|
Most days during this week, Jeff did most of the taking down of our tent. He just usually got around a little earlier than me. This day he wasn’t here at all because he had stayed the night in Eldora in a nice comfortable bed at Auntie Veronica’s. So, I took the tent down and placed my bag and Jeff’s bag on the truck.
All of us were pretty much going our own way this day. Jeff began about 2 hours ahead of the rest of us because that is about how far Eldora was past Iowa Falls. Brian rode with the boys as far as the breakfast town stop, but then he wanted to get to Marshalltown fast so that he could get a ride home for the night. He claimed to have some bookwork he needed to do, but we heard he went out to supper with Sheryl.
I rode by myself because I wanted to stop by Auntie Veronica’s house in Eldora and then stop by my aunt and uncle’s (June and John) place just south of Union.
I arrived at Veronica’s about 8:30 AM. She immediately asked if I wanted anything for breakfast, so I accepted a couple slices of peanut butter toast. Perfect! We talked for about half an hour then I told her I was going to have to get back on the ride. I did take a picture of her before I left. She is doing quite well I think. She said she is walking 3 or 4 times a day. She also enjoyed having Jeff stay overnight with her, very much.
Next, I went on to Union. I was once again in dire need of cash so I went into the bank and used their ATM. Then I stopped at a food tent and got a bar-b-que sandwich. I asked for a Gatorade to take with me, and when they told me it only cost $1, I said that I would take two.
I rode on south of Union looking for June and John’s house. I thought it was only 2-3 miles south of Union but it ended up being 4-5 miles south.
Jeff had gotten there early in the morning, about 8 or 8:30 I think. I guess that he had to knock on the door and practically wake them up because they weren’t expecting him quite so early. Mom, my brother Steve, his children Beth and Justin, and my brother Scott must have arrived while Jeff was there because Steve took a couple pictures of Jeff while he was there.
Jeff took off toward Marshalltown, where he was going to meet Mindy and Anna. They were going to spend some time together that afternoon. After Jeff left June and John’s, my cousin Dave Grett showed up. Dave and his son Sam started riding in Iowa Falls. I didn’t know they were going to be in the ride, but I happened to see them walking around the high school in Iowa Falls the previous afternoon. I told them that we’d be stopping at June and John’s along the way so they were looking for the house.
While Dave was at June and John’s, Brian showed up, and then shortly thereafter I showed up. Brian and Dave only stayed for a short while before leaving. I had decided that I would wait for Josh and Ryan so I sat and visited for a while. Before Josh and Ryan got there, Dave’s son Sam rode in with his friend. Sam had been sick to his stomach that morning which is why he was behind most of the rest of us. He is probably the fastest rider of all of us.
This day was definitely the windiest day we had to deal with. We were riding south almost all day and the wind was directly from the south at about 15 miles per hour.
Sam and his friend left, then about 12:15 Josh and Ryan wheeled in. After resting for a few minutes and refilling water bottles, everyone began to disperse from June and John’s. Josh, Ryan and I began riding south toward Marshalltown. A few moments later Steve and Scott drove south on the same road as the bicycles. As they passed us Scott leaned out the window and got a couple decent pictures of Josh, Ryan and me.
When we left June and John’s house we almost immediately got into our first stretch of gravel road. Over the course of the rest of the week I think we encountered about 3 or 4 two mile stretches of gravel road that we had to navigate. Those riders with mountain bikes probably thought it was nothing but those of us with road bikes had a little more treacherous time. There were a least a few riders that went down in the gravel areas.
The only stop I made between June and John’s and Marshalltown was for some homemade ice cream. I saw a stand on the side of the road offering some, so I stopped for about 15 minutes.
Josh and Ryan made real good time between June and John’s and Marshalltown. I believe they stopped once as well and I only got into town about 30 minutes before them.
Jeff had already set up the tent by the time I got to Marshalltown, and was enjoying time with Mindy and Anna. We were camping at Riverview Park and they had some showers set up at an old swimming pool. The lines were long and the water was ice cold. Typical.
After showering, I sat around for a while with Jeff and Mindy. We ate some pizza and rehydrated with beverages. About 5 PM or so Mindy packed up and left. Brian had already left for the night with my mom, so Josh and Ryan and Jeff and I rode the shuttle to the downtown area. We got some food, wandered around for a little while, then rode the shuttle back to the campground.
They actually had some good food right at the campground, no more than 50 feet from our tent. I particularly enjoyed the frozen Snickers candy bar. I also tried a foot long corn dog, which I wasn’t incredibly impressed with.
|
