I have been in the wilderness. 40 4 days I wandered and thirst in the great plains. And lo when I thought I was lost the chorus of the GPS rose up and said “A hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles you can hear the whistle blow………. look its a train track, that must be our campsite!!
Since we left Dordt College we have not had a connection to the outside world. Without TV, cell phones, computers, radio or motorized transportation the world quickly shrinks down. The conversations of those around you and what needs to be done to get through today is all that enters your mind. You think about getting water, food and sleep. The day starts before the sun and ends long after sunset usually with the help of a little 3 LED headlamp. I live like a marginalized person with no electricity, no running water, no bathroom of my own, if I want to go somewhere I have to walk or ride my bike. But today (actually tonight) I am clean, my clothes are washed, I am air conditioned, I am sitting under electric lights, using electrical outlets to charge my computer and camera. I am back in the wealth of the western world and it feels really good. So lets get caught up.
Wednesday
I woke up after an incredible sleep in a real bed. I never slept in a bunkbed before and man that header from the bunk above me was a rude awakening as the alarm went off. But it was my own fault, I was trying out my cell phone as an alarm clock. Usually I wake up to the sounds of the local diesel locomotive or tent zippers. But I was in a room with walls and windows and was afraid that I would sleep late. So I figured out how to set my cell phone as my alarm clock. My son does it all the time so I figure it can be done. It was easy. I just forgot that I had the phone volume on high so I could hear it while it was in my pocket. When its in your pocket and on high its not too loud. But when its about 3 inches from your head on a night stand its VERY VERY LOUD!!! I sat right up when the alarm went off and immediately found myself laying back in the bed holding my forehead and looking at all the pretty stars. Once I regained consciousness I dressed to ride the first of 3 consecutive 100 or more mile days. I tottered down the stairs holding both handrails stepped into the lobby of the dormitory and noticed everyone had on rain jackets and leg coverings. I look outside and what do I see, lots of rain. Do I have a rain jacket? Yes I do! In Grand Rapids! Because I did not have room for both the computer and the rain suit. So I walk to the cafeteria and enjoy a yummy breakfast of scrambled eggs, waffles, syrup and coke. Ummm love that coke especially for breakfast. I’m trying to keep my streak going as I have not had coffee since I started this ride.
The ride was great. It rained until about noon but even that was a really good thing. It was a great change from those 100 degree days. I must have a motor that runs hot because in the cool air with the rain falling I was chugging along and feeling great. We even had a tail wind! Part of the ride was on a closed road that had been freshly paved and not yet open. It was so fun!
Wet, smooth and flat as a pancake
This ride of 114 miles was the longest distance I ever rode. I started at about 7am because of the rain and arrived into camp at Algona Iowa around 3pm with 6 stops for water, water, water, water, Gatorade and beef jerky the ultimate long ride food.
All on a little leather seat
A taste of camp life, in order to ride you have to clean your clothes by hand and find a way to dry them. So anything that can hold clothes up to the sun and wind gets used.
After all the worries about the 3 long days for the first one we were given rain to cool us, clouds to shade us, a wind to push us and a beautiful sunset. I don’t think it was coincidence.
Thursday
From Algona Iowa we headed off to New Hampton 113 miles away. No rain and no tailwind but just as important…. no headwind. It was about 55 degrees and it started with a wonderful sunrise.
This day was a little harder, no tail wind but cross winds. Did you know that Iowa has like a million windmills? I mean it seemed like every 20 miles there was another crop of them sprouting out of the ground. When you stand next to them while they are spinning the make a slow low woooshing sound. And they are BIG. If you look carefully in the next picture you can see a crop duster in the middle right of the frame.
The blades are about 100 feet long
Did you know that pigs smell really bad? I mean really really bad. While I’m on these roads in Iowa and Nebraska there was a livestock truck that would pass about every minute. After a while you can tell whats in them without looking. I started wondering, do you think that if those open air trucks are blowing past me and the air is rushing through that trailer and then past me that I’m breathing in little tiny bits that distressed cows and pigs are dropping on the floor of the trailer? I bet I am. I wonder if I have worms yet. Anyways back to the subject: pigs stink. They stink when passing you on a truck. They stink when you pass them in a barn and they stink when they are on the side of the road. I feel bad for pigs. I never really thought of them as anything other than ham, bacon and pork chops. I guess I never thought about their inner beauty, well inner inner beauty because bacon, ham and pork chops are the inner parts of pigs. Pigs lead crappy lives, literally. I don’t think I’ll be eating a lot of pigs, who could eat such a cute little ham animal.
All right, I still like pepperoni, and BBQ baby back ribs, and italian sausage, and salami, and hot dogs, and smokey links, and brats, and ham, and pork roast, and pork sandwiches, and……
I should finish this so enough about pigs.
The sweep team I was on started on Thursday when we rode into camp. That means when we arrived we needed to empty the gear truck of all the duffel bags, help set up the tables and tents for dinner, get the food out, serve the riders, eat and then clean up the tables. After riding 113 miles it made for a long day. The next morning (friday) our chores continue and that means waking up before the others, getting breakfast out onto the serving tables, serve our fellow riders, clean up after breakfast, tear down the tables and tents and put them back in the semi, load everyone’s bags onto the truck and then ride the ride to make sure no one gets left behind.
Thursday I was in New Hampton and on Friday morning it was off to Fennimore Wisconsin a 100 mile ride. We left around 8:30 and arrived in camp around 6:00 as the sweep team. The end of a long day but also the end of 3 long rides. There is a big difference between Iowa and Wisconsin and I’d take Wisconsin any day. The farms in Iowa and Nebraska are all huge industrial farms while Wisconsin seems to have these small farms where the cows graze out in pastures of grass or in one case shoulder high grass fields where you could only see the heads poking up out of the grass. Our ride out of Iowa included a huge downhill to the Mississippi River where at one point I hit 40 mph. Then across an under construction bridge into Wisconsin and up the slope on the other side.
Fennimore is a cool little town with fresh Wisconsin cheese curds that people eat like potato chips. They come in the same flavors like garlic dill, ranch, onion and of course cheddar. The camp is along the edge of a baseball diamond with a long slope from the road down to the field. We were all sleeping with our heads pointed uphill. From the ball diamond we road a bus to a local pool and used the showers. It was unique to have 3 guys sharing each shower head. You rotate like when you share a sink to brush your teeth. First you get under the water and rinse, then you step out and soap up while the other two guys take turns under the water, then when it’s your turn again you rinse and step away from the shower head. Once you step away from the shower head you are standing in a room that is four walls and no roof, nothing but the open Wisconsin sky. Just one rule about shower sharing, no touching or bumping please! It was also great that it was windy or cold during shower time.
Here are some pics about the ride
Weeeee 40 mph on a bike
windmill blade
a windmills worth
Mississippi Queen, Iowa on left
Wisconsin, ummmmm cheese.
Well that’s all I have for now. I would tell you about a beautiful ride that I had today (Saturday) as we rode through lovely small towns and a hundred rolling hills. I could tell you how it was raining this morning as we woke up and so I left my camera in the truck as I did not want it to get wet like on Wednesday. Even better I could tell you about this really nice town that I recommend you visit called Mount Horeb which is the the “Troll Capital of the World” www.trollway.com but I don’t have any pictures so it seems a waste.
I’ll take some pics tomorrow and update you on my current location Madison Wisconsin.
