Author: Paul Rito (Page 6 of 27)

82.5 miles cycling, 1637′ of climbing (3204.9 total) – to read from the beginning, click here.

Joe made us a hearty breakfast — eggs, bacon & sausage for me and a veggie omelet for Dana, and we packed up, said our good-byes and thanks, and headed out. We started on the Illinois and Michigan Canal Trail, but like yesterday’s trail, it quickly lost its charm with bumps and ruts and single tracks. We had to stick it out until we could get off the trail at mile 12 and get back on some better roads.

81.8 miles cycling, 1850′ of climbing (3122.4 total) – to read from the beginning, click here.

Fresh eggs and (for me) bacon awaited us at breakfast. Pat left to go fish for more trout, and Jean went to visit her mother, leaving us to our packing. It would be another long day as we were planning 80+ miles to Peru IL, but with half the ups of the last couple of days. On our way off of Campbell’s Island we visited the local “monument.” Pat & Jean weren’t of the mind that is was a “must see,” but it was on the way out. And while telling them about our woes with Dana’s holey sleeping pad, Pat came out with a brand new pad he got on a swap site for $4 and that Jean insisted needed to get out of the house since neither of them needed it. Heaven sent, these two.

75.8 miles cycling, 2084′ of climbing (3040.6 total) – to read from the beginning, click here.

A breakfast equally as scrumptious as last night’s dinner was waiting for us on waking up today. Peter and Hannah were the most gracious hosts, and it was really a pleasure to meet and talk with them. After breakfast we hit the road again for another long day, this time to complete our personal RAGBRAI in 5 days and cross the 3000 mile mark on this tour.

63.7 miles cycling, 2431′ of climbing (2964.8 total) – to read from the beginning, click here.

After the drama of last night, we got up, packed up, and rode to The Depot, the convenience store catty-corner to Casey’s. We had coffee and something to eat and then hi-tailed it out of there.

65.5 miles cycling, 3019′ of climbing (2901 total) – to read from the beginning, click here.

Another hearty breakfast and thankful good-byes to Scott and Mindy, and Scott’s son Jackson, we headed off in the (continuing) hills of Iowa. Nice quiet roads on Sunday morning though, and we had a nice stop in Reasoner at the Double-D’s bar where we filled up on peanuts in the shell, a couple PBRs, a Corona and the Steelers on TV. Nobody in the bar was the Steelers fan, so I don’t know why that game was on.

47.5 miles cycling, 1203′ of climbing (2825.3 total) – to read from the beginning, click here.

Louise almost bested her dinner with the breakfast she prepared for us, and then she sent us off with a care package of leftover salmon, fresh tomatoes, Caprese and cuke salads, and bread and cheese for lunch. It was a thankfully short day of 33 miles to Des Moines ahead of us with much of it on the Racoon River Valley Trail.

56 miles cycling, 2080′ of climbing (2778 total) – to read from the beginning, click here.

Another day, another wake up (a chilly one), make the coffee, drink the coffee, pack up the tent and get on the road. Winds from the NW gave a tailwind a lot of the way, but whenever we turned North, it was quite tough. Fortunately, it was a relatively short day for us and we had a Warmshowers host for the evening in Redfield which always makes the day more mentally easy.

68.6 miles cycling, 3785′ of climbing (2721.4) – to read from the beginning, click here.

Got up in the morning to the smell of coffee and we sat on the back patio and sipped same with Pat and Mike while watching the fog lift off the Big Muddy. Mike is still working, helping tribal members start businesses and works with them to get contracts and grants with the government. So, we saw him in-between phone calls, but had a great morning’s conversation with both of them . Pat’s a retired nurse and made us a delicious and hearty breakfast.

72.8 miles cycling, 2805′ of climbing (2652.8) – to read from the beginning, click here.

Got up, had some coffee & oatmeal/granola, then headed out for Omaha. We had a pleasant ride on the State highway up until mile 40. Then the Omaha hills started. Lots of hills. We had no idea. A lot of the early hills were on a bike path, so the very busy traffic was only noisy not troubling. The closer we got, however, the trail turned to a very bike unfriendly sidewalk.

60.8 miles cycling, 1136′ of climbing (2580 tot) – to read from the beginning, click here.

The less than Super 8 also had a less than super breakfast, but we did manage to get some nourishment. Today, fortunately, the weather was better. No rain and the wind was at our backs for the first time in 4 days. We were on US highway 275 which was pretty good. Fairly nice shoulders until we got to it a 12 mile construction zone. There were some dicey moments on that section but generally it was fine and flat and again that wind at our back. We made it to West Point in pretty good time and decided that we would continue on to Scribner.