String of Friends

Static map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/408092553?privacy_code=elUatNo0YFsLlv2udhqSM99fPvyc9xWj Animated Map: https://www.relive.com/view/veqzzGeeg7q I woke to gray skies after a somewhat sticky, but restful night. I don't know how much of the stick was me and how much was the humidity. The campground didn't have a shower so I was (am) a bit grungy.  I could take the morning slow because today is a piece of cake, 40 miles of flat railtrail with temps in the low 80s. I leisurely broke camp without eating breakfast. The campground, while feeling out in nature, is just minutes from Panora’s main street.  (Folks in Crafty's) I biked up to Crafty’s Coffee and Gifts for coffee and a breakfast of pastries. They didn't disappoint. I read an article in the Des Moines Register about the decline in religion in rural Iowa. It's tied to declining populations in small towns, but exceeds even that drop. The towns I have seen seem to be doing better than m...

Static map:  https://ridewithgps.com/trips/407852611?privacy_code=RgAMPKwsKyM5V7i7m4aHbMF2WAljPR24 Animated map: https://www.relive.com/view/veqzzGeeg7q SOFAUS Day 3 I woke up after a restful night's sleep on the air mattress in Kim’s living room. Checking the weather I saw a line of thunderstorms moving in. I decided to put off my departure by an hour and leave at 9:00. By 6:30 Kim had come downstairs. She told me about her grandkids, her cousin in Mountlake Terrace, and the local goings on in Atlantic. I love learning about the places I am visiting. Even with the Internet you don't know but a tiny fraction until you visit.  (Morning rain) The biggest news is that there are Chuukese people in town! I mentioned to Kim that I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Chuuk and I got a look of recognition instead of the usual blank stare. It makes sense. They work in the meatpacking industry and there’s a lot of that in this area. Kim didn’t know any Chuukese. She t...

The Hitchcock House Static Map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/407635639?privacy_code=A7YRU8tSvcZiruRCXv0aFGADNnvZeS8L Animated Map: https://www.relive.com/view/vr63zdKr48O My first night on the road was peaceful, but not quiet. The night was full of insect noises and a screech owl. I welcomed the company. So much life and none of it directed at my food or tent. Despite a time zone change that should have had me sleeping in, I woke up at 5:15. I decided not to fight it. The plus was seeing the sunrise. I ate and broke camp by 6:30. The walk back was much easier than the walk in. Lumbering back I jumped when I heard Neil Young looking for a heart of gold followed by a jogger. People get up early! I dithered a bit and at 7:51am I was moving. The morning was exceptional. Some humidity makes the air feel soft. That’s what it was like. Soon I was on gravel roads heading to the town of Underwood. I was thinking a second breakfast of pancakes. I assumed Underwood was a ...

Static map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/407370553?privacy_code=xhtSzkbPSwezXPPHbVA0AE6EK9OzHLi7 Animated map:  https://www.relive.com/view/vAOZVx7eLoO SOFAUS Day 1 I am sitting in the departure area at gate D25 at SeaTac … er SEA. The Brian-Eno-eque tones of the robotic wheelchairs echo off the terrazzo flooring. Eno invented ambient music with the aptly titled Music for Airports. It's great. Look it up. I am happy to be here. My driver's license, it turns out, expired 8 days ago. Amazingly, that was OK with TSA because they have a grave period. My decision to ride through a section of Canada looks like genius now because I have my passport with me and will be able to come home after the grace period of the driver's license expires. I am sitting on the 737 watching Seattle’s low gray sky. For Omaha they load you on a bus and drive you to the plane. It rained on me and my fellow passengers as we queued between the bus and plane ramp. The fat, infreq...

The day of departure approacheth. I'm riding the green line. I've already done the orange.  I am finding it harder and harder to concentrate. Unlike all my previous trips I have no anxiety. Just excitement. All my jitters are excited anticipation. Maybe that'll hit later. I dunno.  The trip starts just east of the magical 98th meridian (yellow line above). Roughly 80% of the US population lives east of this line. Interestingly, the ecological divide between the West and East was at the 100th meridian based on annual precipitation, but thanks to climate change it's been moving east and is now also the 98th meridian. Will that mean people will find life increasingly hard in the new west? I dunno. What is clear is that I'll be headed into more densely populated areas. And flatter areas. Some friends wonder what's the point. If you can have the Rockies, why bike the Loess Hills? Well, why not? I love the West, but I love the small towns, rivers, and lush landscapes ...

(Rainy ride back) Map: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/332416944?privacy_code=Myyrgomguig434xOjhHAHYsmQTpPrHQC Animated map: https://www.relive.com/view/vPv4ZgWPx36 I awoke pleasantly surprised the rain which was threatening since 1am had held off. Around 6:30 my fly was still dry. I had partially packed in anticipation of making a quick exit. I was on the road by 7:15. By 8:00 I was at Crabby Coffee on First Street in Coupeville. Kelly, one of the parents from last night, had recommended it. I was warned not to sit in the seats the four old guys use, but there were no old guys and the woman running the place told me to sit anywhere. The coffee was OK. The location was great. Soon it was time to go. (Crabby coffee) The ride out took me down the eastern side of the island. Hidalgo and I had driven this way just a couple of weeks before so there wasn't a big thrill of discovery. It started to drizzle steadily. That and being on a bike made the journey feel diffe...