Day 26, Friday, July 25.
Winona, MN to Marquette, IA
Daily Mileage: 95.05 miles
Total Mileage: 2,368.8 miles
Daily Time on Bike: 7:23 hours
Average Speed: 12.8 mph
Maximum Speed: 41.6 mph
Our day started abruptly at 4:30AM this morning. We were awakened by the sounds of an approaching storm. Now, I had no idea we had anything to be concerned with when I heard the thunder and cracks of lightening, but David, being the avid outdoorsman, informed me about ground currents. When lightning strikes the ground, its electricity can travel through the ground and electrocute people lying on the ground—news to me. We packed up camp and rode over to a diner open 24/7. After eating breakfast way too early in the morning, and finishing around 6AM, we went outside to wait out the storm. As people were arriving for breakfast, they found us sitting on the sidewalk by our bikes and a USA Today covering me as I tried to take a nap.
Meanwhile, David talked to a couple probably in their 60s from Columbus, OH would were tandeming from Anacortes, WA to Columbus, OH. I don't think the old guy was having that great of a time because his wife was constantly complaining to him. The beginning of their many hardships along the way came the first day in the mountains when they found themselves stuck in a bad thunderstorm. Half frozen, and extremely tired from climbing all day, they stopped at a ranger station and asked to be taken back down the mountain they just climbed (losing the entire day's work). Before attempting to climb again, they sent back all of their camping equipment to lighten their load (which still weighs 70 pounds!). Doing this has forced them to stay in hotels every night. It sounds like the lady didn’t have a good idea of what she was getting herself into before they started the trip. An aside, sometimes I think about the people we've run into along the way and wonder how their trips are progressing. Have they had the good fortune we've had? Will they make it to the other side of this continent? I wonder what adventures they're finding themselves in. These things I only can imagine, and will probably never know.
Today's highlight was getting our heads shaved. As we rolled across the Iowa border, we found ourselves in a little town no bigger than a couple hundred people. Sitting in his barbershop with the screen door ajar was Walt—one of those old barbers who you could tell by just looking at him knew how to cut hair well. He charged $3.00 for a haircut and $2.00 for a shave. We got out of there with freshly shaven heads for $5.00! (Looking back now, I’m not exactly sure with his prices how we ended up at $5.00. I think it might have been two shaves and a $1.00 tip.)
Tonight, we have camped behind a small restaurant. It's so unbearably hot and humid it's impossible to be comfortable in our tent. Our sleep sacks are just wet rags now, soaked with huge amounts of sweat. Noise from passing cars and trains insure that we're not going to be sleeping tonight.
(Photo: Tim showing that the “Welcome to Iowa” sign makes him smile.)
Daily Mileage: 95.05 miles
Total Mileage: 2,368.8 miles
Daily Time on Bike: 7:23 hours
Average Speed: 12.8 mph
Maximum Speed: 41.6 mph
Our day started abruptly at 4:30AM this morning. We were awakened by the sounds of an approaching storm. Now, I had no idea we had anything to be concerned with when I heard the thunder and cracks of lightening, but David, being the avid outdoorsman, informed me about ground currents. When lightning strikes the ground, its electricity can travel through the ground and electrocute people lying on the ground—news to me. We packed up camp and rode over to a diner open 24/7. After eating breakfast way too early in the morning, and finishing around 6AM, we went outside to wait out the storm. As people were arriving for breakfast, they found us sitting on the sidewalk by our bikes and a USA Today covering me as I tried to take a nap.
Meanwhile, David talked to a couple probably in their 60s from Columbus, OH would were tandeming from Anacortes, WA to Columbus, OH. I don't think the old guy was having that great of a time because his wife was constantly complaining to him. The beginning of their many hardships along the way came the first day in the mountains when they found themselves stuck in a bad thunderstorm. Half frozen, and extremely tired from climbing all day, they stopped at a ranger station and asked to be taken back down the mountain they just climbed (losing the entire day's work). Before attempting to climb again, they sent back all of their camping equipment to lighten their load (which still weighs 70 pounds!). Doing this has forced them to stay in hotels every night. It sounds like the lady didn’t have a good idea of what she was getting herself into before they started the trip. An aside, sometimes I think about the people we've run into along the way and wonder how their trips are progressing. Have they had the good fortune we've had? Will they make it to the other side of this continent? I wonder what adventures they're finding themselves in. These things I only can imagine, and will probably never know.
Today's highlight was getting our heads shaved. As we rolled across the Iowa border, we found ourselves in a little town no bigger than a couple hundred people. Sitting in his barbershop with the screen door ajar was Walt—one of those old barbers who you could tell by just looking at him knew how to cut hair well. He charged $3.00 for a haircut and $2.00 for a shave. We got out of there with freshly shaven heads for $5.00! (Looking back now, I’m not exactly sure with his prices how we ended up at $5.00. I think it might have been two shaves and a $1.00 tip.)
Tonight, we have camped behind a small restaurant. It's so unbearably hot and humid it's impossible to be comfortable in our tent. Our sleep sacks are just wet rags now, soaked with huge amounts of sweat. Noise from passing cars and trains insure that we're not going to be sleeping tonight.
(Photo: Tim showing that the “Welcome to Iowa” sign makes him smile.)
