Menk's Across America - Journal Entry #6
By Jeremiah Menk
July 22, 2002
July 13, 2002
We rode from Redwood Falls, MN to German Lake near Elysian,
MN today. My Aunt and Uncle in Redwood Falls refused to let
us leave without a good breakfast. Once again we received
great hospitality from relatives. The ride was nice without
much wind. We stopped in St Peter, MN to visit my Uncle and
Cousins. We had ice cream and coffee with them and headed
to German Lake. We stayed with my Aunt and her fianc�. We
took a rest day Sunday and enjoyed the lake. Some of my friends
from the cities stopped down to visit. We went wakeboarding,
tubing, skiing, and swimming. The total mileage for the day
was 85 miles.
July 15, 2002
Today we rode from German Lake to Clear Lake, IA. Dad's list
of directions was long so I decided it would be easier to
ride with Mom and Dad for the day. The trip was pretty uneventful
until Mom realized she had lost her pump. She biked back to
the last rumble strips she had crossed to look for it. Dad
and I slowly biked ahead waiting for her. About twenty minutes
later I received a phone call from Mom. She had a flat tire
while she was trying to catch up to Dad and I. Dad had noticed
that she was taking longer than usual to catch up with us
so he circled back and found her. Mom was without a phone
when she had her flat and was one car away from hitch hiking
to Clear Lake. We rode into a headwind from the South for
most of the day. Our total mileage for the day was 110 miles.
July 16, 2002
Today we rode from Clear Lake to Oelwein, IA. We quickly realized
that there are no paved shoulders in Iowa. We were hammered
by the traffic along Highway 3 in IA. At one point Dad counted
40 semi-trucks in approximately 4 miles. Over a forty mile
stretch we estimated about 400 semi-trucks passed us. Ben
spent the day searching for a campground and was quite upset
when I met up with him in Oelwein. I hopped in the truck and
saw what Ben does during most of the day. Eventually we found
a campground south of town. The ride was 108 miles. Later
that night we witnessed a real live hoe-down. A bunch of elderly
friends were camping together and were playing and singing
tunes. They seemed to be in the sixties and seventies, so
when one of the men said, "Take it from here now, kids," to
the group, I laughed. I should have joined in when they were
signing Johnny Cash.
July 17, 2002
Today we rode Oelwein to Maquoketa, IA. Once again there were
no shoulders during the ride. A three-legged dog caught Mom
today. Dad said that describes the speed at which Mom rides.
Mom did not think that was a funny comment. Today we rode
103 miles. It was the first time we rode three centuries back
to back to back.
July 18, 2002
Today we rode from Maquoketa to Kewanee, IL. We were happy
to find paved shoulders along the road in Illinois. Mom stopped
briefly at a junk yard and looked at chairs and other junk.
Dad and I called it shopping, but she claimed that it didn't
count. I didn't understand, but I didn't ask for clarification.
I finished the day ahead of Mom and Dad for a total of 93
miles. Mom stopped in at a couple of other "Amish" furniture
stores along the way. Ben and I visited one of the original
Pabst bars in town that night. It had a beautiful back bar
from long ago.
July 19, 2002
We started in Kewanee and road to Pontiac, IL for a total
of 95 miles today. The highlight of the day was crossing the
Illinois River. We rode through a small town and were headed
towards the River when we saw some flashing lights ahead.
Soon we approached a line of cars and rode slowly behind them.
I was going to pass them, but Dad thought that they would
be pissed off and buzz me later. About ten minutes later we
saw why we were waiting. There was a police car escorting
a tractor with a plow across the bridge. We passed the tractor
and the police car and had clear riding across the bridge.
We were fortunate because there was no side walk, the bridge
was narrow, and traffic was heavy. It must not have been common
practice for a tractor to cross the bridge because there was
a photographer taking pictures of the scene. We pulled into
a gas station and had a coffee break to allow all of the cars
that we had passed on the bridge to pass us back. They seemed
somewhat upset by the fact that we had passed them on the
bridge. That night we pulled into a 4-H campground outside
of town. Luckily we were there early. A Christian Motorcycle
Rally filled the rest of the campground later that evening.
It seemed a little ironic that we were sneaking six packs
of beer into our camper in a no alcohol campground while the
people on motorcycles, dressed in their leather and torn denim,
with tattoos from a former period of their life, discussed
quietly amongst themselves.
July 20, 2002
Today we rode from Pontiac to Remington, IN. The first few
days of riding in the row crops were nice, but now it has
become boring. The heat and humidity has finally caught us.
The ride was 91 miles with a slight tail wind from the southwest.
Nothing too exciting happened today. I rode with Mom and Dad
today. Mom has been riding really well.
July 21, 2002
We rode from Remington to Peru, IN today. The heat index was
105 degrees. Tomorrow we are taking a day off. Ben had trouble
finding a campground with electricity for the air conditioner.
Eventually, after multiple wrong directions, many confused
looks, and a bunch of "I don't think there are any campgrounds
around here," Ben found a place. For most of the trip across
the eastern half of the United States, most people do not
know where there is camping around their town.
Steve's Top Ten List this week
- Illinois is flat.
- Iowa roads have no asphalt shoulders.
- Check the air pressure in your tires before you
ride. (Mom probably let the air out of her tires to get
an extra coffee break.)
- The Sunday pastime in Indiana is yelling at bicyclist.
- A three-legged dog is as fast as my wife. (Mom
was just about liking Dad again too, Mom said we were going
up a &*!% hill.)
- It is good to be lucky.
- Never leave a banana in a black bike bag for
two days in 95 degree heat.
- You will have a flat tire immediately after losing
your tire pump.
- It is nice to sponge off relatives in a long
bike trip.
- Vaseline works.
Photos
Photoset: July 13-July 21
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