This month we are celebrating two holidays with our Des Moines Waterland Walking Group. On Sunday June 19th at 11:00 AM we will have our annual Father’s Day Walk at Saltwater State Park. This year that day is also Juneteenth, the new national holiday that remembers the end of slavery in the US. Everyone is welcome, including your four legged friends, but especially fathers with their families.
To honor Juneteenth, we are making the walk distance 2.5 miles, which represents the number of years it took for slavery to end in Texas after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. That is also the distance of Opal’s Walk for Freedom in Texas. Check out her website for more information – www.juneteenthftw.com/opalswalkforfreedom
Our walk will start in front of the bathrooms in the lower parking lot of Saltwater State Park, 25205 8th Pl South. First we will walk the up & down 1.7 mile loop trail thru the woods, which could be muddy if our wet weather continues. Then we will head to the beach, go north along the path to the end, and then come back to explore the beach at your leisure. Low tide will be at 3:40 pm, so the tide will be going out by the time we get to the beach.
Because of the Juneteenth holiday on Sunday, state parks have no fees required, so you won’t have to have a Discover Pass or daily pass to park at Saltwater.
These walks are sponsored by the Des Moines Legacy Foundation, www.desmoineslegacy.org
Gary McNeil
206-390-3184
