GTDRI '17: Update- Some Recon

 I'd never seen a heli crop dusting till Saturday, and then I saw two on the same day!

Saturday I got out for a partial recon of the GTDRI route. My route has a road in it which I had never been on and which looked rather suspicious. It had a lot of Level B Maintenance sections, creeks running across it, and it was in the most remote part of Tama County there is. After having been bombing around the countryside since 2004 doing recon for gravel events, I have picked up a few tips on what to look for on a map when it comes to problems, and O Avenue had all the hallmarks of a road that had closures. Never mind that the DOT map showed that it all was there. That doesn't guarantee anything.

So, my goal was to ride to the start of where the route picks up O Avenue and run it through to see if we can use it, or if I would have to do a reroute. Of course, O Avenue is a long way from the house, so this wasn't a small undertaking. I chose the Fargo Gen I as my ride since it carries so much water and has meatier tires which deal with loose gravel better. With a beautiful day on tap, I had nothing holding me back from doing the trip.

I had loaded up the Fargo the evening before and I was out of the house by 8:30-ish, which wasn't too bad. I figured this trip at about 70-75 miles, depending upon what I found.

Fortunately, there were no workers at this site to say "no". I rode across.

I had a few maps, mostly to help me navigate around Wolf Creek and Twelve Mile Creek since the roads don't go across these rivers in many spots. I ended up choosing 130th Street in Tama County to cross Westward over to P Avenue which would eventually get me to O Avenue. There wasn't too much loose, deep gravel going this way, and the Southerly wind wasn't blasting me in the face. The going wasn't bad then. However; I passed a blown over road sign which looked all the world like a road closed sign. Dang it! Would 130th be closed? I had a sneaking suspicion I may be backtracking a few miles.

As it turned out, there was a new bridge being built, and fortunately, the new decking was already poured. I walked around the barriers and rode across, being very careful not to run over something sharp. The deck of the bridge was a complete mess of construction debris. No workers were there to say "no", so I scooted by and didn't look back. That was one check avoided!

P Avenue, looking South, just North of Traer, Iowa.

The low water crossing of Wolf Creek just West of Traer, Iowa on O Avenue.

Eventually I reached O Avenue, but North of where we will be getting on it. I wanted to check out the low water crossing of the Wolf Creek which is one of my favorite stretches of Level B Maintenance Road anywhere. I just think it is pretty odd that such a wide, vigorous creek is crossed in such a manner. Usually this sort of thing is reserved for much smaller, narrower creeks.

Then it was on to HWY 63, a bit of a jig-a-jog to the West to get to O Avenue's run South of HWY 63, and then on to five miles of Level B Maintenance road. Interestingly, all the Google generated maps have this first mile South of 63 listed as "Level E Road", which is very odd. Anyway,it is, in fact, signed "O Avenue", and it is black earth for about two straight miles.

Our GTDRI route joins this from the East a mile in on 190th Street. Then the GTDRI route will turn left and go straight South for several miles. Or that is what I was expecting. Following are several shots of the dirt roads on this stretch of the route.

This is after the black earth section and is mostly clay here. 

Then in the next mile O Avenue deteriorates into this grassy two-track. Note the dogleg in the road.

This interesting intersection leads out of the two-track.

The 4th, and last mile on O Avenue we will see of Level B, runs back into a grassy two-track before it turns back to gravel.

Unfortunately, I found out with a mile and a half to go on O Avenue that there road ends in a dead end. Actually, I wasn't surprised by this from the looks of the maps I'd seen. So, once again, it is always best to verify maps. They often are not correct, especially in rural areas. Now I'll have to do some rerouting....

But first, I needed to get back home, so of course, I rode all those rad dirt roads backward to Traer! Then I got off at the convenience store to resupply. I had a grilled chicken sandwich too. Then I took off again. By this time, it was getting really hot, and I was traveling with the wind, so there was essentially no cooling going on from the air. I felt like I was baking in an oven.

I helped escort this turtle off the road near TF Clark Park North of Traer.

I ended up stopping to cool off four different times. Fortunately, I had lots of water and a few times I used it to pour over my head and back of my neck to cool myself down. It didn't help that the night before was a bad night of sleep for me either. A couple of the times I pulled over it was to try to catch a power nap so I could continue!

