Day 43 Lewis and Clark State Park, IA to Council Bluffs, IA

It is hot. Did I say that already?

It was hot last night, which made sleeping difficult. We were not particularly well rested this morning as we left camp. Though we didn't make our target departure time of 6:30, we did make it out by 7:00. Not bad.

Much of the trip tday was spent alongside the Loess Hills of Iowa. Loess is the German word for loose and is used to describe hills created as the result of windblown dust. The spine of grass and forest covered hills towering above us as we rode South today grew slowly over millions of years as dust from the plains was blown and deposited like sand dunes on the western edge of Iowa. Pretty amazing. These are the second largest loess hills in the world after a range in China.

The hills are beautiful, as anyone who is a Dar Williams fan will know. Beautiful and anomalous stretching as far as the eye can see North and South, but with ceaseless plains stretching for miles west, flat as flat can be. )I don't know what happens to the East. I can't see over the hills.) Perhaps the most interesting aspect is when we ride by the location of a slide and are able to see the exposed interior of the hill. There is no bedrock, really, no rock to speak of - just dirt. At times it is uniform, and at times striated in reds, grays, or browns; but there is only dirt - millions of years worth of compacted dust. I'm totally fascinated.

We stopped in Mondamin, IA for a snack and talked to some of the local farmers. It's too dry here, but that seems to be an old story. One repeated year to year. They spoke of rain in tenths of an inch. "I got eight-tenths up the road, but one and two-tenths on the hill." "I only got six-tenths." A perennial problem of such grave importance that it requires both continual and acute observation.

One of the farmers likes to eat peanut butter and onion sandwiches. The other left us with the sage advice that, "The important thing is not to get in a hurry." When its 105 degrees out, there is no better rule of thumb.

We made it as far as Missouri Valley by noon. Then the heat struck and the mercury pushed up into the hundreds, topping out at 105. So, we retreated to the sanctity and refuge of the Missouri Valley library. It is a gorgeous building furnished with plush chair and couches. The nicest library we've been in yet. It's nice that with only a few hundred miles to ride there are still gems to be found. Amanda napped on a couch while I kept busy with maps and magazines. We waited until 5:30 and hit the road again.

The thermometer still read 104, but as the sun slowly retreated toward the horizon the heat began to break. I wasn't sure we'd make the 25 miles to Council Bluffs, but 5 miles out we could see the towers of Omaha on the horizon, and it gave us enough incentive to push on.

We didn't make Council Bluffs until nearly dusk, and were saved from a miserable night at Lake Manawa State Park by Clark and Sue, who seeing us disheveled and confused on a street corner invited us in to their gorgeous, 100 year old farmhouse for the evening. They are both cyclists and were excited to have a couple of grungy, tired tourists in their home. Clark provided liquid refreshement and made us at home, and Sue cooked the best fried egg sandwich I've ever eaten. We couldn't have dreamed of better hospitality.

Refreshed, clean, comfortable we went to the promise of a good nights sleep.