I didn't do a post day because I had dinner with my old Knox friend Margaret. I had been 38 years! I'll do a full update tomorrow. Goodnight from South Haven, MI
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 ...
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/408350723?privacy_code=UGbdZa19H4h5dS96lm4Eehc0sOgAj7ry Animated map: https://www.relive.com/view/v7O9zyoLDQ6 Today had a bit of everything riding-wise and off-the-bike-wise. It all began with a very humid morning at camp. Everything was just kind of damp. It's like my clothes sucked moisture out of the air. Not really damp, just kind of damp. (Fake coal mine entrance. It was a thing) After a quick breakfast of instant oatmeal I was on my way. I was quickly back on the road which quickly became the High Trestle Trail heading east. The towns are spaced about six miles apart. I local cyclist said this spacing makes them perfect for party rides. Just pick your town. I stopped in Slater, which had a surprisingly fancy coffee shop. It was two towns in and the perfect place to dry my stuff. I spread it on a clean space outside the coffee shop. As I sipped in the fancy chair the breeze dried my tent and clothes except for ...
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