We packed up and left at 8:30am. Nice temperatures in the morning at 65F. We saw (and smelled) big piggies going to market in this truck.
After two hours or so we took a break south of Lincoln at the Prairie Lake Shell station. Michele said it was exceptionally clean inside. Look at this cool bike parked near us!
We met the man, he walked over asking where we're from and going to. We asked about his bike, he had it custom made and it has a 350 Chevy motor! He had wanted one of these for years from the man he sees at Sturgess who custom designs them. His wife told him to get one "in a moment of weakness," so he worked with the builder on the design. He lives nearby and is riding to Colorado to visit his daughter and family. His wife won't ride long trips, but flies out to meet him there. It sounded pretty cool when he took off.
We crossed the Missouri and there wasn't a sign welcoming us to Iowa, probably due to some construction in the area.
Once we crossed into Iowa, we felt the humidity return for the first time in over two weeks. Rob found a scenic overlook in the Waubonsie State Park.
Apparently this area is geologically interesting called the Loess Hills. The hills are made entirely by windblown soil. A Loess Hill must be more than 60 feet deep. No where else but China are they higher than in Iowa. On the website it says Ice age animals like wooly mammoth, camel, giant beaver and giant sloth roamed the Loess Hills during the Hills' early years. The crops looked to us like they'd be challenging to harvest on the terraces.
Rob planned lunch in Tabor, Iowa, a tiny town with a one-block downtown and lots of charm.
We ordered a takeout sandwich from Yeya's Scratch Kitchen where they only take cash and checks. While we waited, a man parked nearby asked where we're from and then said "You're a long way from home! How in the world did you end up in Tabor, Iowa?" Michele told him that Rob finds scenic drives so we're not always on the interstate. He was kind and wished us a safe trip. We drove two blocks over to the town park that has covered picnic areas. It also has a pretty cool play area for kids. Since they were all in school, it was really quiet there.
After lunch, we rode part of the Lewis and Clark scenic loop.
The GPS tried to route us on this 4-mile gravel road despite Rob's "no unpaved roads" setting.
To Michele this scene reminded her a little of the house in the movie Field of Dreams.
We had about 2.5 hours until we arrived at our hotel. We rode on US 275 highway to I-29 North and picked up I-80 East just on the east side of Omaha. About 50 miles west of Des Moines, we stopped for fuel. When Rob turned the bike back on, the trailer lights were dark. Rob spent 30 minutes trying a few things and nothing worked. He doesn't have the right tools with him to track down ground faults and wiring continuity issues. He now thinks it could be a bad ground. The question is where. We decided to just kept on going. The Wing's rear and signal lights can be seen above the trailer so at least we have visible signals. It just isn't ideal. Traffic wasn't too bad until we got to the outskirts of Des Moines. Yikes! Interstate 35 and 80 come together there and it was rush hour, so it was a bit slow for a few exits.
We arrived at the Marriott Fairfield Inn in Urbandale (a northern suburb of Des Moines) around 5pm. We got takeout dinner next door at the Pizza Ranch. After dinner Rob worked on the trailer a bit more. Without a multimeter it's hard to check the continuity of all the ground wires. We'll just pull it without lights for the rest of the trip. We'll only be riding in daylight and rain isn't expected....fingers crossed.
Tomorrow we head into Illinois.
A few more scenes from today.
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