Yesterday we whined quite a bit about the rain. Today we saw blue skies, moderate temperatures and middle America on the 4th of July.Kirksville, Missouri, to Algona, Iowa

310 Miles

900 total miles

Yesterday we whined quite a bit about the rain. Today we saw blue skies, moderate temperatures and middle America on the 4th of July.

We managed to shrug off our fatigue and had an early start to the day. After a quick breakfast at our hotel, we loaded up our bikes and set out on a northern route that took us into Iowa. It was the first ever visit to Iowa for Cleve and Bo. And it was a surprise.

Bo loads his bike for the day's ride

We rode through miles and miles of small farms, freshly planted with corn and more corn, which was no surprise. The surprise was that the part of the state we visited boasted a moderately hilly terrain that was full of wildflowers. It actually made for an interesting ride.

We attribute the blue skies to Mao, our new mascot. Nelson bought him a stars and stripes do-rag and apparently he likes his new duds.

We also enjoyed a ride through small-town America on the 4th of July. Joy in our nation's birthday was apparent in Promise City, Iowa, where the 105 inhabitants adorned every house with American flags.

The Dallas County, Iowa, Courthouse

Mention was made yesterday that we were taking a zig-zag route through Iowa. That's because there are almost no diagonal roads in Iowa. Most of the state highway map looks like a checkerboard. Remember the movie TRON? Not quite that bad, but close. So our route was up and across. It's would be a pain if we were in a hurry but being in a hurry is not part of our plan.

Nelson crusing down highway 34

We arrived in Algona, Iowa by 4:30pm. By coincidence, Algona is hosting its annual Biker rally, which raises money for ABATE, the motorcycle lobbying group. The streets were full of bikes and the interesting menagerie of those who ride them.

Although we had a few hours of sunlight left, we decided to call it a day and spend the evening in Algona. We would like to say that we stayed in Algona to take part in the festivities. The truth: we were too tired to keep riding. An early dinner was followed by an early bedtime.

Tomorrow we plan another early start. We'll go west on Highway 18 and follow it into South Dakota.