I had a chance meeting on the way home with a gentleman who was mowing his ditch. He sort of looked at me with a quizzical look that indicated that he'd like to have a word with me, so I pulled over, he shut down the mower, and we chatted. At one point, he asked me if I knew anything about this, "....whatchamacallit.......gravel road.......a race......something about a hundred miles or......do you know anything about that?"

I said, "Was it "300 Miles of Gravel"? Was it on PBS?"

He indicated that, yeah, he thought that was probably it. Then I told him, "Yeah, well I'm the guy that puts that race on."

You'd have thunk he met a celebrity.

Well, after that I rolled down the road about a quarter mile and collapsed under a tree for half an hour resting. Not very glamorous! Ha! But.....effective. I was able to limp it on home and I ended up with 69 miles on the day. I can say that I am definitely NOT ready for the GTDRI. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me. And I have to reroute the course.

Stay tuned.......

GTDRI '17: Update- Some Recon

 I'd never seen a heli crop dusting till Saturday, and then I saw two on the same day!

Saturday I got out for a partial recon of the GTDRI route. My route has a road in it which I had never been on and which looked rather suspicious. It had a lot of Level B Maintenance sections, creeks running across it, and it was in the most remote part of Tama County there is. After having been bombing around the countryside since 2004 doing recon for gravel events, I have picked up a few tips on what to look for on a map when it comes to problems, and O Avenue had all the hallmarks of a road that had closures. Never mind that the DOT map showed that it all was there. That doesn't guarantee anything.

So, my goal was to ride to the start of where the route picks up O Avenue and run it through to see if we can use it, or if I would have to do a reroute. Of course, O Avenue is a long way from the house, so this wasn't a small undertaking. I chose the Fargo Gen I as my ride since it carries so much water and has meatier tires which deal with loose gravel better. With a beautiful day on tap, I had nothing holding me back from doing the trip.

I had loaded up the Fargo the evening before and I was out of the house by 8:30-ish, which wasn't too bad. I figured this trip at about 70-75 miles, depending upon what I found.

Fortunately, there were no workers at this site to say "no". I rode across.

I had a few maps, mostly to help me navigate around Wolf Creek and Twelve Mile Creek since the roads don't go across these rivers in many spots. I ended up choosing 130th Street in Tama County to cross Westward over to P Avenue which would eventually get me to O Avenue. There wasn't too much loose, deep gravel going this way, and the Southerly wind wasn't blasting me in the face. The going wasn't bad then. However; I passed a blown over road sign which looked all the world like a road closed sign. Dang it! Would 130th be closed? I had a sneaking suspicion I may be backtracking a few miles.

As it turned out, there was a new bridge being built, and fortunately, the new decking was already poured. I walked around the barriers and rode across, being very careful not to run over something sharp. The deck of the bridge was a complete mess of construction debris. No workers were there to say "no", so I scooted by and didn't look back. That was one check avoided!

P Avenue, looking South, just North of Traer, Iowa.

The low water crossing of Wolf Creek just West of Traer, Iowa on O Avenue.

Eventually I reached O Avenue, but North of where we will be getting on it. I wanted to check out the low water crossing of the Wolf Creek which is one of my favorite stretches of Level B Maintenance Road anywhere. I just think it is pretty odd that such a wide, vigorous creek is crossed in such a manner. Usually this sort of thing is reserved for much smaller, narrower creeks.

Then it was on to HWY 63, a bit of a jig-a-jog to the West to get to O Avenue's run South of HWY 63, and then on to five miles of Level B Maintenance road. Interestingly, all the Google generated maps have this first mile South of 63 listed as "Level E Road", which is very odd. Anyway,it is, in fact, signed "O Avenue", and it is black earth for about two straight miles.

Our GTDRI route joins this from the East a mile in on 190th Street. Then the GTDRI route will turn left and go straight South for several miles. Or that is what I was expecting. Following are several shots of the dirt roads on this stretch of the route.

This is after the black earth section and is mostly clay here. 

Then in the next mile O Avenue deteriorates into this grassy two-track. Note the dogleg in the road.

This interesting intersection leads out of the two-track.

The 4th, and last mile on O Avenue we will see of Level B, runs back into a grassy two-track before it turns back to gravel.

Unfortunately, I found out with a mile and a half to go on O Avenue that there road ends in a dead end. Actually, I wasn't surprised by this from the looks of the maps I'd seen. So, once again, it is always best to verify maps. They often are not correct, especially in rural areas. Now I'll have to do some rerouting....

