We are in the "home town" of MIU, Maharishi International University, the USA stronghold of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) organization. In 1976, I learned to meditate in this style while I was in college. Over those ensuing years, because I have found meditation to be a relaxing and restful activity, I was thankful that I had the opportunity to learn the technique. 

In 1972, the magazine, Scientific American reported on a study where it was found that a relatively short period of transcendental meditation yielded the same amount of rest as a full night of sleep. How they gathered that information, I do not know but I do think it would be hard to get any rest with electrodes all over you, machines beeping, and some scientist watching you through a little window. However, I have found the results that to be fairly accurate, in my own experience. Whenever I have completed a good meditation, I always feel better, calmer, and rested. 

Because of my familiarity with TM, I was happy to find this bit of serendipity while on our bicycle tour. After looking around MIU a bit, we settled in for the evening at Chautauqua Park, probably the most beautiful city park we had seen on our trip.

To re-cap the day, after having ridden 47 miles, the hills seemed to subside and we rolled into Ottumwa. There we had lunch and then got moving again. As we were crossing the bridge over the Des Moines River, I noticed a vehicle on the other side of the road with a flat tire and a very confused woman who had been driving it. I asked her if she needed help and she answered affirmatively. So, we crossed over to her and got busy changing her tire. 

As I was part way through the exercise, an Iowa State trooper pulled up.  He got the bridge traffic under better control while I finished the job. The lady got moving again and seemed relieved. The trooper thanked us and then invited us to the station for a cold drink. We stopped by and he gave us a couple of cold Diet Pepsis and a nice map of Iowa. We thanked him and moved onward to Fairfield. Our good deed for the day had been accomplished.

Once we arrived to the town, a thunderstorm had moved in, so we decided to stay at the park. We had thought that we had another 20 miles in us but why ride in a torrential downpour? Chautauqua Park was a very good place to stop. I made campfire stew again but then bedded down early on this night. We hoped to cross the Mississippi River tomorrow and make it into Illinois. The state crossings are happening much more quickly in this part of the country.