My stomach was graced with another delicious breakfast at the Goedharts'- thank you, Chris and Rin for everything! They were awesome. They let me stay two nights with them, and fed me, and let me play their piano, and took me to church with them... Ahh. It was a fantastic two days.
I left at about 7, and got on County Road B40. The first six miles or so were ICKY. It was foggy, the sun was lighting up the fog, and the route was well-trafficked at 7 in the morning. Once I passed the major crossroad, though, traffic eased up dramatically, and so did the fog. Death averted, once again.
I stopped in Primghar to use a bathroom. When I came back out to my bike leaned up against the wall, I took out my map, studied it for a few minutes, and KATWANG! Another. Spoke. Broken. I turned the bike upside-down and fixed it (hey, I'm gettin' pretty good at this, folks!). And then I called my dad. And I cried. In public. I didn't weep. I didn't moan or wail. I just shed a few tremble-chin-hopeless-despair tears. I called the bike shop in Spencer about him taking a look at it. He was pretty busy, but said he'd take a look at it if I brought it in. So on I rode.
In Spencer, I hit up the bike shop first, and decided to just buy some more spokes and be on my way. I was feeling good, the bike shop was pretty busy, I wasn't exactly impressed with them, and it wasn't very windy out. First, I went to the Hy-Vee, where I indulged in another all-you-can-eat-soup-and-salad-bar, and downed three plates of fruits and vegetables. Hy-Vee is saving me.
An older guy there asked me about my trip, and after we'd been through the "whats" and "hows", and it was time for the "whos", he deduced I was Dutch because of my hair, I told him my last name, and he asked if I was part of a CRC out in Washington. This is all before he knows I'm from Lynden...
And then I rode some more. It was a beautiful day. I arrived in Gillett Grove in desperate need of a restroom. The only business in town was a motorcycle repair shop. I went in, used the restroom, looked at my map, and deduced I should call it quits for the day. I'd gone about 75 miles, and my next destination was about 75 miles away. So I went back in to the repair shop and asked where the nearest place to camp was.
And then I rode some more. It was a beautiful day. I arrived in Gillett Grove in desperate need of a restroom. The only business in town was a motorcycle repair shop. I went in, used the restroom, looked at my map, and deduced I should call it quits for the day. I'd gone about 75 miles, and my next destination was about 75 miles away. So I went back in to the repair shop and asked where the nearest place to camp was.
First he gave me directions to his hay field, saying nobody'd bother me up there, "but if you keep going on up that hill, we're the last house on the left- you'll see it. You just go on up there, and my wife is there. She's got gray hair and her name is Carol. I'm serious now! You go on up there." So I went up there, and met the vivacious "Carol", who showed me the shower, the fridge, the swimming pool, and my bed for the night before leaving to bring her granddaughters to 4-H.
I had such a fun time! I put on my shorts and jumped in the pool, which was c-c-c-coooool, jumped on the trampoline to dry off a little, and had myself a fantastic shower. When Carol and Jim came home, we had smoked pork steaks, mashed potatoes, potato salad, and peas for dinner.
...I slept very well that night.
I had such a fun time! I put on my shorts and jumped in the pool, which was c-c-c-coooool, jumped on the trampoline to dry off a little, and had myself a fantastic shower. When Carol and Jim came home, we had smoked pork steaks, mashed potatoes, potato salad, and peas for dinner.
...I slept very well that night.
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