Day 39 - Decatur to Odebolt - C2C - from Westport, Washington to Sandy Hook, New Jersey

July 11, 2016

Day 39 - Decatur to Odebolt

Where to start? On the Missouri River - - When to start?? Before sunrise, of course.

Early Morning with a Single Bird on the Telephone Wire

Slept great, but the wind blew all night - hard. After I got all packed up, I walked my bike across the bridge. It's metal grate and very wobbly riding - Plus you can see straight down. I tried not to look.

Elegant Prairie School Architecture of Onawa Public Library

Once I got into the bottom lands in Iowa the wind really picked up. Unbelievable - the slack water in the Big Sioux Slough had waves. So I decided to turn northeast up the Maple River valley. Sometimes it's best just not to keep fighting.

The Big Sioux River Is Supposed to Be a Slough
The Wind Has Decided to Make Waves

What a transformation !!!! I was flying on a quiet road and all was right with the world. The 40 miles to Ida Grove was a cakewalk.

In the Early 1900s, Every Tiny Iowa Town Expected to Become Chicago

But lordy, was it hot and sticky. Once in Ida Grove, I searched out the library. Ida Grove is unlike any other Iowa county seat - Instead of a square, everything is kinda scattered. I did manage to spend six hours in town. Couple of errands - change of clothes - late lunch.

When I finally started out for Black Hawk Lake at 6:00 - The clouds were moving in - still with a brutal south wind. By the time I got to Odebolt, it seemed the storm might catch me, So I turned off and asked a fireman if there was any camping. Sure enough, there was a little park on the south side of town. Downtown was thin, but charming.

And the little creek had been turned into a park-like greenway. Volunteers was trimming the trees when I arrived. I started talking with them and loading up branches. Two people I met were Slim and Mary. They asked me if I wanted to go downtown with them afterwards. Good thing I did, because the sky opened up - buckets! After everyone had pizza and drinks - we headed back to the park. Slim and Mary offered me a place in their house.

I rode the soaked bike into their garage - Hung up the soaked tent - wow!! Mary had been the high school counselor but was squeezed out - Not unlike my getting riffed from MCC. And Slim had been in the trucking business - grains, cows, etc. He laughed with me about Hwy 51 in Nebraska. Yet again - the unexpected and wonderful.

Today's ride: 65 miles (105 km)
Total: 1,996 miles (3,212 km)

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