Day 16 Dyersville Iowa -> Ion, Iowa

Saturday 6 August 2011.  Second day of week 3.

Today we continue north in Iowa paralleling the Mississippi River on our way to Wisconsin.  Weather conditions were beautiful in the mid 80’s and although humid, very tolerable.

At the crest of a hill the crew stopped for some water when a lone cyclist was spotted moving strongly up the hill towards us with saddle bags on. Once at the summit he rode over and introduced himself as Hugo from Austria.  He was on a long journey from Canada to Tampa Florida! This guy was amazing.  He was 64 years old and looked 50. He was traveling alone in a country he does not know winging it with a combination of Adventure Cycling maps and some paper maps from a gas station.  He was camping almost every night and said he eats bananas and sour cream most of the time!  Wow…..

Now that dude is one tough character.  He is a retired school teacher and his wife is waiting for his return.

Later in the day a line of antique tractors came towards us. There must have been nearly 30 of them rolling down the road. They must have been going to or from a tractor show somewhere.

We still see corn all day but the rolling hills make it more enjoyable. Most roads are still traffic free. And when you do encounter a car or truck they cut you a huge path in the road.  It is truly amazing the difference between the way drivers treat cyclists in Connecticut and here in the Midwest.

Today our mileage was cut short by the lack of available places to sleep.  The crew only covered 73 miles on gently rolling hills. The next available sleep spot would have been 50 miles further.  We decided a light day was due to us at this near 1/3 point in our journey.  It actually worked out in our favor as we stayed in a real nice cabin at The Natural Gait in Ion Iowa.

Chow Down!

The cabin is out in the middle of nowhere on an unpaved road bordering the Yellow River.  Tim and Joe cooked pasta, beans and corn that had been picked up in town 12 miles away.  Also on the menu, tossed salad, a couple of tubs of macaroni salad and another tub of potato salad.  

Now remember we have to load these supplies on our bikes for the 12 mile trip to the cabin.  We also needed breakfast items and fluids to start the day. So lets add the rest of the new load to the bikes. A gallon and a half of water, oatmeal, powerbars and celebrate  the 1/3 point a bottle of wine and 3 beers to have with dinner.  Now you have some loaded down bikes to travel with. In the chow down photo inside the cabin take a look at Ken’s tan line…dude  think you need to work on that!

73 Miles

3161 Feet of Climbing

Temperature 80-85 degrees

The weekend is here!  Team has a short ride today north through Iowa. 

Forecast for Dyersville:

Today: Scattered showers, mainly before 7am. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 84. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Day 15 Muscatine, IA to Dyersville IA

Friday 5 August 2011.  First day of week 3

Today was another cool, slightly overcast day which is perfect for cycling.  We are still in the Corn Belt but vistas of the rolling hills and curving roads make it look different.  Some of the farms we passed today were immense the biggest we have seen yet.  Each with thousands of acres of corn covering the hills.

We came upon another crop dusting plane working the corn fields.  They seem so unique and unusual to us but must be just a normal site for the locals.  Two crop dusting helicopters landed in the grass strip right next to the motel after we arrived.  The chopper landed no more than 40 yards from our room’s window. They were spraying the corn fields all day and the pilots and crew will spend the night at the motel before returning to work in the morning.  Ken went over to one of the pilots and asked him some questions after they landed.  Each chopper can hold 80 gallons of chemical which will treat about 40 acres of field.  After 80 gallons / 40 acres the chopper lands and a pumper truck reloads their tank. They repeat the sequence for days until all the field is treated.

The roads were nearly traffic free again today. Early in the day a huge John Deere crop sprayer drove past us on the road.  So big it nearly took up both sides of the road as it passed.  The sprayer looked like some kind of Star Wars alien machine coming at us. It must have been 18’ tall and just as wide.  The high pressure hydraulics that make it run squeal like some monster yelling at you as it whizzes by.

Finding places to sleep along our route is getting more difficult.  Remember if you are in your car and you need to drive 30 miles to the next town for a motel it is no big deal.   On a bike it can be a big deal.  Especially if you already have 100 miles in the saddle already.  The distance between sleep spots determines our daily mileage.

Because of this tomorrow (Saturday) will be a “short” day of about 60 miles.  It was either 60 or 140 miles.  We took the 60.  A little break in mileage is good once and a while.

 92 Miles

3649 Feet of Climbing

Temperature  75– 85 Degrees

Team is headed for Dyersville, Iowa.  Just west of Dubuque.
Looks like good weather today.  Today's updates as they come in.
And Now Ken Silvestri, Team Eliminator Roving Reporter

Day 14 Kewanee, Ill - Muscatine, IA

Thursday 4 August 2011 Last day of week 2

Another day of cooler weather made for some very enjoyable riding.  The terrain continues to improve with some rolling hills instead of the flat roads we have been on for the past 500 miles. We are faster in the hills.

