Iowa---"Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack..."

McIntosh Woods was a nice campground and we loved the setting near the lake, but oh my...the mosquitoes ate us alive. The sunrise was beautiful but we couldn't do it justice with our cameras...Karen thought it looked like an African savannah sunrise.

I had promised my hard working team that when we gained an hour crossing a time zone, we would either sleep in an hour, or go out for breakfast. They elected to have breakfast, so Laura drove ahead to a small town called Britt, and found a little diner. Britt had a slogan on their welcome sign that read, "Founded by the Rail, Sustained by the Plow". I like that. I remember a small town we rolled through in North Carolina whose sign read, "Small town, Big heart".

We had 20 miles in by the time we got to the diner and I was hungry. I ordered two pancakes, two eggs, and two strips of bacon. Someone at the table told me that the pancakes were the size of hubcaps. I'm not sure if their intention was to discourage me from ordering two, but it did not work. I was hungry. When the order came, I did a pretty good job of polishing everything off, and that breakfast fueled me for the next 60 miles.

We were basically on Highway 18 from Clear Lake to Emmetsburg, and then Highway 4 north through Estherville. I'm guessing you already know this, but more corn...more soybeans. I know there are plenty of uses for the corn...syrup, feed for cows, ethanol...but what about the soybeans? We keep seeing quilt squares on the sides of barns. Is there something significant about that, or is it just for decoration?





We drove into Minnesota and found our way to Camden State Park. Patty's sister lives in Sioux Falls and drove out in her convertible to have dinner with us. We had rice and chicken, vegetables, and watermelon. The beer of the evening was something called Fat Squirrel that the girls had picked up in Prairie du Chien. Tasty...

I had finished the day with 100.1 miles, and average of 15.1, and an elevation gain of 1617'. Today marks my 40th century...4000 miles in 40 days...and other than a few achy joints, I feel fine. So let the countdown begin...





maybe you can't...because you won't...