Friday, July 26, 2013

Most of Week 5

Eric says " The pie has been GREAT in Iowa...  the pie has been REALLY GOOD in Iowa".  Enough said there!
Eric getting pie from a guy that we talked to about SeatoSea...  Worthwhile stop don't you think?


Sorry we didn't take very many pictures this week...  I myself simply thought that corn fields without end is something that can be expressed in just about one picture...
Probably one of the coolest things I saw in Iowa, maybe (hopefully) I just wasn't paying attention the rest of the time...  Which is probably true.  Those hills made for some slow riding and plenty of solid thinking time!
As I said before, corn fields without end.  But I guess you can see a few tree lines between fields.

Friday July 26
I guess I might as well do today as well...  Saves me forgetting to do it later!  Last night it rained.  Eric and I have discovered previously to last night that our tent suffers in the rain and wind...  So we got wet.  As a result we were the last riders to leave camp (at 8:15ish) and also the last to finish.  Good thing it was a short and sunny ride so we were able to set out our stuff in Pella to dry.  But mid-ride (about mile 35?) we stopped at a church in Knoxville for some spectacular watermelon, pie, and cookies/bars leftover from RAGBRAI which had passed through only one or two days ago.  We made it quite a stop and I think those 6 cookies really helped me push it up some hills for the last 15 miles.  Here in Pella we walked around town and did our laundry (using machines!  Not in the shower today!) before having an excellent buffet supper at the cafeteria of Central College.  Celebration service outside after supper and then time to ourselves to likely get to bed on time for tomorrow's 95 mile ride...  Oh, and John had his 11th and 12th flats today!  So without further ado, I'm hitting the sack; or rather, as often happens it will probably hit me first.
4 flats and 0? falls

Thursday July 25
Pretty good day today!  Breakfast with the church was great I hear.  Eric for sure had a superb time eating whatever pies were leftover from last night…  75 miles seems to be getting easier and easier as the weeks go along.  Or maybe we just didn’t have wind and tons of hills today like we have for the last week or so…  Eric, a few other people, and I stopped and talked to a guy who asked us if we were lost RAGBRAI riders and while talking he offered us fresh pie!  Couldn’t say no to that!!  The rest of the day has been passing normally, showers, laundry, and people competing for wifi wherever it is available! 
6 flats and 1 fall (between today and yesterday)

Wednesday July 24
Halfway done according to number of days!  Wow the time has been flying.  Just realizing that most of these people I will probably never see again is just a crazy thought…  Otherwise the day passed rather uneventfully until supper.  We stayed at a great state park campground and that weekend the only church in town was having a large fundraising event began by homemade pies and ice cream at the park Wednesday night…!  It goes without saying that we all made our way across the campground to their location for some amazing dessert!
? flats and 0 falls (look at Thursday…)

Tuesday July 22
Biked from Nebraska to Iowa today!  On the way to Waubonsie State Park we stopped on the bridge over the Missouri River and at the Lewis and Clark Museum.  A description in the museum depicted a hard life…  Waking up, packing up, heading out for the day’s adventure, setting up camp, and going to bed.  Sounds oddly familiar if you ask me!  Hard day today with quite a bit of ups and downs and a strong headwind for the last 10 miles and a 300 ft climb to the finish.

4 flats and 0 falls

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