It is too hot! May 11

 Sorry I didn’t post last night.  I think that as people travel with more devices, the Wi-Fi systems, even at a Holiday Inn, high end for us, get overwhelmed.  When that happens, I can’t load photos.

We rode 57 miles from Waterloo to Cedar Rapids along a lovely rail trail.  The ride started out splendidly, but as the day progressed and the temperature went over 90 degrees, a record for Iowa, we wilted.  We had decided to ride in May this year after experiencing too much 90 degree weather in upstate New York last August.  So it goes.  

Our route was on an old electric train line most of the way, with some nice views and considerably more trees than on the previous day’s road.  

                            Where are we?  We saw lots of Virginia bluebells along the trail.

               A small obstruction on the trail.  Later a bridge out sent us on detour off the trail.

Interesting way to park a bike.

Ice cream stop.  We were so eager to eat that we almost forgot to record out treat for posterity.

These guys had the right idea on a hot day. 

Fried Margaret.  No political commentary implied. 

Where are the trees? May 10

 We rode 61 miles to Waterloo, Iowa.  The winds were much calmer today and still generally behind us.  It was very hot again, 90 degrees in the afternoon.  We were on nice country roads with rolling hills, increasingly conscious of how few trees there are.  Our route took us past past vast, bare fields, with very few wind blocks and trees only around the occasional farm house. At about mile 52, we got on a rail trail with trees and shrubs on either side and felt much cleaner and cooler.

Evening meeting on Sunday.  Every evening before a ride we get together to go over the next day’s route and logistics for the day.  Most important is where the van will meet us to lay out the lunch spread.  I sometimes wonder if others in the hotel think we are a group of Quakers, as we ask each other, “Where is meeting tonight?”

I liked the juxtaposition of old and new in this scene.  We have passed many wind turbines in the fields.

                                                   

Day off, then back on the road. May 8 and 9

 My Mother’s Day treat was a visit with college friends who live in a suburb of Des Moines.  Meeting up with old friends and talking nonstop gives one a great feeling of connectedness.  And icing on the cake was joining them for a concert by the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra.  I was delighted to hear Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto, a great favorite of mine for many years.

Today we rode 70 miles to Marshalltown, Iowa.  It was a very windy day, but for part of the way we had great tailwinds.  And it is hot, 90 degrees today and tomorrow.  We are a tired, slightly sunburned crew this evening, but generally pleased that we can still make it.

                                                              Champagne toast to old friends 

The flag’s didn’t want to stay on the poles today.  We had a steady 25 mph wind, with gusts that went higher.  Thank goodness we weren’t riding into it.

                                             Murals welcoming us to small towns along the trail

                                                            Dandelions having their day

A caboose fittingly marking the end of a trail

                          

       

                    Lots of blossoms and red wing blackbirds today.  The blossoms are easier to photograph.

Two fine rides, May 6 and 7

 Our idea for this trip is to ride the Eastern part of the Great American Rail Trail, or GART.  GART is a work in progress, an effort to link the country on rail trails, old railway routes now converted to bike and pedestrian routes, and the stretch from Council Bluffs to Panora is an idea yet to be realized.  However, the route between Panora and MAdrid (not to be confused with MaDRID), Friday’s 41 mile ride, and today’s 44 mile ride into Des Moines, feature wonderful trails.  And the sun was shining, the winds mostly benign, and the hills shorter.  

The highlight of the two days, and indeed, it may prove to be a highlight of the whole trip, was the High Trestle Bridge and Trail.  

The High Trestle Bridge over the Des Moines River, was built on the pilings of the railroad bridge, after the old bridge was dismantled and used in a highway bridge. The arches echo the shape of coal mine cribbing, as this was coal country. 

View out over the bridge

In the evening, we drove back out far a quite magical walk on the lighted bridge 

I suspect we will see many restored stations along the way.  This one had a small museum, picnics area, and rest rooms. 

Yes, we are in Iowa farmland. 