Imagine looking up at the road ahead then looking down for 20 minutes then look up and the view is the same.  That is what is what we see on those straight corn lined roads. Boring.

Traffic is non-existent on the roads we travel.  The only thing we may see is a weird looking farm vehicle.  When we do see a car they will go off into the grass when passing giving us the entire road.  Unlike in Connecticut where the cars take the entire road and shove you into the grass.

Around mid-day we came upon a five mile stretch of milled asphalt.  You know what I mean, that is when they grind grooves into the blacktop prior to paving. For us it was like riding on a rumble strip for 5 miles.  I thought my eye balls were going to rattle out of my head. That lumpy stuff beat the crap out of us.

We only rode 80 miles today so it was an easy day.  Remember our mileage is determined on where we will sleep that night.  We shoot for 100 miles but it does not always happen.  We have another "easy" day on Saturday. We will be limited to 65 miles due to lodging constraints.

We crossed the mighty Mississippi today.  On the other side of the river we entered a new state Iowa.

80 Easy Miles

2639 Feet of Climbing

Temperature  75– 85 Degrees

Updates as they come in.  Quiet so far.  Team is on the road.  Muscatine Iowa is the goal for today.
Forecast for Kewanee Ill for Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. East wind around 5 mph.
Winds from the East, however slight would be a huge advantage.  Looks like a cooling trend is setting in across the Mid West that will help also.

3:45 PM the team reports they made good time today and just crossed into Iowa.  Only a couple of miles to touch down for the day.

And Now the Noon report:

And a word from Joe and Tim:

Day 13 Pontiac Illinois to Kewanee Illinois

Wednesday 3 August 2011 week 2

Mother Nature must have felt sorry for our little wagon train moving west and eased up a bit on the heat.  It was still in the mid 90’s but some passing clouds made our existence on the road little easier today. 

The Crew loaded up the bikes with extra water and food knowing how remote the route has become. We learned our lesson on that issue few hundred miles back.  But even with the extra water on board we still got a little nervous during one long stretch between services. 

At any temperatures over 90 degrees we need at least one bottle of water an hour to be somewhat comfortable. Don’t get me wrong anyone of us would love twice that much but it becomes too much to carry. You have to resist the urge to guzzle he bottle and just settle for a sip every few minutes.

It still amazes us the amount of corn and soybeans we have passed. Hundreds and hundreds of miles of fields reaching back as far as you can see with row after row of corn. We asked a farmer how many corn stalks are planted on each acre.  He told us it was around 40,000!

He also told us the hybrid seeds they use cost about $250 for 80,000 seeds. It seemed a reasonable price until you do the math on planning one 1500 acre field. Just the seed would cost $187,500!  Toss in some fertilizer and a couple crop dustings and you wonder how they make money.  Don’t forget a combine to harvest the corn is another 300K!

We passed a John Deere dealer and he had a fleet of those $300,000 combines lined up like pickup trucks on a car lot. Amazing to see such an inventory but this is Americas Corn Belt.

Along our travels today we passed through Gotham City and spotted the Batmobile parked and ready to respond to any emergency.  Batman and Robin were nowhere to be found.

Another thing we noticed is that absolute lack of any litter. No beer cans or McDonalds bags blowing along the road. But then, corn does not drink beer or eat at Mickey D’s.  And since no cars travel on these roads there is no humans to litter. Besides you would have to travel 50 miles to even find a Mickey D’s. It sure is nice to see the clean roads though.

Is this the "Hill" he is referring to?

The terrain has started to make a change ear the end of our day.  The arrow straight flat roads are slowly turning into gently rolling hills and curves. There was less corn fields and a few more trees.  It would be nice to see something other than corn and beans for a while.

Hands and feet are improving but still a little tender.  You grab the handlebars in 1000 different ways during the day trying not the beat the same spot on your palm over and over again.  Ken moved the cleats on his cycling shoes so he would be pressing on a new part of his foot for a change. May as well make the whole foot tender instead of just one spot right?

93 Miles

2811 Feet of Climbing

Temperature 75-95 Degrees

Kens road report  2:30 PM EST

Tim confirming the Heat..

Team is up and on the road.  The plan is to get in 100 miles which will take them just over the border (the Mississippi) into Muscatine, Iowa where the road turns north..

There are more photos then what are posted on the blog.  Click on the Galleries link on the
Team Eliminator Web Site and select the All WWTII Photos album.

Pontiac forecast for today, WOW what a surprise...Wind...!!!!
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. North northwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

As the team heads West North West around Chicago headed for Iowa it puts their front pannier's (sails) right in the wind.
News as it comes.

