Algona to New Hampton, IA to Fennimore,WI to Madison

Hmm... So I'm (Mark) sitting here in the church in Madison, WI trying to remember the last day that we could have possibly blogged on. The satellite internet has been broken. I'm thinking that it was perhaps Thursday.

Thursday's ride took us from Algona to New Hampton, Ia. My dad, Eric, and I rode together the whole time. Eric is sometimes known as the "prodigal son" because he doesn't always ride with us. Today he wasn't the "prodigal son." We kept together in a pace line to make it through our second 113 mile day.
The ride wasn't as easy as the first 113 miler. There was a crosswind from the north. I think we averaged about 17.4 mph. In the small town of Britt (mile 20) we stopped and had breakfast at the famous "Hobo House." We heard that this is the location of the annual and national hobo convention. We were actually there during that time. There were events happening all throughout that week. The day that we were there had a parade, museum, and coronation of the hobo king and queen scheduled. Some real hobos were in the restaurant. They were very friendly and offered us a sample of poetry they had written or a token commemorating that year's hobo fest. I learned at the Hobo House the definition of a hobo. A hobo is a person who will travel and work. A tramp is a person who will travel, but won't work. And, a bum is a person who will not travel or work. Besides the knowledge of hobos I gained, we enjoyed a glorious breakfast of "hobo hash browns" mixed in with sausage, bacon, peppers, and more - very good. Eventually we decided that we must get going. There were still about 90 miles to do that day.
Our next stop was at Julie's truck. There she had cinnamon rolls waiting for us. What a treat after our huge breakfast! You can always eat when you're biking.
Carrying on, we saw cornfields and soybean fields. They're all over out here in Iowa. I'm amazed that you can ride for days in these fields and yet there is still poverty in the world. It gave me something to think about during the day's long ride. While riding, we also saw tons of ginormous wind turbines. There were hundreds of them scattered throughout the fields. I was so amazed and impressed by the "greeness" of it all. I learned that some of the blades are 130ft. long. i tried to take pictures, but they just don't do justice. You'll have to drive (or ride) out here yourself and check them out.
A third stop we took was in Rockford, home of Devonian fossils." We ate lunch there and bought a pop from the local gas station. A little quick sugar really revives you. For lunch I had a nutty bar and grapes. I don't eat much for lunch anymore. Maybe a few granola bars along the route and that's it. I guess you just gotta do what gets you through the day. Now, Eric takes like 2-3 sandwiches, granola bars, apples, oranges, etc. I'm amazed by how much he eats. Eritia, a fellow rider, eats a lot too. I bet she eats more than Eric. She's really fast too.
So that's pretty much all for Thursday besides taking showers and swimming at the city pool in New Hampton. I started a new book, "Pound for Pound." Theresa gave it to me. I hope it doesn't keep me up too late these nights.

Friday's ride was an adventure from New Hampton, IA to Fennimore, WI. We got to cross the Mississippi River. It's pretty big. I thought that we had passed over all of it and then another bridge appeared. So we crossed that and finally made it to the other side. The ride to the river was up and down, pretty hilly. More and more trees began to appear as we left the fields of Iowa for our new state, Wisconsin. The day was beautiful, sunny and 70-80's. However, it was our third and last consecutive century ride. I was feeling a little worn down. Plus three-hundred miles in three days really can take a toll on your body, or at least the energy that you are able to exert. So, in order to boost our depleted energy stores, my dad and I stopped at a Culvers in Praire du Chaine, Wisconsin (right after the bridge crossing the Mississippi). Here we got a taste of home since Culvers are found in Michigan; we didn't know that they existed out here. A few other cyclists joined us, Augie, Lynn, Dave, Fred, and more came later. Both of us had a double bacon burger, fries, and sundaes. My sundae was Reeses and Twix, very delicious. The food felt great while eating it, but you didn't want to move afterwards. We thought we gain energy, but I think we lost it. All we gained was a heavy stomach. But that was okay, we could survive the next twenty miles into camp.
We made it to camp. I felt pretty good. Three days of a hundred miles hadn't killed me yet. So that night we just relaxed. I did go to bed early though. After a shower at a local pool, peleton, and small groups, I hit the sack. I'd say it was about 9:30pm.

Today we rode from Fennimore to Madison. What a relief to be done with our century rides. Today's route covered 70 miles in a hilly and partially wooded Wisconsin. The ride began in the rain. We woke up this morning to a slight drizzle (the inside of our tent got wet). Then as we left camp after a pancake and bacon breakfast, the rain poured, only for about 10 miles though. I thought it was going to be a miserable yet exciting day. I was wrong about the first part. At the first sag stop, Julie's, the sun broke out and dried us off. No longer would we be able to get soaked by the spray from passing cars or feel the water squishing between our toes. But, that's okay. The day turned out to be beautiful. As the sun appeared, so did the color in the trees, wildflowers, and fields. The route took us on a hilly excursion. Up and down through valley's and along flat highways on a bike path (much like the Kal-Haven Trail in Michigan).
My dad and I rode together today, as we usually do. Our first real stop came in Mt. Horeb. It was a small tourist town of say 664 people with an excellent old-fashioned Schubert's cafe/bakery. Here we fed ourselves energy food, lemon bars, raspberry bars, and donuts. We like to eat healthy on trips like this, especially biking ones. When we left we had a final 20 miles to Madison. they went by quick. The hills just rolled us along. My dad enjoys coasting down the hills and then sprinting up them. So for me to keep up, I must really work. Sometimes I think that we go faster uphill than downhill (except on long uphills, then I win).
As we entered the Madison area I noticed one of the city signs which read, "Madison Population 206,054." I guess that its quite a big city compared to the rural ones we've been staying in. Our leaders, Ed and Jen, instructed us that the media would like us to ride into camp all together. So, in order to do this, all the cyclists had to meet at a designated park at 2:30pm. My dad and I were early. We were there at 1:30. I guess we didn't take enough breaks, so we decided to go to a nearby corner with restaurants. We ended up at a Red Robin. I've never been to one before. There we ordered a gourmet cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate malts - very good. While eating, the Olympics was on the television. What a new thing to us. Biking puts you out of the world. All that is happening is the cars and road around you, along with when the next meal is going to come. We've kind of left the world behind. It was nice to see what was happening again, sitting and enjoying out chocolate malts inside air conditioning.
At 2:30, all the bicyclists rode into camp at the church. There we were greeted by a whole congregation with banners, posters, noise makers, and cheering. A brass quartet was even playing marches as we rode in at the church. It was an awesome entrance and welcome. Each church is so unique in their hospitality. This one had all kinds of activities lined up for us, spas, massages, trips to bike shops, sightseeing, showers, laundry, etc. I absolutely love the weekends. At the church, Eric and I met a woman and her daughter who had been praying for us. We didn't even know them! How neat is that. We thank them so much for their prayers and support. It means so much to know that you have people praying and supporting you, especially when one might not even have known them at first.
Pretty soon its time for supper. This weekend they are giving the cooks a break. There's some volunteers who are preparing the food. It should still be good. The church is showing a movie tonight at 7pm, The Flying Scottsman. I think I'll go to see it. They said there's snacks, drinks, and a dark room with air-conditioning (perfect for a nap). So off am I. Thanks for reading and all your prayers. We'll hopefully see some of you in Michigan this week!