October 5, 2022
Day Twenty-four: Audubon, Iowa to Adel, Iowa
Probably the worst night of sleep since the church in Marion at the end of the first day. I woke up multiple times, and finally got up for good at 4:30 to find that it was chilly and raining a little.
I walked over to the truck stop as soon as it opened and bought my morning Diet Pepsi and some snacks.
I wasn't in the mood to ride the 50-something miles to Adel, which was familiar territory at this point, but eventually roused myself, got everything back on the bike for the last time, and rode through back streets in Audubon, stopping briefly for the obligatory photo of Audubon's slightly puzzling claim to fame: Albert the Bull.
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I turned back onto yesterday's nemesis, road F-32. It seemed a lot hillier than when I rode it on my tour three years ago.
The road had recently been resurfaced, and there was a six-inch drop off from the new asphalt to the gravel shoulder. This made it difficult to get onto the shoulder when one of the big trucks hauling the results of the recent harvest passed me. Most of the traffic this morning were the trucks; another time of the year, this would have been a lot more pleasant.
I'd noticed several irritatingly-named porta-johns alongside the road, so I wasn't surprised when I eventually reached the workers who were laying down the new asphalt.
They had traffic, including several of the big harvest-hauling trucks, stopped. I made eye contact with one of the workers, and interpreted his brief nod as permission to ride through the work zone. Which I did for about three miles on a now-blissfully-quiet F-32, until I turned onto gravel.
Last night I'd figured out a route on a network of gravel roads that would allow me to avoid most of busy highway 44 on the way to the town of Panora, where I could then hop onto a bike path all the way to my destination of Adel.
This was by far the best part of the day. The sun came out, the gravel roads were in good condition, there was zero traffic, and it wasn't as hilly. I was enjoying this gravel riding so much that I started planning some mostly-gravel day rides back home in Kentucky. It would be fun doing this kind of road on the unloaded Fargo.
I exited the gravel and did two miles of busy highway 44 to Panora, where I stopped at the Casey's and ate a celebratory slice of pizza while sitting out front on the sidewalk. If Casey's would only add indoor seating, it would be nearly perfect.
I rode onto the Raccoon River Valley Trail for the last twenty miles. I've ridden this many times while visiting Iowa, so it was pleasant but a little boring.
I stopped a couple of times and took a few photos. I was very, very tired now. I was paying the price for my lack of sleep last night. I found myself coasting frequently, and counting down the miles: 10, 9, 8, 7... to Adel.
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2 years ago
I finally reached my mother-in-law Ruth's house in the nice town of Adel, population 6,153.
I was briefly revived after my arrival, and did a few chores, but then, tired after the last 3+ weeks, I went to bed at 6:30 and slept for twelve hours.
Today's ride: 57 miles (92 km)
Total: 1,642 miles (2,643 km)
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