But first, I needed to get back home, so of course, I rode all those rad dirt roads backward to Traer! Then I got off at the convenience store to resupply. I had a grilled chicken sandwich too. Then I took off again. By this time, it was getting really hot, and I was traveling with the wind, so there was essentially no cooling going on from the air. I felt like I was baking in an oven.

I helped escort this turtle off the road near TF Clark Park North of Traer.

I ended up stopping to cool off four different times. Fortunately, I had lots of water and a few times I used it to pour over my head and back of my neck to cool myself down. It didn't help that the night before was a bad night of sleep for me either. A couple of the times I pulled over it was to try to catch a power nap so I could continue!

I had a chance meeting on the way home with a gentleman who was mowing his ditch. He sort of looked at me with a quizzical look that indicated that he'd like to have a word with me, so I pulled over, he shut down the mower, and we chatted. At one point, he asked me if I knew anything about this, "....whatchamacallit.......gravel road.......a race......something about a hundred miles or......do you know anything about that?"

I said, "Was it "300 Miles of Gravel"? Was it on PBS?"

He indicated that, yeah, he thought that was probably it. Then I told him, "Yeah, well I'm the guy that puts that race on."

You'd have thunk he met a celebrity.

Well, after that I rolled down the road about a quarter mile and collapsed under a tree for half an hour resting. Not very glamorous! Ha! But.....effective. I was able to limp it on home and I ended up with 69 miles on the day. I can say that I am definitely NOT ready for the GTDRI. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me. And I have to reroute the course.

Stay tuned.......

Soggy Solstice Ride

I could see the rain coming......

Wednesday. Time to ride. Well.........it would be, if it ever would quit raining on Wednesdays. Last Wednesday I got snookered out of a ride and this one looked to be headed in the same direction. We had a nice thunderstorm roll through in the morning, so I took the time to maintenance the Twin Six Standard Rando and change the elastomers in the Redshift ShockStop stem I am testing on it.

Around lunch time it cleared out and I decided to eat and then I would get out there. Well, about the time I am headed out the door, radar indicated rain all around Waterloo. I went out anyway. Heck, sometimes radar indicates rain and it amounts to nothing. Fake news and all. I wasn't going to miss out on riding.

Things looked wet all around, for sure, but where I was it seemed dry enough. No standing puddles, no spritzing of rain, no immediate threat to me. So, I went onward. Aker Road to Washburn, and around down on Holmes Road to Petrie Road to test the new Resolute's mud clearing capacity. I figured the rain would have made some nice mud for me to get in to.

That would be found out in due time. Right at that moment I had a nasty Southeastern headwind to push against. It was tough sledding heading South. The gravel was wet and actually muddy in some spots here. They must have gotten quite the gully washer that morning. No trouble with fresh gravel, at least there was that. I found plenty of good lines on my way.

Best to heed the sign, but I had testing to do!

Petrie didn't look too bad. I actually made it to the place where the black dirt turned to clay, then all bets were off. The wheels stopped turning and I was obliged to walk after that. You can see the top of the hill in the image here, and that is where I finally could drop the bike and roll it along where there was a line of clover blooming on the left side of the roadway.

Once I reached the grassy margin in the middle I could ride again.

The Resolutes clear mud like a champ, so once I got rolling again I didn't have to stop to scrape mud at all. In fact, after about a half mile of gravel you'd never know that I had been packed up with mud unless you looked at the frame. The tires looked fine.

Heading East was better than going South, but when I turned out on Ansborough, I got the full effects of the tailwind and I was off to the races. The gravel was newer over here, but as long as I was headed North it did not matter. I found it easy to keep hammering.

I went down Washburn Road and back to Aker, then started making my way back toward Waterloo. I was keeping an eye on the sky the entire ride, but it wasn't until I made it back on to the Sergeant Road bike path that I began to think I might end up getting caught in some rain.

It was going to be a close call, but in the end, I decided not to try to outrun this. I know when to make a run for it and this rain cloud wasn't warranting a heavy output. So, I motored onward.

Getting wet on the bike is maybe something a lot of people try to avoid. I guess I'd try to avoid getting into a heavy thunderstorm, but your garden variety shower? Meh..... Not that big of a deal, especially in the Summer. I wasn't too worried, and as it turned out it didn't really start raining on me in earnest until I was about 12 blocks from the house.

