Field of Dreams

In the last sunlight of the evening three deer jumped out from the brush surrounding the grassy lawn at the campground. We were sitting at our picnic table and stayed very still as the mother and two young ones pranced about. They were 100 feet or so away and didn't seem too bothered by us. Their movements are very sudden, jutting a leg or pulling it back with angular, staccato movements.

The next morning Rach put the steam on and we were thundering down the road. It was made of even concrete sections and we went "Ka-thunk, Ka-thunk" just like a rail car when our tires passed over the seams. We must have had a good dinner because we were blazing during this stretch of the day, riding strong. With no wind holding us back it was a delight to make quick time. The weather was perfect too.

We stopped for lunch at a grocery store in Cascade, Iowa. They had a deli counter and I asked if they made sandwiches to order. "Like what would you want?" "Cheese and whatever veggies you have." "How do you mean?" "Like vegetables: tomatoes, lettuce, onion, y'know." A look of confusion and apprehension passed over her face. "Oh, we don't do that." Veggie sandwiches have not yet come to Cascade. It was Sunday and we took our fixings to enjoy in the shade underneath a tree outside a bank.

Refueled, it was only another five or so miles to the highlight of the day: The Field of Dreams. Since the movie was made in 1989, the Lansing family has kept the field open as a tourist attraction. There were families and young kids taking turns hitting a few balls and running the bases. Rach has never seen the film and it's been a long time since I have so we're looking forward to watching it on a rest day. Sadly, Kevin Costner was not there but you could ease your pain with a variety of souvenirs or ice creams. I ate two. We concluded the day with another five or so miles of riding to a county campground.

Last evening there were some local yokels who decided to have a campfire and be loud late into the evening. They weren't camping and eventually a ranger or some good samaritan told them off and they left. Enough hot coals remained this morning to restart their fire and eat our breakfast right next to the flames. We've had very few campfires this trip so that was a treat as the morning dew steamed off the grass.

The scenery recently has been more corn fields and rolling hills with plenty of small farms. Green waves of corn tumble down the hillside and their straw-colored tips break over the horizon. There have been great descents and long views of river valleys and forests from ambling ridge tops. Very pretty.

We had lunch in a charming small town called Elkader aside the Turkey River and a stretch where they have white water kayaking. Red brick main streets and a place on the National Historic Register. There was also a beautiful butterfly garden and a stone bridge that we took to leave town. Later, we bypassed the town of Monona and chopped off about 15 miles by riding on a much busier highway. The 18 was not pleasant and had a disappearing shoulder but we made it all in one piece to another county campground where we are the only people here. A very brief rain brought thunder claps and cooler temperatures. We hid in the tent and watched a video. Iowa is nearly behind us and tomorrow we'll be into Minnesota.

Thanks for reading.

Small town, small city hall

America

Field of Dreams

House of Dreams

Little sluggers

Good time to visit with the corn in season

Scene from the top of Iowa

Above Bloody Run Creek

Weeping willows