Written by: Steffani Zavala, Orange Ride
This morning we got up early, even though it was a short day, to try to beat some of the heat. The high today was well over 90, with a swamp-like humidity after the big storm yesterday. So we were up before 5am, so we could eat, clean the church, and be on our bikes before 6:30.
The climbs today were way more manageable than the last couple of days. I expected Iowa to be a flat, cornfield-filled Midwestern state, but I was definitely wrong. We’ve done a whole lot of up-and-down climbing our first two days here. Luckily, though, along with the tempered grades today came SUNNY WEATHER! We’ve been getting rained on every day since York, NE, so it was nice to stay dry today.
The early start meant an early finish, and my husband, Luke, and I were able to stop with Ben Rivers to grab a burger at Hardee’s. After that, we stopped at a local bike shop on the way to the church. They were gearing up for RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) next week, so the place was abuzz with excitement and all sorts of cool swag. We came in and had smoothies our support staff made with a $3 blender they bought in a thrift shop in town (THANKS, NICOLE!). Then we went out, explored the town for awhile, had dinner with and gave a presentation to some of the folks here at First United Methodist Church. Once again, the hospitality from all of our hosts continues to blow me away. Tomorrow, we’ll spend our last night in Iowa and cross back over into the great state of Illinois! Can’t wait to be back on the home soil. Good night and farewell, Fuller Center blog readers. I hope you’re all having a summer as great as I am!
