Ride Day #10 - Pass the salt, please.....

Corn, corn, corn.
I have now seen Iowa corn fields. They are just as I imagined except....the terrain is a lot more hilly than I thought ( hoped ) it would be.

We left Dyersville this morning and headed directly south....working our way into Illinois. The route was a big one today....96 miles. No one made it the whole way. Everyone of the riders, myself included asked to ride in the van today. Why???? WIND. Relentless warm wind.

Normally, we ride at about 15-17 mph with no tailwind....
Today, we barely broke 10 mph...even the strongest riders barely broke 10 mph. We were heading south but the wind was coming from the south. It came at us at 30 mph with gusts upto 35 mph.
When you're riding out in the open fields, there are no wind breakers...no trees, no buildings...nothing to help shield you from the wind.

We had complete opposite weather in terms of heat and dryness....we were riding in 89* today. It was definitely a challenge.

The fields, barns, farms were so pretty to look at...but after about 42 miles (which really feels like 82 miles in this wind)......we were all totally exhausted, totally done with corn fields. We decided it was time to get out of the saddle, get in the van and go have some salted corn chips with ice cold delicious beverages.

Tomorrow is a 'rest day' - no riding. We'll spend tonight and tomorrow night here in Muscatine, Iowa. On Wednesday, we'll begin our trek east as we head for Kewanee, Illinois.


A few photos I was able to capture today...

A sample of the beautiful farms....

Me in a small town we passed thru....practically a ghost town.....

Another small town...the City Hall is the size of a large storage shed. Look at the vintage gas pumps....

The wind blew down this shed/barn a few days ago....

Iowa American pride...

Ride Day #9 - Stormy weather brings sunshine...

Well....unfortunately, I was pulled off the road today.
The route was a short 46 miles...and I only made it to mile 31.
But it was a CRAZY 31 miles! It was nuts...I mean N U T S !!!

All riders were pulled off the road due to extreme weather.

We were on a busy Interstate in the north east part of Iowa working our way south to Illinois.... paying close attention to the road because the pot holes out here can send you to the hospital quickly.....

Rain was pouring....Cars were whizzn' by us...spraying even more water on us....we were climbing hills....flyn' downhill.....the thunder was ROARING.....lightening was flashing in the sky.....but it was all so FUN in a scary sort of way. Somehow I felt like I was "getting away with something" because there was this overwhelming feeling of 'no way should I be doing this'....BUT I WAS !!!!!

Then, at mile 31..... It was as though the Principle came and made us come inside (the Tour Guides pulled up in the van and made us load our bikes and drove us the rest of the way to the hotel). --- (( I felt like pouting as any 9-year old kid playing in the rain would do!))

Prior to being pulled off, I was able to snap a couple of pictures......we rode thru a couple of old towns that looked like movie sets .....and saw some absolutely beautiful green forests. At one point I just couldn't believe the color of the forest--- It was truly truly magical---hard to describe how verdant, vibrant and rich the forest here is. It was cold, I was soaked to the bone....but I had bright sunshine in my soul!


The old town of Guttenberg ( from the mid 1800s)....

A sign on the door of the town Bar....

Weather, hills, fun......

A local merchant tucked away in the green forest...

Ride Day #8 - Listening To My Mother

I listened to my mother while in Iowa today.

I realllllly wanted to be able to say I rode every mile of this journey. Unfortunately, I had to face the reality of my left knee ( for days it's been 'speaking' to me every mile). Because I was in bad shape with pain yesterday, I decided to do only 1/2 of the ride today. That said, I road only 35 miles.....but it was 35 miles of hills!! (what happen to flat corn fields of Iowa?-- I was riding in pine tree forests along sandstone bluffs).

So, I swallowed my pride knowing I have 5 more weeks of riding ( it's embarrassing when these older ladies are asking me how my aches and pains are!!!) In my head, I keep hearing my mom say "come on Jeanette, be smart...take care of yourself".

