Leon, IA → Oskaloosa, IA → Iowa City, IA

Leon, IA → Oskaloosa, IA → Iowa City, IA → Geneseo, IL

We set sail from Leon after a delicious breakfast of what is becoming our new standard fare: oatmeal, two eggs over easy, and toast (plus two or three cups of coffee for me) at a local cafe called From The Ground. As we were leaving, an older couple introduced themselves and handed Kate a bracelet with a guardian angel and a little bicycle. They didn't know us at all but said the waitress shared our story and that they would be keeping us in their thoughts and prayers. It was a good thing we took the time for a substantial breakfast because we had yet another day of serious southern Iowa hills ahead of us. Having twice crossed Iowa during RAGBRAI on both a northern and a southern routes, one would think we'd expect the hills. Maybe we just underestimated them having put the Rockies behind us a thousand miles back. Needless to say, we now believe anyone who can ride across southern Iowa can ride across the entire country. The total feet climbed per day in southern Iowa and northwest Missouri rivals our days in western Montana. We were thoroughly exhausted by the time we rolled into Oskaloosa. The only reason we made it was an emergency refuel stop at a Dairy Queen in Knoxville--both of us easily put away large milkshakes and medium dipped cones in quick succession. It was about 9pm when we pulled up to a local gym hoping the attendant would have pity on us and let us shower. A really nice college student, Josh, let us in and didn't think it would be a problem. The gym had 24-hour member access, so no employees were on sight to grant official permission. After a quick rinse we crossed the parking lot to find food at a Subway in the nearby Walmart. This was not a high point for the trip. As Kate and I sat on a park bench staring into the expansive parking lot, eating sandwiches under the large florescent lights and security cameras, we searched Google Maps on our phones for a decent sized park to camp in for the night. We could have just opted for a motel, but the evening seemed nice and we didn't want to short-change ourselves any experience. As we rolled into Edmundson Park at about 10:45pm a sign at the entrance read: “Park is closed from 11pm to 6am.” But it was late and dark, and we were tired--we decided to try and make ourselves the smallest nuisance possible. I attempted to employ since Army training and began looking for proper concealment to hide ourselves from any midnight patrols. We settled just over the crest of a hill so that the silhouette of our tent could not be spotted from the road. However, this resulted in a sub-optimal sleeping arrangement on a steep incline, but we at least went undisturbed for the night. The next morning we groggily packed up, finished our Subway sandwich leftovers and pedalled to the Riverside diner for another proper breakfast. After “the usual” we started making our way northeast for Iowa City, passing through “What Cheer,” Iowa, which is a leading contender for the most interesting town name award. What Cheer was holding a "harness race” that day and we stopped to take in the scene. It looked like a less violent, non-Charlton Heston form of chariot racing. Around Kalona, we started seeing lots of Amish folks out on their farms and on the roads in horse-drawn buggies. It turns out our cruising speed is just a little faster, as we passed a family of four in a two-horse carriage. We were actually in a hurry to sample local fares at the well-known Stringtown Grocery outside of town, but unfortunately the store closes early on Saturdays. An hour later we pulled into Iowa City and went down the memory lane from just a few years ago when I was in Kandahar and Kate was starting law school at the University of Iowa.