If you get thrown off a horse, they say the best thing is to get back on the hors, and that was sort of my mental attitude today. After Monday, I got bucked off; Tuesday was a day to recuperate. But how would Wednesday's ride go - only 7 miles shorter than Monday, but only 2,700 feet of climb vs. 4,200. Time to find out!
Slept in air conditioned comfort on the floor of a math classroom at the middle/high school in Leon, so I didn't have a tent to tear down and pack; on the road at 5:47. Saw a beautiful sunrise thru the morning mist - about 68 degrees and 99.98% humidity. Rode about 14 miles in an hour and 15 minutes into Garden Grove , where I had a "Breakfast Bowl" - sort of a layered skillet of eggs, potatoes, meat, and cheese - the sort of substantial meal that I need instead of pie. Back on the road after the 45 minute layover, I headed for Humeston, about 8 miles further. But the towns in this section are pretty close together, so I pressed on thru Cambria, Millerton, and New York without stopping, a distance of about 16 miles.
Just east of Bethlehem, there were food vendors located on both sides of the road on a somewhat flat stretch; a dangerous situation as you have riders slowing down, and exiting/entering on both sides of the road. I was in the middle of the road with another rider passing on my left, when another rider on my right started to drift toward me. I braked and shouted for him to move right, but he didn't, and the right pedal of the rider on my left hit my left front tire, causing him to fall. Riders diverged around us, and there was no significant damage to either rider or bike due to the low speed, so we pedaled off. (The mounting screw for my LH mirror is bent, but I refitted the mirror and it's still usable.)
At 11:00, I rolled into the aptly named Confudence, IA, for lunch - more than 43 miles behind me in about 3 hours and 30 minutes of riding time for a fruit smoothie and pulled pork sandwich. I left just before noon, and rode through Walnut City for a total of 16 miles before stopping briefly in Mystic for a bottle of Gatorade and a banana. I pushed on to Centerville, arriving about 2:15 for a total of 65.3 miles in 5 hours and 25 minutes of riding time. And I felt a heck of a lot better than on Monday.
Met a former neighbor who is also making the ride, chatted with him for a while, then pitched my tent, claimed my clothing, and showered. After dinner in the campground, I walked into the town square of Centerville (allegedly the largest town square in Iowa) to get a cell signal and call home. Then it was back to camp and "lights out" at 8:45.
A good day after falling off the horse. Tomorrow: toward Ottumwa. I might be able to do this....
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