The miles I did ride were beautiful. We crossed into Iowa today, riding along the shores of the Mississippi River again....then turning slightly inward. The highlight of the day was stopping at The National Effigy Mounds Monument . This is the place where the sacred Indian burial grounds have been discovered (some archeologist believe these may be as old as 1000 bc). It was pretty cool - check it out on google if you get a chance.

Towards the end of my ride today, I saw this beautiful old church & cemetery. It looked like something you'd see in Europe. It was so beautiful tucked away in these luscious green hills. I stopped in the church and said a prayer......
I prayed for FLAT corn fields.


Today's photos......

Ride Day #7 -- A "B-I-G" day in Wisconsin ....

I have seen Minnesota!
I bet I've seen more of it than most MinnesOtains!
The state is beautiful....the people are so friendly and the drivers were so courteous.

We began our trek to Wisconsin today.....
We cycled for miles and miles along the Mississippi River again. It was so scenic. I now really have a first-hand view and understanding about how powerful and important this river has been in our American history.

On the journey we went thru many small towns and lots of farm land (one town had a population of 63 -- can you imagine?)

Our final destination today is the city of La Crosse. It is located in the western border of the mid section of Wisconsin. This town has a lot of history and is now a big city.

On the last 25 miles I had a really rough time (the wind was up.....my knee pain was strong...and once again...the route map was not exactly clear).

My riding partner and I took a wrong turn and ended up on this crazy dirt road....it was rrrrreally rough..dirty....windy...rocky...and cold. We were so frustrated and tired (it was a 71 mile route today so we really didn't want to do any extra miles due to being lost).

All of a sudden, the road dropped us into this little neighborhood...basically in someone's backyard. There was this woman bending over in her yard with her BIG ( and i mean B-I-G ) Wisconsin booty in the air. My partner looks over at me and says "See, it wasn't that bad...we could be pulling weeds".

Off to Iowa tomorrow.

A few photos from today.....

Here's one sign we don't see too often in Costa Mesa....a different kind of 'road kill'...

Me crossing a really old, cool bridge into Wisconsin ....

Crossing state lines.....

Ride Day #6 - What goes up.....must come down! (at 37 mph )

Today was a blast!!!!
It was a blast even though the Tour Guide started our morning 'Route' briefing with the opening statement "Today is all about hills!"....Boy, was she right! We climbed and climbed and climbed!

Almost every hill we climbed had a killer downhill (at one point I clocked 37 mph and got a little (a lot) nervous.... so I actually rode the brakes for awhile!
My body felt the best ever today...I climbed those hills very strong today... I think because I was so excited about the great ride!

The scenery today just kept getting better and better! We cycled forever around Lake Pepen (which is actually the Mississippi River -- they call it a lake 'cause it's about 8 miles wide....it was a bbbbbbeautiful ! We went thru Red Wing City (home of the great American shoe company).... And then thru several more 'quaint' towns and beautiful scenery.

We ended our ride (84.2 miles that is!) in Wabasha, MN.....the 'claim to fame in this town is that the movie "Grumpy Old Men" was filmed here. (There's actually more interesting history with Sioux Indians...but hey....we're Americans...so...Hollywood rules!)

Tomorrow, we will work our way to La Crosse, Wisconsin.

A few photos from today.....

Me and a couple of my riding partners in front of the historic Red Wing building

--Me exiting the "Green Room" --- (aka: mother nature's restroom -- when you gotta go...you gotta go!)

-- Wabasha's 'claim to fame......

Me and my NEW BEST FRIEND!!!

Ride Day #5 --- Problem / Solution....

Today was a GREAT day ( in spite of the wind -- but I'm no longer complaining about weather!!!)
I rode 110.7 miles today (even though the route was only 106 miles....my riding partners and I got lost for a couple of miles (not a good time to get lost...no one wants to put extra miles on an already 100+ mile day--- but...it happens).

