COVID CROSS

Covid Cross Day #16 June 17, 2020 Henry, IL to Muscatine, IA 119 Miles Start 6:38 AM Finish 5:55 PM Ride Time 9:58 Ascent 1024 Feet Descent 823 Feet Tour Total 1471 Miles Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200617-0638-11946 I slept well camping in Waterworks Park in Henry, on the banks of the Illinois river. I could hear motorists crossing the nearby bridge all night long. I woke up with the sunrise and the squawking of geese. When I climbed outside my tent there were hundreds of them gathered along the shore. They eventually dispersed into the stream. A large barge was cruising down the river as I packed up my camp. My first order of business was to pay for the yesterday's downhill that I had enjoyed riding down into the valley. I climbed two bumps to get back up to the plains, and it wasn’t so bad. I spoke with Sam last night and got a central Minnesota weather forecast, where it was currently 90°F. I'd be in St. Cloud in a week, an...

Covid Cross Day #17 June 18, 2020 Muscatine, IA to Cascade, IA 73.5 Miles Start 10:45 AM Finish 6:19 PM Ride Time 6:24 Ascent 1791 Feet Descent 1589 Feet Tour Total 1548 Miles Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200618-1045-36744 I slept like a rock last night at the Comfort Inn in Muscatine. That was, until the hotel room alarm clock went off at 6 AM. Who leaves a hotel alarm clock set for the following guest? I hit every button on the damned thing until it stopped. I was able to get a little more sleep.  I had a slow start. My tent and sleeping gear had been packed before I went to sleep. My clothes were dry in the morning and my devices were fully charged. I finished yesterday's blog post and finally cleaned my chain. The hotel breakfast was kind of crappy. I had dried sugary cereal with barely enough milk, grape yogurt, a banana muffin, a coffee, and an orange juice. I grabbed two bananas for the road. I got a little turned ar...

Covid Cross Day #18 June 19, 2020 Cascade, IA to Monona, IA 82 Miles Start 6:48 AM Finish 5:32 PM Ride Time 7:15 Ascent 2715 Feet Descent 2262 Feet Tour Total 1631 Miles Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200619-0648-69252 I slept really well last night in my tent at the American Legion Park in Cascade Iowa. Having stayed here last year, I knew to set up my tent under a tree and away from the bright street lights. I used the bathroom sink for a birdbath before I retired to bed. I wasn't quite at level one, as I didn't wash my clothing. I plugged an extension cord into a nearby electrical outlet and ran current into my tent. My devices were fully charged by morning. My tent protected me from the billions of gnats outside. I could hear the traffic from nearby Highway 151 throughout the night. Folks in this part of Iowa were really into baseball, and the parks and small stadiums were impressive. The stadium at the American Legion Park ha...

Covid Cross Day #19 June 20, 2020 Monona, IA to La Crosse, WI 77 Miles Start 7:11 AM Finish 2:46 PM Ride Time 6:58 Ascent 1634 Feet Descent 2165 Feet Tour Total 1710 Miles Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200620-0711-58108 I slept alright last night in my tent on top of a concrete slab underneath a canopy at Gateway Park in Monona. Last night after MJ's, I cycled back to the park, located at the edge of town. It was familiar because I had stayed there last year while it was being reconstructed. This year everything was in fine order. I set up my tent in exactly the same spot as last year. The restroom was now open with a sink and toilet, and I knew not to be startled by the life-like military statues There was a massive rain storm last night, and I set up my tent in the perfect place. I woke up around 6 AM and slowly packed. My socks were still wet from yesterday and it was supposed to rain again today so I put them back on. The ro...