Once an epoch, when the planets are in the correct alignment, a Greyhound bus can leave on time. This happened to me from Minneapolis - we started boarding 30 minutes early and left exactly on time. It was actually a Jefferson Lines bus, a Greyhound partner, so maybe that's why. Although I still like the planets idea. Also, the bus driver started off by telling a couple of lame jokes, which was a first.

When I got to Des Moines, Iowa I had to get a taxi out to my motel and the driver started off by telling me that some roads were closed so he had to take a different route. I said I didn't care because I'd never been to this town, or even this state, before, so I wouldn't know if he took the right way or not. He explained that there was a free music festival in town, presumably as part of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Looking at the surprisingly high number of shiny tall buildings I showed off my knowledge of his town by telling him it is the third largest centre for insurance in the world, behind Hartford, Connecticut and London. He said it had overtaken Hartford now to be number one in the US. He also surprised me by telling me the population of Des Moines is 500,000 and it contains one sixth of the entire population of Iowa.

As soon as I was checked in I headed immediately out for town because it was already 3:30pm and I only had the one day in town. I had asked about buses at reception so I went to the bus stop that I'd been directed to and waited... and waited... and sat down and waited. The electronic sign outside the Walgreen's that I was sat in front of told me it was 92 degrees but I didn't believe it. I applied sunscreen all the same and it's as well I did because I was sat there for 45 minutes before I gave up on the bus. I'd already taken a photo of the bird's nest in the 'P' of the word 'Photo' on Walgreen's outside (see my photos of Des Moines to see it) so I bought some water from Walgreen's and set off walking.

My TomTom said it was 4.2 miles to downtown and most of it was down one long road that ran from downtown to the airport, which my motel was near, and that street didn't have a sidewalk so I was walking down grassy verges most of the way. I may not have believed that it was 92 degrees but it was certainly in the mid-80s so it was a long, hot walk.

As I approached the centre of town I gave up on my GPS and followed the music, like a rat in Hamlyn, until I found the music festival. There were three stages, each with okay bands, and a block of stalls. There were hundreds of people milling around and it was good to see such activity in a place I had expected to be dead. However it was a bit like home with the number of guys walking around with their shirts off - not a pretty sight!

I passed through the festival and continued on to the state capitol building. By the time I reached it, on the far side of downtown, I'd walked five miles! It was worth it though because the building was magnificent with five domes, including the main gold one. There was no opportunity to take a tour because I was so late but I got to enjoy view back on downtown from the hill that the capitol was on top of. I also saw a statue that I really liked but which didn't have any plaque explaining it. I got all artistic with my photos - take a look.

After dinner I went back to the music festival but the music wasn't much better than okay so I walked a couple of blocks to get myself on the motel side of it and called for a taxi. My plan worked because this taxi cost me much less than the first one because he could take a direct route to my motel.

Aside from the music festival the downtown was almost deserted and I couldn't ever imagine it being busy because there were very few shops on the streets. Maybe they're all inside though because there is a large network of skywalks so that people can get around in air conditioned comfort between buildings. There was one block that was busy with people where there were a few restaurants in a row. Des Moines is not a place I would go back to.