Des Moines, IA

First things first...last night when we pulled into a rest stop to sleep, Ryan was packing the skateboards into the front seat at which point he looked at Tyler in shock and horror and asked, "Where's my board?" Then as the realization hit him that he forgot his board at the Grand Island, NE skate park, 300 miles away, and he fell into despair. But alas... let's talk about Iowa's rest stops, by far the nicest rest stops ever. Super clean, very big, automatic doors, toilets, and sinks, indoor area with cooling fans, computer with visitor information, free state maps, a counter with power outlets and seats, and best of all, FREE WIFI. So last night we slept at one of these world's best rest stops about a half hour from Des Moines. This morning we drove to a skate shop in a suburb of Des Moines called Urbandale so Ryan could buy a new complete : ( The shop was really cool, the owner was very helpful, telling us all about all the skate parks from Iowa to Chicago, and every deck purchase came with a free mix CD made by the owner, we picked out the one titled, "The Chickz Like, Totally Awesome 80s." After leaving the shop we skated the local park, which had super nice wooden ramps. We are now on our way to Iowa City to skate the park there, then to Davenport, and finally to Chicago.