Aug 7th - Algona to New Hampton 183km

An awesome day for cycling for sure! Left camp at 7:30am and picked up real fast rides, one after another, so i was able to be in camp before 3 after enjoying the 183km much, but not off the bike much....kept going most of the time. Rode with about eight different groups or riders - I love that since I get to chat with more people. Got chased by dogs much in the past couple of days! Worst one was a great Dane, who nearly got Jim Holwerda behind me! Amazing what emergency acceleration comes miraculously from within when prompted by an outside source like the snapping jaws of "man's best friend?!" Lovely scenery once again....nice place, this Iowa! Today's ride was much more hilly, especially towards the end. i don't notice it so much any more...nust be getting stronger in the legs I think! The tour is still a blast, and we are enjoying everything and honoring God for taking such excellent care of us! Looking forward to the next 3 weeks, the more since my husband Kobie is joining us in Madison the day after tomorrow. Thanks for all the e-mails I received from many friends..love you all!!!
Daily peloton meting at Algona...we are all wearing yellow t-shirts since Jonathan Stoner, our media guy,tooka group photo. Right front is Ed Witvoet, our excellent tour manager, respected and loved by all.
On the road again....riding with Claire's group.
Today I won the helmet-hairdo competition for sure!
Going through the beautiful tree lined streets of Charles City, Iowa
The open road with blue skies to New Hampton, Iowa. today it was arond 29C and such pleasant cycling weather. I was assured by residents that this cooler weather is exceptional for August here. Usually is is HOT, and humid and sticky....so you'd need a cold wet cloth on your face and one under your neck just in order to sleep at night! We thank our Lord for this merciful coolness.
Confusion in the gear truck packed with bodies early Wednesday morning when the rain came down strongly at the time we needed to put our stuff back and make our lunches. Outdoor living is a vulnerable existence!
Some of our dear kitchen ladies peeling potatoes in the morning, preparing for the scrumpteous dinner that night.
Billy D, our gear truck and camp manager. He can be a real sargent major and scoot us out of the truck when he needs to lock it up at 10:30pm EXACTlY. Also can he be painfully insistent on cleaning the truck meticulously every Saturday afternoon...everything removed and the truck rinsed out with a hosepipe and shelves and floor dried afterwards. BUT...we all love him dearly, since he is up and down the roadon his Harley, checking on us... every day, and brought many of us water on the mountain passes when we ran out.
Billy nodding off after dinner in the midst of all the noise, exhausted by the heat and being out all day on the Harley. He opens the gear truck at 5am in the morning. Below is Jim on the concrete roads that can be very rough and broken in Iowa.