It is kind of a weird thing with me and rain. Once it starts raining, and I am riding, I get a boost of energy. Once on a Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitaional it rained on us and I took off up the steep hills of Jasper County like I had a turbo boost. A friend started calling me "Contador" because I was climbing so well. It was just that it was raining. I cannot explain why I am that way.

Well, the rain made me go like a son of a gun and I was home before ya knew it, dripping wet on the front porch. Some "solstice ride"! Usually it is a long day in the saddle where you expect to have to use copious amounts of sun tan lotion. Not dodging rain storms and lightning bolts!

Soggy Solstice Ride

I could see the rain coming......

Wednesday. Time to ride. Well.........it would be, if it ever would quit raining on Wednesdays. Last Wednesday I got snookered out of a ride and this one looked to be headed in the same direction. We had a nice thunderstorm roll through in the morning, so I took the time to maintenance the Twin Six Standard Rando and change the elastomers in the Redshift ShockStop stem I am testing on it.

Around lunch time it cleared out and I decided to eat and then I would get out there. Well, about the time I am headed out the door, radar indicated rain all around Waterloo. I went out anyway. Heck, sometimes radar indicates rain and it amounts to nothing. Fake news and all. I wasn't going to miss out on riding.

Things looked wet all around, for sure, but where I was it seemed dry enough. No standing puddles, no spritzing of rain, no immediate threat to me. So, I went onward. Aker Road to Washburn, and around down on Holmes Road to Petrie Road to test the new Resolute's mud clearing capacity. I figured the rain would have made some nice mud for me to get in to.

That would be found out in due time. Right at that moment I had a nasty Southeastern headwind to push against. It was tough sledding heading South. The gravel was wet and actually muddy in some spots here. They must have gotten quite the gully washer that morning. No trouble with fresh gravel, at least there was that. I found plenty of good lines on my way.

Best to heed the sign, but I had testing to do!

Petrie didn't look too bad. I actually made it to the place where the black dirt turned to clay, then all bets were off. The wheels stopped turning and I was obliged to walk after that. You can see the top of the hill in the image here, and that is where I finally could drop the bike and roll it along where there was a line of clover blooming on the left side of the roadway.

Once I reached the grassy margin in the middle I could ride again.

The Resolutes clear mud like a champ, so once I got rolling again I didn't have to stop to scrape mud at all. In fact, after about a half mile of gravel you'd never know that I had been packed up with mud unless you looked at the frame. The tires looked fine.

Heading East was better than going South, but when I turned out on Ansborough, I got the full effects of the tailwind and I was off to the races. The gravel was newer over here, but as long as I was headed North it did not matter. I found it easy to keep hammering.

I went down Washburn Road and back to Aker, then started making my way back toward Waterloo. I was keeping an eye on the sky the entire ride, but it wasn't until I made it back on to the Sergeant Road bike path that I began to think I might end up getting caught in some rain.

It was going to be a close call, but in the end, I decided not to try to outrun this. I know when to make a run for it and this rain cloud wasn't warranting a heavy output. So, I motored onward.

Getting wet on the bike is maybe something a lot of people try to avoid. I guess I'd try to avoid getting into a heavy thunderstorm, but your garden variety shower? Meh..... Not that big of a deal, especially in the Summer. I wasn't too worried, and as it turned out it didn't really start raining on me in earnest until I was about 12 blocks from the house.

It is kind of a weird thing with me and rain. Once it starts raining, and I am riding, I get a boost of energy. Once on a Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitaional it rained on us and I took off up the steep hills of Jasper County like I had a turbo boost. A friend started calling me "Contador" because I was climbing so well. It was just that it was raining. I cannot explain why I am that way.

Well, the rain made me go like a son of a gun and I was home before ya knew it, dripping wet on the front porch. Some "solstice ride"! Usually it is a long day in the saddle where you expect to have to use copious amounts of sun tan lotion. Not dodging rain storms and lightning bolts!

Country Views '17: The B Road Tour

Lots of field preparation is happening right now out in the rural areas.

A Wednesday off again, so I figured that I should break out the brand new RidingGravel.com kit and test it out. I got the vest, jersey, and bib shorts. I needed all of it and arm warmers with gloves to start out with since the temperature was in the 50's. I headed out down the bike trail to Aker Road since the wind was supposedly coming out of the South. It wasn't supposed to be very strong either. Something in the single digits as I recall when I looked on Tuesday evening. However; it was definitely stronger than that!

