We woke up to sunny skies, no wind and cool temps. After 2 miserable days in Iowa we can say we rode 2 whole miles in Iowa we enjoyed. We left Muscatine and immediately crossed the Mississippi(again!) into Illinois. The roads were flat,in very good shape, hardly any traffic, and there was NO wind! The fragrance of freshly mown grass followed us for miles. There were fields and fields of corn about 6 " high, lots and lots of silos and barns, the longest, straightest, flatest roads I have ever ridden on, and no people! We figure the men are in the fields or barns,the kids are in school, and the women are making jam or quilting!
This is our 13 th day on the road- 11 riding. I have 803 miles on my bike computer. I'm feeling stronger every day and my butt is getting tough! The day we rode only 41 miles into the wind I averaged 9.1 mph. Very slow. Today I rode 80 miles and averaged 15.2 mph. Very fast- for me. Mother nature makes a big difference in our performances.
We are staying tonight in Kewanee,Il, the hog capitol of the world. A few aromas greeted us as we pedaled in. We got in early due to our awesome cycling skills today and checked out the "longest bar in Illinois". Had to have at least 30 stools down the long, dark oak, 1895 bar. A cold beer was our reward for a fantastic day.
We had our Margaritas ( crossed a state line), brautwurst dinner, planned for tomorrow, and are now relaxing and getting ready for, we hope, another day like today. Most of the riders finished the whole ride today and all with a big smile on their faces. It was fun! Another 78 through beautiful Illinois tomorrow. Thank you Mother Nature.
Later. DQ
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