Day 34 June 25th Cedar Valley

Solon IA to Dysart IA 76 miles (1,528)

Today's natural highlight was the Cedar Valley nature trail, which spanned by far the majority of the miles I rode today:
The Cedar Valley Nature Trail is part of the proposed Great American Rail Trail - the route that I am approximately following on my adventure across the USA.

It wasn't all fun and games, though, as there was a 6 mile section under construction that caused me some issues:
The wet, unpacked dirt/gravel combination that they were using was so mushy in places that I sunk well past my ankles. A couple of times I came close to losing my shoes in the muck.

The most amazing part about today was that Paula, my Warm Showers host, got up at 4:45 a.m. - after staying up late to help her team win a trivia contest - to lead me 25 miles safely through the Cedar Rapids Iowa area where the Cedar Valley Nature Trail has several stops and starts that are not necessarily easy to navigate.
Not sure where the Cowardly Lion is.
The Cedar River with Mount Trashmore in the background. Yes, Mount Trashmore is a landfill that has been covered with vegetation and is now a mountain in Iowa.

Navigating around a trail closure.

Soon after Paula turned around so she could get to work, I found myself in Iowa's largest frying pan:
TMI?

The penultimate road of my 76 mile ride. By the time I got here I was exhausted and it was all I could do to keep going. I knew better than to attempt this many miles, but sometimes it's hard to find an overnight in the 50 to 60 mile range. Plus, I thought I could do it because I would be on a paved trail almost the entire way. That was before I found out that there was construction on the 6 Mile section mentioned above and from there on it was all wet, dirt surface.

The day ended on a high note, however, when I met the friendly campground hosts and Ranger Olivia:
Olivia interviewed me for the county parks newsletter. It was fun answering her questions and telling her about some of my experiences so far on my cross country adventure.

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 30, 2021 at 12:26 AM

    Hopefully leaving Iowa into Nebraska isn't akin to leaving the frying pan and entering the fire!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Angie RJune 30, 2021 at 6:14 AM

    “Penultimate”, I had to look that up 😂
    What a tough day-must be frustrating to keep running into unexpected trail closures😩

    ReplyDelete
  3. Molly BellJune 30, 2021 at 8:29 AM

    Hi Rolff I’m sure by now you are miles down the trail. So great meeting and visiting with you. You’re a true inspiration. I’ve been praying for your safe journey ever since we met at Hickory Hills.
    Molly Bell

    ReplyDelete
  4. Robert AJune 30, 2021 at 10:20 PM

    Penultimate, aka The Queen Stage, aka second to last. Thank you grand tours😂
    Just another feather/challenge in your cap that’s making you stronger after you’ve persevered.

    ReplyDelete

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