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Hey there! I ride that leg very frequently - it is R38 / South Dakota Ave. Yes, it is dedicated shoulder riding, but the shoulder is widened more than a usual highway's would be. I would recommend it over gravel for one major reason: drivers expect bikers to be there. During a good summer day you'll encounter 5-10 bikers in the 10-mile stretch; all regular drivers in the area will be aware that bikes are on the shoulder.

Must-have #1: get a good helmet-mounted mirror (I use this one) and continuously assess the situation area you. Be especially vigilant about people passing other cars. IMO having you, a car, and another car all in a line together is a great way to die. If I see a car swing out to pass another car near me, I usually give a very clear "stop" hand signal to indicate I want them to wait until they are clear of me. Some oblige, some don't.

Must have #2: set up a safety rule and follow it. Mine is that I watch for an approaching car and if at any point their tire touches the solid white line into the shoulder, I hard brake and remove myself from the road. Thankfully, that's only happened once, and in that particular case the driver did start moving towards the center line as he approached, though I had already begun stopping.

Must have #3: get a very bright flashing rear light and use it during the day while on the highway. I have to admit to you that mine isn't bright enough, but reading this made me realize I need to get one purchased before the season starts back up, so I think I'm going to give this guy a try.

If you do the things above I think you'll find the ride up very enjoyable. Good luck and stay safe!

Ok. Gonna throw out a couple of suggestions to get you started.

First get a starter paint set.

You can get them from the local hobby shops like Mayhem, Jays, Hobby Haven.

A few of them come with the basic supplies you need to get started.

The following ones come with a small set of paints, a brush and a miniature to paint. Often they also come with step by step instructions or online videos to watch


Dungeons and Dragons Official Paint Line Adventurer's Paint Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DWMTNDJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_kTC0Db25P03XH


Dungeons and Dragons Official Paint Line Monsters Paint Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DWL5JZZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VVC0Db4FCQTAM


Reaper Miniatures 08906 Learn To Paint Bones Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NTMC49G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vWC0DbVBYBCNP


Reaper Miniatures Master Series Paints #09970 Starter Set for Mini Figures https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07664WJ3H/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RXC0DbPXRB07Z


The Army Painter Kings of War Undead Miniatures Paint Set - Highly Pigmented Acrylic Model Paint Set - 10 Miniature Paints in 18ml Dropper Bottles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRYAY5R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FYC0Db3QD8HJT

The above links are only there to show you what to look for.


Citadel also has a great range of paints but they are generally more expensive and don’t come with brushes or models to paint


Please. Buy local and support our FLGS (Friendly Local Game Stores) They are the reason why so many people are into these hobby’s.

Also. If going to Mayhem. Take a little while and find a couple of Nolzurs or Reaper miniatures you like to paint. They are inexpensive and will be great pieces to start with.

“Security”. A bunch of geriatrics walking around in a uniform. They have never made me feel safe. Best solution is to be aware of your surroundings and trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable around a person or group, trust that instinct. The Gift of Fear is an excellent read

If you are mostly interested in clearing room, you might as well recycle the cases and store the discs in a more compact manor, using [a case like this] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DIHVMEA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_VzNdzbDKRS4K7).

Physical media isn't much of an "investment", because it's generally so cheap and easy to buy new. Since your collection sounds a bit niche/obscure, it might have some items that are less common and more sought after/valuable, but that also means there's a smaller audience for it. Might be better off selling them online if you're concerned about how much you'll get for them, even though that's not the quick and easy way.

Well one thing, aside from classes, is to pick up a copy of The Joy of Cooking. It's essentially a handy encyclopedia of cooking. Sure it's chock full of stuff you'll probably never use or make, but more importantly it has technique in it. Want to cook up some burgers? 4 minutes a side for Medium. Explains all sorts of stuff. So while a lot of dishes are fairly simple, if you don't know how to make them it seems daunting. Might help you out.

For all of that through TrueGreen or A+ it's going to be very pricey...worked at both slave labor businesses years ago lol

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Since it takes you 10-15 mins to mow, i would highly suggest this route...

Buy a spreader like THIS....not this specific one though lol...

50 Lbs bag of fertilizer

Weed sprayer like THIS plus Broadleaf weed killer safe for grass...

