Day 29, Rest Day in Madison, Wisconsin

Today is a rest day. I am catching up on much needed sleep and food. The day started with a 5 course, hour long breakfast. Then a mid-morning snooze. Then we went to a sports bar to watch the Packers lose to the Lions. Bad day for Packers' fans. Now the plan is to soak in the hot tub for a while followed by a few laps of the pool to build up an appetite for dinner. Dinner is at an Indian restaurant called Maharani, a few blocks from the hotel. Early to bed and early to rise tomorrow to resume our journey.

In the picture are Randy, Janis, Randy’s son Ross and Nicole.

Day 28, Boscobel, WI to Madison, WI

Today I rode 88.39 miles in a little over 6 hours to reach Madison, the capital of Wisconsin. Wisconsin is known as "America's Dairyland" because it is one of the nation's leading dairy producers, particularly famous for cheese. Manufacturing and tourism are also major contributors to the state's economy.

Bill Knorr is from Boulder, Colorado. He is one of the stronger riders. I had a particularly strong day of riding and was able to keep up with him all day long. He too has a blog and you can read all about his journey here.

We had 30 miles of “Wisconsin Rollers”. These are hills with steep climbs of between 200 to 300 feet followed by equally steep descents. They made for some challenging riding for me.

 And then, we entered Madison, the capital of Wisconsin. Our hotel is on Lake Monona.

We were invited to dinner at the home of John Burke, President of Trek Bicycle Corporation and his wife Tania Burke, President of Trek Travel. Tania enjoys watching sunsets. They have a home on the shore of Lake Mendota. This is the sunset I got to enjoy from their back yard. It was a very pleasant evening. I got to meet some of the wonderful people that work at Trek Travel including Lindsay Juley and Kari Fischer. Lindsay and I shared a few laughs remembering my very first conversation with her over the phone. It related to my total ignorance about bicycling. And I probed Kari about her “dreams” for herself. I am hoping she will be able to fulfill all her “dreams” as I am living mine every day of my life.

I have been bringing stories of Lewis County with me to all the places around the world my travels take me. I tell people about our "Cream Cheese Festival" which I missed this year. Another organization doing a lot of good work is the Lewis County Historical Society. Learn more about all they do here.

Day 27, West Union, IA to Boscobel, WI

Today I rode 80.23 miles in a little under 6 hours.

One more time, we started our day riding straight into the Sun.

A visit to the Iowa Maize Maze.

I am pictured here with Linda Lynch, the masseuse traveling with the team. Behind me is the mighty Mississippi River, the longest river in the U.S.A.

I rode past little towns like Elgin, Iowa.

And Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin’s second oldest community.

To finally reach the destination for the day, Boscobel, Wisconsin.

Day 26, Clear Lake, IA to West Union, IA

Today I rode 91 miles in a little under 7 hours from Clear Lake, IA to West Union, IA.

We again started our day by riding straight into the rising sun.

The Marble Rock, Iowa monument honors veterans and “spouses who endured and children who went without.” 

Cindy, Russ and their tandem bicycle.

We saw a large number of grasshoppers along the roadside in Minnesota and Iowa. Learn about the grasshopper plagues, 1873-1877 here.

Although developed from the M48 Patton, the M60 series was never officially classified as a Patton tank, but as a "product-improved descendant" of the Patton series.

This tank is on display at the Veterans’ Park in Nashua, Iowa. Learn more about the M60A3 here.

Tonight is my last night in Iowa. Tomorrow I cross the mighty Mississippi and enter the state of Wisconsin.

Our Veterans deserve the best for defending the freedoms that we hold so dearly. If you feel in your heart that you would like to make a tax deductible donation, please click here.

Day 25, Okoboji, IA to Clear Lake, IA

Today I rode 112.97 miles from Okoboji to Clear Lake, IA. 

Iowa is a leading U.S. state in wind power generation with 27.4% of the state's electricity generation coming from wind in 2013. Learn more about it here.

Clumps of either Feather Reed Grass or Japanese Silver Grass near the village of Ventura, IA were a soothing sight to our eyes. We stopped to take a few pictures and the subject of the next picture appeared.

Tom is the proud owner of this now painstakingly restored 1930 Ford Model A tractor. He generously offered a ride to all of us on his shiny tractor. 