I quickly partnered up with two gals who have the same riding style/speed as I do....
We rode the entire route together...it was a lot of work...a lot of sweat, a lot of hills...
But overall ALOT OF FUN!!

At about mile 85 I had a big problem....my legs were running out of gas. I needed a solution (One can only eat so many 'Power Bars')...... I looked to my right....ah ha...my solution!!! (see photo)

The photo with the river in the background is the St. Croix River we crossed on our way into Wisconsin . The other photo is me with my riding partners in front of a beautiful Lilac tree (there are zillions of Lilac trees in full bloom right now - mile after mile the fragrance in the air was so intoxicating).

Tomorrow is a 'rest day' --- no riding...we'll let our bodies recover...the riders will take time to enjoy the quaint little town of Stillwater....except me......I'll be returning the tractor.

Ride Day #4 - Riding with Gratitude

It was sort of a strange day today.......
As I got up and rode my bike....many, many people were dealing with the results of devastating tornados....
--- a good part of this morning's ride gave me a lot of time to reflect and renew my sense of gratitude and appreciation ( it's so crazy how in a matter of moments, one's life can totally be turned upside down---in a matter of moments all the small stuff we sweat....and all the things we take for granted can totally get into perspective).
Crazy but true.


Today we went thru some rrrrrreally small towns .....had lunch at a real 'local's" cafe called "Grub & Pub"..... Inside the cafe was one of those signs that you just have to take a photo of!

I'll make this short now as I must get sleep! -- tomorrow we do 106 miles...we're going from Milaca, MN to Stillwater, MN -- our route will take us into Wisconsin for a few miles...and then back into Minnesota.

Signing out now .....with a deeper sense of gratitude for all the goodness in my life...that includes YOU!

Ride Day #3....Thumbs up!

Whew.
Exhausted.
82.3 miles today.
Rained all day except for the last 10 miles....
Wind all day....
Both rain and wind were 'manageable' ( compared to the last two days )...
Enough about the weather....
Except this.....
Tomorrow there are tornado warnings nearby.
Frankly...I'm too tired to even think about that right now!

The ride was really beautiful today....lots of green pastures, rolling hills, beautiful farm houses, lots of 'friendly' farm animals and wild-life. For the most part...it's just such peaceful and carefree riding.... Except for when the occasional big barking dog comes out to chase us... (that's a pretty tense scary feeling-- you have to really yell your guts out and try to scare the dog into submission before he scares you into a ditch!)

The first photo is when we stopped to feed the horses some of our apples and granola bars....the second photo is taken just a couple of miles from our final stop today....Thats the Missippi River in 'Little Falls' , Minn.

Tomorrow will be an 'easy day'..... A mere 57 miles. Never thought I'd say this but.....hopefully we're being chased by dogs and not tornados !

Ride Day #2 - Lesson of the day......

Lesson of the day.....BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR!

Remember yesterday when I wrote " I would rather have pouring down rain vs wind".....
Well.....today was 'Mother Nature' testing me with that!

We did 59 miles today and the first 25 miles the rain rrrrreally came down on us! But, the good news is the wind was not nearly as crazy as yesterday!

That said, it was really an enjoyable day (( but I have to admit....I didn't really see the first 25 miles. Why? Because I left my freakn rain/weather eye glasses in my garage drawer....in Costa Mesa-- so....there I was......head down.....staring at the back tire of the gal in front of me for miles and miles 'cause the rain was pelting down in my eyes!

When the rain eased up a bit...I was able to lift my head as i rode.....I saw the beautiful rolling hills....the beautiful country farms...the beautiful horses in pastures. Really lovely, gentle country views. Minnesota IS green, green, green (we know they get rain!)

About my photos.....We started the day in Pelican Falls (their 'claim to fame is a 15' pelican....We had lunch in Ottertown(a one-restaurant town -- "Betty's Diner"......We're getting some 'small town' culture!