Day 12 Remington, IN -> Pontiac, Illinois

Tuesday 2 August 2011 week 2

More heat was on the menu for us this morning.  It was already warm and muggy as we started out at 7:20 AM.  A SW breeze had already started forming.  This breeze would increase into a 20-25 MPH head wind.  Now don’t think this wind blowing in your face helps cool you down, it does not.  It feels more like a blow torch shoved in your face.

We are still on the remotest of farm roads with huge multi-thousand acre farms lining the roads on both sides with corn and soybeans. You are more likely to see a piece of farm equipment go by than a car or pick-up truck.

We pulled off the side of the road to take a couple sips of water when a truck pulled up and asked us where we were going.  We told him of our journey and he told us his 85 year old father was the town Mayor.  He then told us our route went right by his house and to stop by for some cold water.  In near 100 degree heat we do not turn down any offers of cold liquids.

When we reached his house he was outside to greet us. Ken started asking him 1001 questions about the corn fields and the soybeans.  After a few minutes Ken asked him if the people around here eat corn after seeing so much of it.  “Of course we do, we have the best sweet corn you can find” he said.  With that said he offered to cook some up for us to prove his point.  Well we were not going to turn down an offer like that so inside is air conditioned house we went.  The corn was spectacular especially salted and drenched in butter.  More good people doing good things for others. Small town America at its best.

We entered the  Central Time Zone today and crossed the border into Illinois.

98 Very HOT Miles

2515 Feet of Climbing

Temperature 78 - 99  degrees

What the Team did for Lunch:  CHOW!!!!

See the GIANT tractors, FAST ones too....

Only miles from the State line we get a picture of the great downtown area of Sheldon, ILL
Joe is leading me to believe there are no cars, only lawn mowers and Farm tractors..

11:00 AM EST The team reports the Illinois state line is behind them.  Headed for the GREAT state of Iowa.

Day 11 Wabash, IN -> Remington, IN

Monday 1 August 2011 week 2

The heat continues and there is no relief in the short term forecast as far as we can see. Riding any bike in near 100 degree heat is a chore, toss on 75 pounds of gear and it becomes a full time job. The sun and radiating heat off the asphalt cooks us all day.

We have little shade and almost no services where we are riding.  Ther reason for this is our mapping plan was to fined remote roads with little traffic. Well we are batting 1000 because we have no cars, no people and no services. Nothing is to be found but corn and soybeans.  

With so few people living in the area stores are nonexistent.  Gas stations are 20 o 30 miles apart.  If you need gas for your car or  mower it is a 45 minute trip.  Not like Connecticut where there is a gas station on every corner.  Here you have absolutely nothing.

The people here are so nice you swear they are trying to scam you but they are not.  They are just good people. Good American people.  One question people ask us all the time is do we “pack any heat” on these tours.  In layman’s terms that means are we armed to protect ourselves.  Well actually we should be packin’.  Packing a box of “Thank You” cards that is. That way we can had them out whenever someone does something for us.

Our legs are getting used to the 100 miles a day but other body parts have some lingering difficulties. Our calloused palms are still tender from the relentless pounding the road gives us. Every crack or bump in the road pounds our already softened palms even more.  Feet and of course the all important Rumpaurus take a beating all day. Remember we are on the bikes for 8 to 10 hours.

We spotted a crop duster working a field and had to stop and watch the duster in action.  Dive bombing the fields and pulling up just in time not the hit power lines or trees.  Theses pilots are wacky.

We logged another state into our quiver today Indiana.  

108 Miles

2471 feet of Climbing

Temperature 75 -98 degrees

Long day in the saddle for Team Eliminator.  Planned hotel was not acceptable, had to go another 17 miles to Remington instead of staying in Rensselaer.  Mickey D's for supper.  Yummm

110 mile day.



Forecast for Wabash Indiana, todays start point:
Today: Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 91. Heat index values as high as 97. West wind around 10 mph.

I will be posting news from the road as it is available today.

The team just reported they were taking a break while Tim changed out a failed tire..

3:48 PM update.  The team is on the road.  Pushin' hard.  The goal today is Rensselaer, Indiana.  A small town just short (by car..) of the Illinois border.

Day 10 Defiance, OH to Wabash, IN

Sunday 31 July 2011 Week 2

The only Shade all day

It was a real scorcher today with temperatures again reaching over 95 degrees.  The sun was bright and hot on our already burnt skin.  We all have developed the odd looking tan lines of a cyclist.  The four white paws from having gloves and socks, raccoon eyes from sunglasses and Y shaped lines on the side of our face from the helmet strap.

Even with sun block on you can feel your skin sizzling away. 

