Day 8 - New Vienna, IA to Elkader, IA

June 11, 2012

I woke once the sun came up but was pretty groggy after getting up in the middle of the night because of the storm, so I slept in until 9:00. I ate a little breakfast and considered taking a rest day, but my service was terrible and company was short so I decided to press on. I got packed up and started pedaling by 10:40. Instead of backtracking to Dyersville, I took some paved backroads from New Vienna, and meandered up to Colesburg.

Silos and tractor near New Vienna

Farm near New Vienna

I had to stop and get something to eat in Colesburg because the next town was 11 miles down the road and only had 88 people (no restaurant to eat at.) In Colesburg, I stopped at “The Store” and picked up some drinks and some food and then pedaled down to the town park. There was a softball game being played on one end so I pulled into the pavilion on the less crowded side of the park. I asked the lone gentleman there if he wouldn’t mind if I sat and ate. Of course not. We started talking and it turns out that he was the bus driver for the opposing team, glad to have moved back to Iowa from Washington. Nice fellow.

I finished my lunch and carried on. I rode on the high road until the descent into Elkport and the slow ascent back up the hill (they aren’t so rolling anymore and they now have curves.) I stopped for a few more pictures and to talk with a Scotsman riding from the Pacific to the Atlantice. He was religiously pushing 80 mile days and was soon to have no problem with that as the winds shift to his favor and the terrain levels out in Illinois. We wished each other well and I zipped on down into Elkader. I found a nice campsite with amenities and cooked some supper. There were a good number of people around so I had some chatty company for the night. 

Cows and barn near Colesburg

Farm near Colesburg

High road paths and the back of a STOP sign.

Elkport

Elkport barn

Elkport farm

Lookout near Elkader (This may seem strange, but I think that I rode off without my kickstand here. No, it wasn't attached. Silly, I know.)

Bag repair from yesterday's spill