Day 20 – July 6th

Buzzing along the bike trail leading into Des Moines Iowa, we slowly made our way along the tree shrouded lane and towards the 20 mile point where we would disembark from the trail and once again be on the car laden roads of Iowa. Arriving at 73rd street, Gary and I crossed under the road and we made our way out of the park and saw Larry crouching hidden dragon style with his camera fluttering. Larry the Laugher also had a great surprise in store for us; how he arranged it remains one of the great mysteries of this ride. Where the bike path ended and the street began sat a long lost friend; Starbucks. Soon I was lounging in a comfy chair, engulfed in the aroma of coffee, sipping a white coffee mocha, and plotting out the details for our course today. It was a great way to start the ride.

Consuming the final drops of flavor, I left the coffee house behind and was flying over the rough shod streets of Des Moines; with each stroke coming closer to the stopping point for the next two days; Fremont, Iowa. Awaiting us in Fremont was a soft bed, a day off the bike, Gary’s lovely bride Kathy, her gracious and accommodating mother, and a delicious spread consisting of meatloaf, corn, mashed potatoes and a warm peach cobbler topped off with homemade ice cream. To say we were excited about this particular stop over point is an understatement; all of us were as overjoyed at the prospect of Fremont.

We fought a head/cross wind the entire ride of our journey today; but it was tolerable since we have dealt with worse. Along the ride I once again was surprised with the machine I call my body. My knees have both been behaving themselves the last couple of days, and my legs have felt surprisingly fresh. Not too deep, but still strong and able to maintain a steady pace during the course of the day. I was also able to thank Gary for all those times he pulled me over roads these last several years by rewarding him in kind today. I hope my limbs continue to feel as limber and solid for the next two weeks. Two weeks; WOW! To think in less than 14 days this opportunistic adventure of motion will come to its climatic finally on the shores of the eastern seaboard. Amazing to reflect on all the miles we have tallied thus far, and of the miles and scenery yet to come. While I am glad for the rest day that tomorrow will bring, I still find myself aching for the saddle and to be moving once more. I guess I’m just a vagabond with a bike.

The environment we tarried through today was yet another crossing of the green ocean that this fertile land has become through the hard and expert work of the laborers of the land. Any direction you peered, green was the answer to your searching gaze. Green upon green upon green, only occasionally broken by a small copse of humanity. What a vast frontier of food this state is! A true bread basket of a great county, and with the global markets, the entire world. The Midwest never ceases to amaze me in all its simple spectacular glory.

Rising with the road, after a brief exertion to gain the elevation the hill demanded, I found myself in a cleft between two ridges of topsoil. On both sides of the straight and narrow grew a purple array of tiny wild flowers. As I made my trek through the hundred yards of highway they encompassed, I was struck with a faint hint of a fragrance I had experienced before. This particular serenade of the senses, which merely tickled my memory, slowly brought to surface the image of freshly cleaned bedding; bedding that had been hung out to dry in a crisp early spring morning, and was just being climbed into for the first time. The flowers that generated this flash of the past were a soft hue of violet and their colors and fragrance were both mild but engaging. During the course of the day I saw these small bells of violet scattered along the ditch several times, and even now I can still smell them. Beautiful.

Our bikes rolled into Bonnie’s homestead of humanity, our first link to reality in weeks, a little before 2:00 pm. Our machines had accumulated another 97 miles in their desire to cross from coast to coast. After a sweaty hug (poor Kathy) Gary, Larry, and I were sprawled in lawn chairs with a cold friend in our paws. It was another beautiful day on the bike, with the gift of a day off awaiting us. The day off will do us as much good mentally as physically. A day to relax, read, write, and just take in life with the absence of a saddle is definitely in order.