The plan was to go down to Petrie Road, turn right and do the Level B Road there, and then head down Holmes Road till I reached 110th in Tama County where I planned to go right and catch three straight miles of Level B Road a mile West of HWY 63. Then I was going to turn North at a "T" intersection and go back till I reached Griffith Road, take a right,and then follow the mostly diagonal and flat Eldora Road back to Hudson and then back on flat bike path.

Well, that was the plan. I did not execute the plan well though. You shall see about that later. First, however, I had to get South, and I was riding right into the wind, which was a beast, actually. It was making my right knee hurt, I was pushing so hard. Finally I got some respite by turning West on Petrie Road. The level B was sandy, rutted,and loose from farm traffic which was busy this day. I had to stop briefly to allow some big truck to go out of the Level B and there were tractors fertilizing with anhydrous ammonia in the field adjacent to the road on the South side. I could hear the tractor, but I could not see it since the road is cut down into a hill right there. I passed that by and then hit a really soft section which I managed to clear without dabbing.

A small creek and a bit of prairie burn here.

As I rode along I noted another set of tracks from a bicycle. The tracks were disturbed enough that I could not pick out a tread pattern, but I could tell they were recently laid. I thought about my friends, Tony and Jeremy, who often go down this way. Maybe it was one of them? I fancied that maybe I might run across someone at some point, but I never did.

The gravel was fresh, of course, and the wind was strong. I ended up stopping for a break after 12 miles. I tightened my Lezyne GPS mount which had vibrated loose, then I ate a packet of almond butter and hit the road South again.

The Black Hawk-Tama County Line. Tama County is to the right here.

We use maps and see borders all the time, but when you are out in the country you realize how arbitrary those "lines" are. I passed the county border between Black Hawk County and Tama County and stopped to take a quick image of what a county line border really looks like. If there weren't street signs there, you'd never know you had crossed a border line.

There were anhydrous ammonia tanks sitting all over. That's Buckingham Iowa off on the horizon there.

The dust was awful yesterday. When cars or trucks went by, the wind, which had switched from slightly Southeast to coming straight from the South, made the dust hang in the air so you could not see, or breath, well at all. I finally reached 110th and turned Eastward to cross HWY 63.

This giant ag vehicle looks tiny and insignificant when seen against the backdrop of the vast plains.

The Spring and Fall are really the only times in Iowa when you can get a good feel for how the land must have been like back before the white man settled it. The crops have not taken over and broken up the horizon line. Crop farming has eliminated fences in many areas, and farms have disappeared in droves to leave us with giant, unbroken vistas. Now once again you can get a hint of the vast Great Plains and how daunting the open spaces are. Only the grid work of the gravel roads breaks the horizon lines in many places now.

Looking back East on 110th in Tama County.

I was aiming to run three miles straight of Level B Road in Northern Tama County, only a mile and a half from the Black Hawk County border. These dirt roads were actually dry, and they possibly may have been graded once, because there were zero ruts or trenching from rain washing down hills. They were fast and only bumpy due to tractor tire lugs.

Level B Road find: A perfectly coiled up strand of nylon rope. Of course, I took it home!

I interpret this sign to say "Adventure Road!"

Generally Iowa is truly a beautiful place. Occasionally man has found ways to muck it up.

On the last mile of the three consecutive Level B sections.

Barns For Jason

As I turned North, with the wind, I had to stop after a few miles to shed some of my gear. Arm warmers, gloves, and skull cap all had to come off and get stowed for the remainder of the ride. Then it was down the hatch with my last almond butter packet. I should have brought more, but I was figuring on an easy, flatter terrain for my return leg. The trouble was that I ended up not turning at Griffith because I thought it looked wrong and I went further North. This forced me, if I was to stick to gravel, to go all the way up North to Shaulis Road. That way is fine, but it is much more hilly. So, I pretty much was starting to bonk by the time I got to just South of Cedar Falls. I was working way harder than I thought I would be.

I made it though, eventually, and clocked in 45 miles in the process. My legs were destroyed and all I wanted to do most of the rest of the day was sleep, but I eventually bounced back. I'm looking forward to exploring some more Tama County dirt roads this year. Stay tuned.....

Country Views '17: The B Road Tour

Lots of field preparation is happening right now out in the rural areas.

