Date:
25.05.2018
Altitude:
3097.1 ft (944 m)
Distance:
78.60 mi (126.50 km)
Total
Altitude: 47792.0 ft (14567 m)
Total
Distance: 1752.21 mi (2819.92 km)
So
far I had experienced the the highest temperatures in Iowa, and today
it was again a hot day. Although the temperatures didn't reach 90°F
(32°C) like yesterday, but today it was quite humid as well. So it
felt a lot hotter and I needed a lot of fluid to not dehydrate.
Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer. Let's see how that will go.
The
day was again really exhausting. As I already realized yesterday, the
terrain wasn't flat. At least today I was prepared for it and knew
what to expect. But I had the feeling, there was even more uphill
today. There was a constant up and down throughout the day and at the
end of the day there was a longer downhill to Elkport and the Volga
River and just after that a longer uphill. I really could have done
without the uphill at the end of the day, especially after I ran out
of water. The scenery along the way was quite similar to the last few
days, corn and bean fields along the route. In addition to the fields
along the way, there were quite a few cattle farms along the way. On
the route I took today, there was more traffic than the last few days
especially the last few miles going to Elkader on IA13. The traffic
here was probably so bad because of the Memorial Day weekend. The
worst part about it, most of the roads didn't have a paved shoulder.
But twice today I didn't have any traffic or almost any traffic for a
few miles. The first time was in the beginning of the day, when I was
cycling back to the Northern Tier route from Monticello. Here I was
going on unpaved back roads for about 10 miles. The second time was
only for about 6 miles, but again on gravel. This time I was going on
a trail closed for motorized vehicles, between Farley and Dyersville.
The trail was nice for a change, not having to worry about
cars/trucks coming from behind. Going on gravel for almost 16 miles
today, I was really happy I opted for the wide tires when configuring
my bike.
Today
I had again a really nice encounter on the road. When I stopped at
the side of the road to take a break, a semi truck stopped on the
other side of the road. The driver got out and walked over to me.
Asking me where I'm going and about my trip. He was explaining that
he himself is riding a bike and told me I should take part in RAGBRAI
(a bicycle ride across Iowa), if I'm ever planning on coming to Iowa
again. After a few minutes we parted ways again. It is is just great
how many great people you meet along the way.
Conclusion
for the day:
The
wide tires are in my opinion the best option to be prepared for
everything on the trip.
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