Time: 3h57m50s
Distance: 113.17km
Avg Spd: 28.6km/hr
Climbing: 870m
Great day today. We started out a little rocky, but ended up fantastic. At 6am, we were abruptly awoken by all the outdoor campers rushing into the gym where we were sleeping, hauling all their tenting gear and bicycles. Turns out there was a severe storm warning in effect for the Firth area, at 6am the winds were gusting super high, rain was imminent, and we were advised by the camp counsellors to move things inside ASAP. We set up breakfast indoor, and because of the commotion we actually had a line-up at the breakfast table for the first time ever!
The storm passed almost completely by 8am, when we were released onto the road. The "Top Guns" were riding by 8:30, and passed most of the riders by the second SAG stop. Around Lorton, NE we were tipped off to a local restaurant, so we stopped in for some deep-fried goodness and coffee at the Lorton Lounge.
We entered our seventh state today: Iowa!
The Missouri River is the dividing line between states, and I stopped to snap a few pics on the bridge. It was a busy highway with no real pullout, so I didn't dare stop for long
Even with an hour break for lunch we were at camp today around 2pm. We're staying at Waubosine State Park, just east of the state line. It's a beautiful campground with tons of room for tents, and some walking trails and a viewpoint that looks west over the river basin and low-laying area. I went for a walk after dinner and the vegetation here is amazing. Everything is so lush and green! It's hard to believe two weeks ago we were in the desert and were surrounded by sand.
This afternoon Brandon's dad's cousin was nearby in Iowa for RAGBRAI (a seven day, cross-state bike tour with >10,000 riders!) and stopped by the camp. He offered to take Brandon and the rest of us Top Guns out for dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant. So we met Jeff, Pam and Katy and piled into their F150 for a trip back to Nebraska for some dinner. We lucked out as it was 'Taco-Tuesday' - all you can eat tacos for $5.99. Not a bad deal for four hungry cyclists! We even got dessert: chimi cheesecake and deep fried ice cream!
This evening we had a great time sitting around after peloton meeting laughing and joking. Tomorrow night's peloton is going to be supplemented with "Story Time" where everyone is invited to tell stories and jokes from the trip to try and get people laughing. My small group is planning a little skit that should get a few chuckles.
As for now, it's time to sleep. We'll be sung into slumber by the chirping of a thousand cicadas...
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