A Wednesday off again, so I figured that I should break out the brand new RidingGravel.com kit and test it out. I got the vest, jersey, and bib shorts. I needed all of it and arm warmers with gloves to start out with since the temperature was in the 50's. I headed out down the bike trail to Aker Road since the wind was supposedly coming out of the South. It wasn't supposed to be very strong either. Something in the single digits as I recall when I looked on Tuesday evening. However; it was definitely stronger than that!

The plan was to go down to Petrie Road, turn right and do the Level B Road there, and then head down Holmes Road till I reached 110th in Tama County where I planned to go right and catch three straight miles of Level B Road a mile West of HWY 63. Then I was going to turn North at a "T" intersection and go back till I reached Griffith Road, take a right,and then follow the mostly diagonal and flat Eldora Road back to Hudson and then back on flat bike path.

Well, that was the plan. I did not execute the plan well though. You shall see about that later. First, however, I had to get South, and I was riding right into the wind, which was a beast, actually. It was making my right knee hurt, I was pushing so hard. Finally I got some respite by turning West on Petrie Road. The level B was sandy, rutted,and loose from farm traffic which was busy this day. I had to stop briefly to allow some big truck to go out of the Level B and there were tractors fertilizing with anhydrous ammonia in the field adjacent to the road on the South side. I could hear the tractor, but I could not see it since the road is cut down into a hill right there. I passed that by and then hit a really soft section which I managed to clear without dabbing.

A small creek and a bit of prairie burn here.

As I rode along I noted another set of tracks from a bicycle. The tracks were disturbed enough that I could not pick out a tread pattern, but I could tell they were recently laid. I thought about my friends, Tony and Jeremy, who often go down this way. Maybe it was one of them? I fancied that maybe I might run across someone at some point, but I never did.

The gravel was fresh, of course, and the wind was strong. I ended up stopping for a break after 12 miles. I tightened my Lezyne GPS mount which had vibrated loose, then I ate a packet of almond butter and hit the road South again.

The Black Hawk-Tama County Line. Tama County is to the right here.

We use maps and see borders all the time, but when you are out in the country you realize how arbitrary those "lines" are. I passed the county border between Black Hawk County and Tama County and stopped to take a quick image of what a county line border really looks like. If there weren't street signs there, you'd never know you had crossed a border line.

There were anhydrous ammonia tanks sitting all over. That's Buckingham Iowa off on the horizon there.

The dust was awful yesterday. When cars or trucks went by, the wind, which had switched from slightly Southeast to coming straight from the South, made the dust hang in the air so you could not see, or breath, well at all. I finally reached 110th and turned Eastward to cross HWY 63.

This giant ag vehicle looks tiny and insignificant when seen against the backdrop of the vast plains.

The Spring and Fall are really the only times in Iowa when you can get a good feel for how the land must have been like back before the white man settled it. The crops have not taken over and broken up the horizon line. Crop farming has eliminated fences in many areas, and farms have disappeared in droves to leave us with giant, unbroken vistas. Now once again you can get a hint of the vast Great Plains and how daunting the open spaces are. Only the grid work of the gravel roads breaks the horizon lines in many places now.

Looking back East on 110th in Tama County.

I was aiming to run three miles straight of Level B Road in Northern Tama County, only a mile and a half from the Black Hawk County border. These dirt roads were actually dry, and they possibly may have been graded once, because there were zero ruts or trenching from rain washing down hills. They were fast and only bumpy due to tractor tire lugs.

Level B Road find: A perfectly coiled up strand of nylon rope. Of course, I took it home!

I interpret this sign to say "Adventure Road!"

Generally Iowa is truly a beautiful place. Occasionally man has found ways to muck it up.

On the last mile of the three consecutive Level B sections.

Barns For Jason

As I turned North, with the wind, I had to stop after a few miles to shed some of my gear. Arm warmers, gloves, and skull cap all had to come off and get stowed for the remainder of the ride. Then it was down the hatch with my last almond butter packet. I should have brought more, but I was figuring on an easy, flatter terrain for my return leg. The trouble was that I ended up not turning at Griffith because I thought it looked wrong and I went further North. This forced me, if I was to stick to gravel, to go all the way up North to Shaulis Road. That way is fine, but it is much more hilly. So, I pretty much was starting to bonk by the time I got to just South of Cedar Falls. I was working way harder than I thought I would be.

I made it though, eventually, and clocked in 45 miles in the process. My legs were destroyed and all I wanted to do most of the rest of the day was sleep, but I eventually bounced back. I'm looking forward to exploring some more Tama County dirt roads this year. Stay tuned.....