After our rest day with Greg and Shanna we came into today ready for anything. They fattened us up with a tremendous pasta bolognese and an apple crisp to die for (the secret was all that extra butter layered on top) so we were fueled and ready to go. We were dropped in De Soto, IA, and we hit the ground running, er, biking.
It was in the 40s this morning, pretty chilly. An immediate hill got our blood pumping, warming us right up. After about 13 miles we came upon a sign that said “White Pole Road Scenic Byway.” At that point we knew it was time to get the GoPro out. Of all the hilly farmland in Iowa, this promised to be special. Throughout the next 25 miles, those signs continued to pop up, reminding us that we were on the scenic byway. Not sure what specifically about that road made it more scenic than the other county roads passing through farmland, but it was nice.
And it really was a beautiful day all around. The temperature got up into the mid-50s. The sky was blue. Clouds provided just enough cover such that the sun wasn’t burning us up. Not much wind, not too many hills. It was a really enjoyable ride.
We stopped for lunch in Casey, Iowa. I spotted Casey Creamery from the main road so we couldn’t resist making a post-lunch pit stop for some ice cream. The Creamery was created just under a year ago, and you could tell. It was hip and modern; Demi Lovato and Britney Spears filled the air (okay, the music may have been a bit behind the times. I don’t know, is Britney Spears music still popular?). They had a clean, white and black color palette. Shirts and mugs and flour sacks were on sale in the window. Their shirts read “Casey, IA, the town not named after a gas station.” For our readers in the east, Casey’s general store is a common gas station out here in the Midwest. This shop was located in a town of just 500 people, where every other establishment looked like it hadn’t received a makeover in 50 years. It’s always fascinating to pass through these small towns and spot the one new business. You can always tell which one it is by the modern logo across the storefront or just the newly polished windows. The ice cream was delicious, by the way, I even went back for seconds.
The standout of the scenic byway’s scenery was not the rolling hills or the green pastures, but the wind turbines. They were everywhere. Rows and rows stretched into the distance. I found it vaguely dystopian; all of these machines churning along, in formations that weren’t uniform, but evenly distributed across the countryside. We were fascinated by them, so we decided to explore the base of one. As we got closer we were able to appreciate how fast the blades were actually turning; the whoosh of the blades was powerful from our position standing underneath the machine.
No day would be complete without a small hiccup. Today we began to turn down a road that Strava suggested we use, when we noticed a sign that said “Class B Road. Not maintained, use at your own risk.” We didn’t realize Class B meant “quicksand,” so I attempted to ride over the mud, and very quickly came to a halt. Maddie let me test the waters on my own on that one. Only one of us spent the next 15 minutes using their hand to wipe the mud off of their tires. It was the thickest mud I’ve ever felt, almost like clay.
From there we rode the remaining 20 miles into Brayton, IA. We finished our day at 63 miles. It felt like 40. Penny and her daughter Hannah welcomed us into their home for dinner: pasta Alfredo and roasted chicken. Afterwards we played Ticket to Ride (the winner was yours truly), then watched The Dark Knight on DVD before bed. The quality and quantity of movies Maddie has seen are both sorely lacking, so I’m trying to expose her to some of my favorites. I don’t think there will be enough time on the trip.
I’ll end this post with a big Happy Mother’s Day! To all of our readers who are mothers, thank you for all that you do. And to our own mothers who are supporting us on this trip and have always supported us in everything we do, you are amazing and we love you! Into Nebraska tomorrow!
-Charlie