I meet up with the marchers and a group of supporters in a steakhouse in West Des Moines. We drive to the home of Karla, a supporter in Clive, IA, who has offered to put us up for the night. We are also joined by Tom and Patty, a couple from St. Cloud Minnesota, who have made a five hour drive to meet the marchers. I spend the evening getting to know the people I’ll spend the next few months with.

Ashley, the march initiator, has been walking from San Francisco on May 21st. This is the first night she has had internet access in a while, so she spends most of the night catching up on e-mails, plotting out the march route, and taking care of other details. At one point, she runs into the room with a radio playing Kenny Chesney’s “Never Wanted Nothing More”, which I discover she searches the radio for on an ongoing basis, tormenting the other marchers.

Mike, who has also been on the march since San Francisco, is more reserved. He tells me a few stories about people they’ve encountered along the way, and about his hometown, Jackson, CA.

Tom joined the march in Nebraska about a week ago. He read about it in the Chicago Tribune, and felt compelled to join. Settled in front of the satellite TV, he finds Pulp Fiction. Ashley comes in and chides him for watching a violent movie, then heads back to the computer.

Throughout our time in Des Moines, the marchers are continuously stopped by folks who have seen them featured on one of the four local TV news stations. People honk and wave in support, hand us money, and provide words of support and encouragement, so much that it takes far longer than expected to walk through the city. One thing is very clear, the people of Des Moines have had enough of the illegal, immoral war and occupation of Iraq, and demand that those responsible be held accountable.