We motivated early this morning, leaving Penny and Hannah’s in Brayton, Iowa around 8:30. We made a last minute decision to ride into Omaha, so we could see the city, instead of avoiding the city to the north. I’ve been screaming, “Omaha, Omaha Set Hut!” All day, feeling like Peyton Manning.
The day had a rocky start both literally and figuratively. After quickly reaching the end of a paved trail, we were forced to ride on hilly gravel roads for about 5 miles. To make things more difficult, my bike seat began to sink, so I was eventually climbing hills with my knees to my chin. We reached Atlantic (the Coca-Cola capital of Iowa?) and took a brief break outside of Udderly Delicious, an ice cream shop that we wished was open at 9:30 in the morning.
We rode on Route 6 for 50 miles today seeing mostly cows and speedy cars. The hills of today were reminiscent of Lancaster, PA and Belmont, OH, not exactly what we expected for western Iowa. Thankfully the hills were extraordinarily steep, making for thrilling downhill fun (sorry Mom). Charlie and I felt strong and confident climbing for a long period of time, starkly different from our experience during Day 4 (89 miles, 3700 feet elevation gain). I’m scared for the Rockies, but today really revealed the progression we have made up to this point.
We rode through Council Bluffs, which felt like the Hollywood Hills of Iowa. There were stunning and modern homes at the top of a massive hill (I know because we had to climb it) overlooking guess what? Corn fields!
As we entered Omaha, we crossed the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge has a complex, serpent-like shape with a great view of the city. We met Justin, a fellow cyclist who is starting a cross country journey of his own this summer. He had so much energy and excitement regarding this trip that I am in awe of how far we have come in a month.
When we made it into downtown Omaha, we had to make an important stop… ice cream duh! We went Ted an Wally’s Ultra-Premium Homemade Ice Cream™️ and enjoyed two scoops each in a vintage booth. We strolled around Old Market before meeting Susan and Paul, our hosts for the night. We shot some hoops with Paul’s son and grandson (we made buckets in both Iowa and Nebraska today) and relaxed. I am so amazed at how our lives have entwined with so many others throughout this trip. Meeting incredible warmshowers hosts, random cyclists, or friends of friends (Shoutout Mark Rabens) has exhibited how kind people can be.
So thankful for this journey!
Happy One Month Anniversary, Charlie! #jokes
-Maddie
Total Miles: 1530
Cheapest Gas Seen: $2.59 per gallon