We woke up at 5 today, mainly because someone was late waking up yesterday. We had the usual breakfast and got ready to leave. Because we were late waking up yesterday, we just sat around until we could leave, at 6:30. It was not fun at all, just sitting around wasting time, especially when storm clouds were brewing.
By the time we were about to leave, it was getting dark, and the humidity kicked it up a notch. We headed out and drops of rain started to sprinkle and then pour. 10 miles in, we were soaked, our socks squishy with water, our sunglasses condensed with drips. We were miserable. I have always wanted to ride every mile of the trip so far, but I, along with the rest of my teammates, were praying for lightening. We noticed one car pass us, it the car for the show “storm chasers.” When you pass a “Storm Chasers” car, its not usually a good sign. 20 miles in, the rain was pouring hard, I made sure I kept a good distance from the cyclist ahead of me. One slip up could be costly. This was, by far, the most dangerous riding of the trip so far. 25 miles in, we heard the most heavenly sound of all, thunder. We pulled by the side of the road and waited for the crew van. Sure enough, a few minutes later, one appeared. We racked our bikes, strapped up, and waited for instructions.
The Project Manager decided to have us drive the rest of the way up to Dubuque. It was a smart call. We would of have to ride on Highway 6. Unfortunately, the only alternative rode, Highway 52, was shut down because of flash floods, and thus there was pretty bad traffic on 6. Top it off with some pouring rain, and it was a dangerous situation. As we drove on the roads we were suppose to ride, we could see pools of water on the sides of the road. Luckily, we weren’t riding through it. Eventually, we had to take a detour because Highway 6 became unbearable.
We arrived at lodging at around 11. Today we were staying at a summer camp serving people with disabilities. During this day, however, there were no campers staying, so we got to sleep on beds. After we unpacked, and showered up, we had lunch at the mess hall. I don’t know why, but I really don’t like camps. I could barely eat the food, and I just felt uncomfortable and longing to leave. I would sleep on a cold floor of a school gym over a bed in a summer camp, any day of the week.
We then took a tour to a place that was a complete surprise for me. We went to the movie site of Field of Dreams. It was 20 minutes by car from where we were staying at, but needless to say, we passed nothing but corn for miles. At the movie site, we got to see the entire field, play around a little bit, and took a few swings with a baseball and bat. It was a nice treat to a frustrating day.
We headed back where we had an hour to kill before dinner. I decided to take a short power nap, a very good decision. For dinner, we again ate at the mess hall, where they served burgers. I again, was not feeling it, so I didn’t eat too much. Not my favorite meal of the trip, by any means.
After dinner, we headed back to the lodging room, where we had the rest of the night off. The project manager, Drayton, bought Field of Dreams, the movie, and we watched it off his computer. It was neat to see all those scenes of the field, and we stood on the same grounds, 22 after the movie was shot there. After the movie, we rested, ready for the 120 mile day tomorrow. However, its suppose to pour, so hopefully it doesn’t get too bad.
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