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I know this sounds like a lot, but once you get everything bought, set up, and ready to go....it will only add an extra 20-25 mins of yards work per month.

Fertilize once a month...spray weeds every 14 days or what's recommended in directions...and seed in the Fall or early Spring until bare spots fill in. And don't spray weed killer on new grass seed!!

Someone can tell me if I don't get the need of hiring a cobbler or whatever but I don't think knife sharpening is as much of an artisan task that it once was. I have one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004VWKQ/ref=psdc_289867_t1_B0027VRU7G and it works great at keeping my knives honed and sharp. If your thing is paying someone to do this I'm not in any way judging but for me this works great.

New ones are like 32 dollars on amazon.

There are also knock off and cheap controllers for like 12-20ish.

We didn't buy a modem/router combo because of the trouble we had with the ones provided by CenturyLink.

Here is the modem and here is the router.

$150 well spent honestly (but you can probably get them for less if you shop around).

If you have someone who can help you do caliper testing it's a very cheap and accurate way to measure your BF%.

I bought this last year and it comes with a little booklet on how to properly use it and calculate your BF. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AN3UB/

Hells yeah. I have the 24 - 70 and 70 - 200 . I just need the 12 - 24 and the holy trinity is completed.

Amazon (link). Or just get like 7 sets of dice for $10. I believe Mayhem have the same, or very similar, dice for a similar price. If you want to go even cheaper, I'm sure you can get them direct from China via AliExpress or DX.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000638D32/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?tag=slicinc-20&ascsubtag=81659944bbc411e69e006e552e34562b0INT&ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER


They are on sale today!

Try Oelwein in Fayette Co. They wrote a book about it called Methland. [Source http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BV2N28S?pc_redir=1407356635&robot_redir=1#productDescription_secondary_view_pageState_1407640216000]

Check these out:
http://www.christianphoto.biz/
http://www.dmcameraclub.com/

And I reccommend the book Understanding Exposure http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390

The Gang they Couldn't Catch. Amazon Link

It's the true story of some guys who grew up on the south side and got involved in robbery, eventually making the FBI's most wanted list and pulling off the biggest bank robbery in history (at the time) and getting away with it. Much of it details them growing up in and around Des Moines, details locations like Wakonda golf club, Merle Hay neighborhood, the south-side bottoms, etc.

Less Des Moines but based in Iowa, the Blood Bargain series. Fantasy/Sci-Fi in a post apocalyptic small town Iowa setting.

We have this modem and this router. We replaced lesser models of the same brands just this summer. They are on a shelf in the open in the center of our house on the first floor, not hidden in cabinetry or tucked away in a corner. We have an X-Box, a laptop for the grandchildren, a work laptop and an external hard drive connected to it via Cat 6 cable. Everything that can use 5 ghz uses that band, and everything else uses the 2.4 ghz band.

My laptop, which is on 2.4ghz, right now is blazing along at 49.95/mbps download and 14.41/mbps upload. What makes that even more lovely is that I'm the only one home. No one else is here even using any bandwidth. By this evening when the house is full of Netflix and YouTube users and such, I really don't even like to be online.

In addition to slow speed we have complete signal drops at least three times a week. Sometimes it will come back on its own but sometimes it doesn't cycle the modem and I have to manually reset everything. This isn't new to this modem. It used to happen with the modem before this one and the modem before that one and even back to the modem before that. The problem though, was 10x worse with the modem we had from Mediacom, which is what prompted us to buy our own.

Now, our house is quite old (built in 1899) but as there are a bajillion old houses in Des Moines and in Iowa in general, you would think that Mediacom would know by now if something in the construction of old houses interfered with wifi or cable or something of that nature.

All I know is that it's the same story over and over and over again. We have had Medicacom internet service since the very day it was offered and it has never lived up to the promise. We have had I don't know how many modems, computers, routers, phones, tablets and other devices that use the internet in that time.

Either this house is some kind of signal-jamming device or the speed is just not reaching us.

1.5mbps for $48 a month? You're getting ripped off. I would immediately cancel. I'm at 20mbps for $50 a month through Mediacom, but their modems are total shit, so buy your own