Back To School

Of things I wish I could do, returning to my high school years would not be very high on that list. Or on that list at all. Not that high school was particularly terrible but it’s certainly not something I’m looking to experience again. Of course, as a wise man once said, “You can’t alway get what you want.” And as for getting what you need, well … today my need for accommodation would find me back in high school again. And it was pretty great.

My plan for the day was a pretty modest ride of about 90 km to the town of Onslow, IA (just north of the town Wyoming, IA). The ride was made modest-er (I know, not a word) with the assistance of a tailwind. Yes, that’s right. I actually had a tailwind. Well, it was actually more of a crosswind but, in my world, that seems to be the closest I get to a tailwind.

In addition to the somewhat favourable winds, the sun was doing its finest to make it another hot day on the bike. Not having to fight a headwind made the heat much more manageable and, dare I say, enjoyable. My attempts at further aiding the heat management department by getting a bit of an early start (i.e., 8:00 AM) didn’t really work out as it was 27°C (80°C) at my time of departure. There would be much water consumed today – despite the somewhat short distance.

After the long, straight roads of Indiana and Illinois, my first cycling foray into the Iowa countryside revealed some very scenic rolling hills. Some rolled more than others but it was a very nice ride. Rolling hills can be pretty great especially when they’re spaced accordingly so that the momentum of the descents carry you up and over the following climb. That happened on more than one occasion today and each time it did it made me smile.

As has become the norm, there were a few navigation hiccups along today’s route. Well, the hiccups were actually avoided but there were certainly some very poor recommendations being put forth by both Garmin and Google. In the end I opted to go my own way. I guess that’s hardly surprising at this point.

As mentioned in the previous update, my accommodation for the evening was courtesy of a last minute Warm Showers response that I had received last night. Much to my surprise, my hosts Marilyn and Mat live in an old high school. Despite my lack of desire to return to high school, after seeing their place I now want to live in a school (add that to the long list of places I want to live based on the homes I’ve visited via the Warm Showers community). Seriously, the school has a full size gymnasium. So fun.

In addition to exploring the old school turned home, Marilyn also gave me a tour of the area including some of the farm equipment they have. Being the city boy that I am, I was more than a little impressed by the scale of the seeders and combines they had … and the size of the barn/shed/garage in which they stored said equipment. Had my timing been better, there may have even been an opportunity to ride in one of the combines. Of course, it’s still a BIT early to be harvesting the corn (especially since everything is behind schedule due to the wet spring). Anyway, Marilyn did say that I had an open invitation to return during harvest season. I’m not sure if I can make that happen but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to return.

Today’s totals:
Distance: 89.04 km
Ride time: 4:04:54
Average speed: 21.81 km/h
Maximum speed: 45.44 km/h