We are almost completely exposed with very few trees for shade. You may ride 10 or 20 miles before you can get a little speck of shade from a small roadside tree.  All the trees have been cut down long ago for the planting of corn, soy and other crops.

Staying hydrated today was a serious problem.  The remoteness of our route has us nowhere near any stores or sources of water.  Between us we were carrying 13 water bottles and that was not enough.  We ran out around 4PM and knew we would not see a store for at least 30 miles. Already somewhat dehydrated 30 more miles in the heat without water would have been very uncomfortable.

Ken spotted some people outside a house and pulled in to ask for water. They were happy to let us fill our water bottles. It seemed great at first but as soon as you raised the bottle to drink you could smell it.  Sulfur.  Oh it was nasty.  I do not know how the people around here can drink the stuff.  It stunk so bad we were worried the smell would not wash out of our bottles.  But when you are as thirsty as we were you drink it.

Cold the water was tolerable but after the sun warmed it up it really became repulsive. Again if you are thirsty you will drink it, and we did. 

 It is obvious to us now we will need to get more water on board soon.  The “real” remote sections of this journey are coming up!  We may not have the house to ask for water in South Dakota or Wyoming. There is not convenience store on every corner.  In fact there are not even any CORNERS!  All we have is miles of straight roads and corn.  Water is heavy to carry at 8.33 pounds a gallon but without it you will get in trouble quick.

We crossed into Indiana around 1PM the 7th state of our tour.  A few miles into the state we came upon a crop duster working a cornfield.  We had to stop and watch the action as it dive bombed the fields then pulled up before hitting the power lines. These pilots are insane.

Even the late afternoon sun was still hot and bright.  We are so close to the change in time zone it does not get dark until well after 9PM even this time of year.

111 Miles

2204’ of Climbing

Temperature 85 – 95 degrees

Day 9 Fremont, OH to Defiance, OH via Michigan

Saturday 30 July 2011 week 2

Mission Accomplished

Today was “Mission Michigan”.  The goal was to roll our wheels into that state and snap a photo of proof in front of the welcome sign.

The weatherman said it was going to be a beautiful day and he was right.  We were treated to plenty of bright sun and temperatures in the low 90’s.  Way better than yesterdays rain.

This part of Ohio is very flat sparsely populated farmland. We rode by thousands of acres of corn and soybeans for as far as the eye can see.  It is an amazing site for anyone who has not seen it before. The roads were pool table flat, straight as an arrow and traffic non-existent.

Around mid-day we ran into a couple of older cyclist on recumbent bicycles.  We stopped and talked for a while. The two were brothers 82 and 85 years old.  I hope I am riding at 85.

In Grand Rapids we spotted an ice cream parlor and pulled in for some cones. Ice cream is hard to resist when you are overheated and hungry on a bike.  We promised the young girl who waited on us we would make her famous on the internet. American Idol…  I know you are reading our blog…..  Hers she is the next Carrie Underwood.

131 Miles

2250 Feet of Climbing

85-95 Degrees

Average over the past 9 days 103 miles a day!

Day 8 Seville, OH to Fremont, OH

Friday 29 July 2011 Begin week 2

Ten minutes after departing this morning the heavily overcast sky opened up.  Within a minute we were completely soaked. The rain stopped quickly and the sun started to make a comeback.  It was like having Mother Nature dump a 5 gallon bucket of water on you.  Splash ….. then say, “Have nice ride boys”….

Other then the early morning soaking the day went great.  The hours spent researching the route is now paying off with beautiful cycling roads. You can ride down the center of the country road without worrying about traffic.  There is none, this here is farm country. Well you do have to watch for the occasional 4 wheeler and Large Farm implements...

We rode by well kept farms and mile upon mile of corn and soybeans.  An Amish farmer went by in his buggy to our surprise. We did not realize the Amish had farms in Ohio also.  Out on one of the remote farm roads we came upon a couple of cyclists riding.  Out here we have actually seen very few other riders and no bike shops at all.  We stopped for a while and chatted.  Ken gave the riders our web address we hope to hear from them.

After a few hours we came upon a small town.  You always have to grab water whenever you have a chance because you may not see another store for a long time.  This store was very unique to us.  It was a drive through convenience store!  You drive in one end and out the other, As you pass through two fast moving girls grab whatever you want from a grinder to a six pack of beer.  You stay in your car and pay at the end.

It was an easy 87 mile day with a lot less climbing than the past few days have dished out.  Saturday will be a different story though.  We need to cover about 125 miles to each our next sleep spot.

The last part of our day was spent on a 7 mile “rails to trails” bike path. It was a freshly paved two lane path that was about 10’ wide.

Our bodies feel good and our legs are strong.  Next stop Michigan.

 87 Miles

2756 feet of Climbing

Temperature 75-85 degrees