On more thing to share....I was riding along..... this "experience/seasoned" (aka: 67 year old) gal whizzed by me (she's one of the fastest riders) and offered me this advice....
"The higher the gear...the quicker to the beer!!"

Ride Day #1.....One word to describe it......

BRUTAL.

57.97 miles but it felt like 100 miles....
Without exaggeration (seriously) we had head winds 90-95% of the day....
The wind just blew and blew and blew the ENTIRE day....20-25 mph...with gusts up to 30+ mph!
Several points throughout the day I felt like I had to really hold on to keep upright!
We had a little rain... I would have preferred pouring rain over the wind!

They say Minnesota is " land of lakes" -- we rode by so many beautiful bodies of water.... But I'm not convinced they were 'lakes' cause there were white cap WAVES on the water-- the wind was really something!!!

I am in awe of some of these ladies... They make 60+ years of age look amazing....
They all are out in a bar now ......and I'm laying here... knees elevated with ice (( maybe I should ask one of them to bring me some vodka and a couple of olives!!!)))

When all is said and done... And at end of this day.... I'm still smiln' and livin' the dream!
( note the photo of me in Fargo .... It's before we began to ride...I was still smilin!)

JM

Welcome to Fargo....

Off to a bumpy start inasmuch as my plane was delayed in Denver (due to thunderstorms). At one point it looked like I wasn't getting to Fargo but would be spending the night in the airport! When all was said and done I arrived on Wednesday as hoped for....5 hrs late... But... I made it!! ----

Note: On my way to Fargo, I sat next to a native Fargonian..... And he said to me "you're lucky you're getting out if Fargo on a bike.... This time of year we leave by boat!!!". (((( guess the Red River flooding is a big deal each year for this town))).
Anyway.....

Today, I picked up my bike from the designated hosting bike shop in Fargo. I'm happy to report Fedex did a great job getting my bike here safely and the shop did a super job getting it back together. I took it for a quick spin to make sure all parts were in the right setting ......other than a minor adjustment... Im good to go!"

We had the orientation meeting today --- some really great ladies from all over the country!
Had our first group dinner tonight .....prime rib, mashed potatoes, cheesecake...etc! (if i come back 20 lbs heavier don' be surprised!!)

Tomorrow we put the rubber on the road - our first day of cycling.... And rain is forecasted.... Fortunately, at this point.... A bike will do just fine!

My Tour Overview.....

I'm so excited !    This type of 'road trip' is top of my 'bucket list'! 

I'll cycle thru 12 states... approx. 2400+ miles.... total of 43 days.  I'll be traveling with a small group of women... the 'average age' of 55 years (can you believe I'm one of the youngest riders ?? – It’s been awhile since I’ve been one of the ‘youngest’ anything !)

We'll start our cross-country tour  in Fargo, No. Dakota and finish up in Bar Harbor, Maine (for those of you who need a geography refresh... that's No. Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine). 

We’ll bike through small towns... cycle the shores of Minnesota lakes....onwards to  two of the 'Great Lakes' – Erie and Ontario.... and then to the fantastic Niagara Falls (which we'll see from the Canadian side).  We'll bike through Adirondack State Park, near the shores of Lake Champlain and over the Green Mountains of Vermont --- experiencing small town America. We’ll end our tour by dipping our tires in the Atlantic Ocean (and then, to 'refuel'...we'll  stuff ourselves with Maine lobster !!)

Fortunately, this tour will have a ‘support’ team!  The tour group organizer (Woman Tours) will be shuttling our luggage, providing us with ‘pit stops’ for water, food fuel, cheers, etc! --- And best of all, we will have hot showers and cozy beds all along the way (hotels -- no camping !!!).

I will try to keep in touch by 'blogging'  and posting a few photos every few days!  (I promise... future blogs will be much shorter !)

        Thank you everyone for your well wishes !!  This is going to be a blast!

          Pray for strong tail winds and strong knees !