We'll start from having Darcy and the family meet me in Hampton , Iowa . Great courthouse in the middle of town, built in 1892 and massive. Their theme (every city has a theme, it is so cool) was "Hot Fun in the Summertime". They had beach balls in all the trees and they painted beach balls and sandals on the roads and other places. They had the center of the city roped off and they had a concert, games and food. Yes, more food.
We played in the square, grabbed some food, relaxed and headed back to the trailer. I was still feeling great, and upon further reflection and talking with other people on the ride, I had to realize that those 77 miles were my best day of biking. Ever.
Hannah, Luke, Jerenne, Sally and Roger headed back home while Darcy, her father and I stayed in the trailer for the night. That was great of them to do that for me. We talked and played Rumikube then went to bed.
The Good news - I spent some time with Darcy and her dad relaxing. Got to sleep in a real bed.
The Bad news - The RV park is next to some train tracks. Active train tracks. Where engineers use horns. A lot. I sang Johnny Cash songs all night.
But off in the morning for a leisurely 68 miles. Started to get rolling hills and it was a little hotter today but still got through with "steam" left at the end.
Since I'm past the half way point, I'd figure I'll do an review of things I've learned or become aware of:
- Hannah - you can't have a horse
- Luke - You cannot bring a cat back home from Uncle Roger's no matter how many times Roger says you can.
- Roger has a cruel sense of humor.
- Aunt Sally is an extremely talented artist. I'd love to spend some time talking art with her.
- Chicken is the other white meat. Pork is THE white meat. And Darcy can cook it better. Case closed.
- Ipods are the greatest invention for long distance bike riding.
Start off with some Praise music, Then the Mavericks, then some Mark Knopfler and Chet Atkins. This is a great CD that played as I entered town today. I've added the lyrics at the bottom.
The people in the towns of Iowa are some of the nicest people you ever want to meet. Every little town would pick a theme and decorate. You'd see people in their front yards at 6:00 AM waving and saying hello and asking where you were from. They also tried to sell you water, Gatorade, pie, "the best pork loin sandwich in Iowa ", bananas and everything including Root beer floats. 
Darcy's family in Iowa , are now my family also. They have treated me so nicely and been great with the kids, I am ashamed I didn't get here before. We are going to get together again in Dyersville (home of the "Field of Dreams"). I'm looking forward to it. Everyone is nicer in Iowa . My father-in-law even offered to get me a drink.
Cedar Falls seems pretty nice. It is the home of Northern Iowa University . I swam at the new Aquatics center then went to the mall to buy some sandals because I lost one of my bike today. That is another story.
I'll close here because there's always tomorrow. Now, If you remember earlier, I listened to the Chet Atkins, Mark Knopfler song, "The next time I'm in town" as I was entering town and thinking of my day and my update. I'll close with their words.
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1 comment:
Thank you!!! Now I can keep up on the family adventures when we can't chat as much as we'd like to! Winston and Bogart want to hear about Bailey too.
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