the trout are just waiting to jump out of the water for you.

Even if you are no fisher, the hiking along is worth it. I caught the brood rainbow trout of a lifetime at Bear Creek in the Iowa Driftless. With stops at Sny McGill, Buck Creek, and Mink Creek, it was a weekend to remember.

Fall is here and so is the camp fire. When a little cold bit hits the air in the morning, the leaves start to change, and the warm sun feels good on your face … you know it’s time to get that hiking stick and head into the woods. A little hot fire, a pan, some bread and honey, this is the simple life.

The Midwest at it’s best.

Well, you know, at least the truth has finally come out. Remember that Rob Sand, who is the “Governor of All?” According to the talking heads and their daydreaming wishes, the “moderate” Rob Sand would be able to lure some Trump supporters, and at the very least, moderates and independents over the line. 

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So, Iowa has made its winding way to the front page of every major news media. Who would have thought the quiet corn fields could have catapulted us to fame that quickly? There are a few things that will stir the hornet’s nest, like the combination of politics, education, and guns. Yikes.

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It’s hard to know what to think these days. On one hand you have farmers on the news, along with John Deere crying foul on the tariffs. Not to mention the recent John Deere layoffs, just another addition to their never ending quest to trim the proverbial fat. But, then you take a little drive to one of the many expanding Des Moines suburbs, pick a direction; Ankeny, Waukee, West Des Moines, Altoona. What do you see?

Never ending housing develops seemly springing up out of fields like its the new corn.

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