                         John at an intersection.  This stretch of trail was concrete, and very smooth riding.

                           We rode for several miles along Saylorville Lake, a large, dammed lake. 

Not all the trail was so smooth.  Of course, we did ride through the trail closed sign. Most of the mile long stretch was easier going than the gravel road we encountered earlier in the week.

                                      A view of the botanical garden and downtown Des Moines.

                                                                                 Peace

More hills and wind, May 4 and 5

Yesterday we rode 46 miles of hills and headwinds, high temperature about 52, to a great Airbnb outside of Adair.  We never saw the town, whose claim to fame is the birthplace of Johnny Carson.  The final 6 miles of yesterday’s ride was on a hilly dirt and gravel road.  Many rural roads here are unpaved, not so great for riding.  I walked some of that stretch yesterday, as it felt better and safer than riding on very tired legs. 

Today we had a 34 mile ride scheduled into Panora, but with rain, wind, and continued cool temperatures, we rented a U Haul and shuttled instead of biking. No one complained! Panora was originally Panorama, and the large lake here is still called that, but somehow the town name was shortened.  After two challenging days, and most of us not in great biking shape, the day off was most welcome. 

I haven’t been taking many photos because it takes too much time and effort to take off my gloves.  Tomorrow I think I can expose my fingers to the elements.

            So, far, the western skies have been overcast and the scenic byways rough going. 

We have passed a couple of vineyards, but no sight of Iowa wine. In this case, 

no sight of vines.

When we stay at Airbnbs, we take turns making dinner. Hope prepared a marvelous chickpea curry.

Back on the road: Council Bluffs to Avoca

 I flew into Omaha on Sunday to join my bike group in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  We are currently 13, all but one are old friends from previous trips. Yesterday was a bust—a cold, windy, steady rain all day.  Fortunately, we had just planned to check out our bikes with some local sightseeing.  Instead, I did a lot of reading, with exciting breaks to climb the hotel stairs.

Although today felt more like March, highs around 50 and winds frequently blowing in our faces, we had no rain on our 50 mile ride.  We did discover that all the warnings about the the hills of Iowa are indeed correct.  We encountered one unexpected challenge about four miles into the ride, a long stretch of mud, as the bike path was under repair.  I was one of the advance team who waded in to see how far the path was torn up.  I made it about six feet, and after all of Monday’s rain, was quickly getting mired in the mud.  It took about 45 minutes to get enough mud off my tires and shoes so that I could ride.  That did give those who avoided the mud a chance to map out an alternative route, which fortunately only added about three miles to the route. 

The Bob Kerrey bike and pedestrian bridge crossing the not-so-wide Missouri River 

between Omaha and Council Bluffs 

This impressive fellow looked like us checking the weather

Murals in the village of Neola where we stopped for lunch.

My favorite sight of the day, a Beetle spider on a side street in Avoca. Why?

A fine final day—September 1

 We had a beautiful 42 mile ride from Middlebury into Burlington, with views of Lake Champlain and across the lake into the Adirondacks.  We rode through those mountains!  We rode just about 1250 miles in the course of a month.  We saw lovely scenery, struggling small towns, and some struggling not so small towns. There were lots of Trump flags in the rural areas, not nearly enough people wearing masks, dramatic labor shortages, many friendly and curious people, and not as many other bikers as we expected. New York is developing great biking infrastructure, lots of trails and protected lanes, very good signage, and lots of information and suggested routes available on line.  It’s not quite as sophisticated as what we found in Quebec, but New York is well on its way.  Now if they could just put in some switchbacks on the steeper hills.

I’ve made many visits to Middlebury and never saw this tribute to Emma Willard until this morning.  

A bucolic view of Vermont cows, with the Adirondacks in the far distance 

Hope is a retired teacher who remembers how to make a paper hat and sing 

My Hat It Has Three Corners. 

When our group shrunk to eight, the six of us rode together most of the time.  We were a very congenial and supportive party.  I hope to ride with all of them again.