And finally, after a long day of riding we entered the City of Clear Lake, IA. Clear Lake is permanently linked with Rock & Roll pioneer Buddy Holly. 

In the early hours of February 3, 1959, a Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper, who had been performing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, took off from the local runway in nearby Mason City, on its way to the next show in Moorhead, Minnesota.

The plane crashed soon after takeoff, killing all aboard. This event was later eulogized by folk singer Don McLean in his famous song, "American Pie", in which the death of these '50s icons serves as a metaphor for greater changes within American society as a whole.

In June 1988, around 600 people gathered to witness the dedication of the monument to the deceased rock and roll legends. Clear Lake also replaced street signs officially changing 2nd Place North to Buddy Holly Place in honor of the late singer.

The day was not without its ups and downs. We started the day with birthday wishes for Mrs. Kelli Oaks of Houston, TX. But a little after lunch, Larry Oaks, her husband, also seen in the photograph had a crash and broke his left 5^th and 6^th ribs. The Oaks couple is some of the nicest people I have gotten to know over my many years of participating in expeditions around the globe. I can only wish for Larry to have a speedy recovery from his injury and get back in the saddle so that we may ride together again.

Another worthy organization that could use your help is Lewis County Opportunities. If I succeeded in making you go “Wow” or gave you goose bumps, please consider donating to this organization. Click here for more information on how to contact them.

Day 24, Sioux Falls, SD to Okoboji, Iowa

Today I rode 108.21 miles from Sioux Falls, SD to Okoboji, IA(Iowa)

We rode through 3 states today, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. We had breakfast in South Dakota, lunch in Minnesota and dinner in Iowa. Minnesota is informally known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes”.

I am pictured here with J.B. Smith, a friend and fellow rider from Maine. Yesterday, he was mildly injured by the side view mirror of a car. He was a little frightful riding today after that close shave yesterday. But knowing him, he will do well. He is a very strong solo rider whose company I have enjoyed many a days on the road. We are at our lunch spot in Minnesota. I had the pleasure of meeting Loren, his beautiful and charming wife in Rapid City, SD.

After the Louisiana Purchase, settlers laid the foundation for an agriculture-based economy in the heart of the Corn Belt. I saw endless fields of corn and soybean today. One cannot even see the other end of the fields, they are so vast.

Nicole Mazza is a fellow rider from Long Beach, CA. She took a big tumble at the beginning of the journey but her injuries have now healed satisfactorily. Unfortunately, her father suffered a cardiac arrest 3 days ago. He was successfully resuscitated and is stated to be doing remarkably well. Nicole has been on an emotional roller coaster the past 3 days. She has had the emotional support of one and all on our team. She is raising money for “RichstoneFamily Center”. I encourage you to visit her blog here. I also appeal to you to consider donating to her cause.

Day 23, Mitchell, SD to Sioux Falls, SD

I rode 72.2 miles from Mitchell, SD to Sioux Falls, SD. The terrain was mostly flat. We saw fields of corn and soybeans. To learn more about Sioux Falls, click here.

We rode into the rising sun and a short stretch of thick fog with very limited visibility. That was a little unnerving as we were not visible to the fast moving motorized vehicles. But all went well and we rode out of the fog pretty quickly. Today was another “rolling recovery” day. We were done before 1 p.m. This is in preparation of 5 consecutive days of long rides.

In the evening, Randy, Janice and I walked to the FallsPark. The Falls of the Big Sioux River have been a focus of life in the region throughout history. Native American people were the first to visit the falls and bring stories of them to European explorers. They have been the center of recreation and industry since the founding of the city in 1856.

At Falls Park, located at North Phillips Avenue and Falls Park Drive, visitors can see the city's namesake as well as some of the first buildings built in Sioux Falls.

Today the park covers 123 acres. An average of 7,400 gallons of water drop 100 feet over the course of the Falls each second.

A five-story, 50 ft. viewing tower offers a breathtaking, panoramic view of the park and city.

I have now been on the road for 23 days. No doubt I am living the adventure that I had dreamed about. But I am missing home, family, friends, work, colleagues, and patients. I am now on the second half of the journey which should go by faster than the first half.

I encourage people to take up bicycling for fun and fitness. There are some very enjoyable rides in Lewis County. Click here for a map of these routes.