Day 30 – Monday 6/27/22

Council Bluffs, Iowa to Onawa, Iowa – 70.4 Miles

Following the wind in my face exertions of the last two days, I was hoping for cooperative weather this morning. Well, I got it. Today was a pleasure from start to finish, with a tailwind and good roads throughout. I left my “not so great” hotel at 7:15, after first carrying a loaded Ishmael down two flights of stairs. The person at the front desk claimed there were no other rooms available when I checked in, so I’d also carried Ishmael in the opposite direction hours earlier.

Once we got moving, it was easy riding in Council Bluffs. There was no apparent morning rush hour, and over the 5 miles needed to get into the country traffic was minimal. I was on a road called the “Old Lincoln Highway” for about 15 miles. I’m not sure if it was part of the original Lincoln Highway, the first modern road across the U.S., but it was scenic and quiet.

The tailwind was a welcome change, as were the relatively flat roads. I was barely putting any force into the pedals, and was cruising along at 13-14 mph. The headwinds and hills had kept the speed down to 4 or 5 mph less the last couple of days, so this qualified as rapid transit. Of course, there were no guarantees that this would last, but I kept pedaling and hoped for the best.

The birds were out in force today, and did a fly-by when I stopped for a drink.

The first major town along the way was Missouri Valley. Here and there were architectural relics illustrating over 100 years of change.

North of Missouri Valley the theme was agriculture. Sort of like this:

I’ve always liked windmills. Not the gigantic ones that ruin the landscape today, but the older ones that were correctly sized and did the job. The Aermotor design came out in the early 1930’s, and you can still buy one today. Maybe I will.

A little over 40 miles out I reached Mondamin. It’s a town with a past, but an unlikely future. With a population of less than 350, they’re getting by.

Convenience stores in small towns seem to thrive. They get local customers as well as the people just passing through. I stopped at this one and had a unique lunch. The store doubles as the local grocery, so they had things a typical convenience store wouldn’t offer. There was a deli of sorts, and the lady behind the counter made a different meal for sale each day. Today it was roast beef and gravy on bread, with mashed potatoes. I’d tired of trail mix, gas station sandwiches and Oreos, so I ordered lunch for $4. It was delicious.

Farms and railroads are intertwined in this region. Farming is the major activity in the areas I’m traveling, and there’s always evidence of a railway nearby for moving the crops where they need to be. It’s not as common in other parts of the country, but it’s a way of life here.

My goal for today was Onawa, Iowa. They had a KOA campground, but I knew nothing about the town. I felt welcome as I got to the city limits.

The town has a wide center section, with parking and the road through it separated.

I rode around for a short time to orient myself and found a place called “Downtown Coffee and Cream”, where coffee was served in the morning and ice cream in the afternoon. When I walked in there was no one but two teenage employees, possibly the children of the owner. The store was beautifully designed, and my customary vanilla malt was almost worth buying another.

On the way out of town, heading to the campground, I spotted the second cool theater of the day. Just the logo for “Iowa” is worth the picture.

Check-in at the KOA was fast and easy. A young guy in a golf cart showed me the way to my spot for the night. I had lakefront property for the equivalent of $1,200 a month.

It was an easy day today, and enjoyable throughout. I may do it again tomorrow.