On the Road-Friday & Saturday, July 20 & 21

Off we go, Iowa in July, who wouldn't look forward to a vacation in 100 + degree weather and humidity that would curl the straightest hair.  We took a diversion this year and turned left at North Platte, heading through the middle of Nebraska and South Dakota.  If you ever get a wild hair and think this might be fun, think twice.  It's real "Dances with Wolves" country which was nice for the first 100 miles or so, but after a while, we were praying to be trampled by a heard of bison, or a massacre, or something to break up the sand hills (as nice as they were).  We took a detour and stopped at a national forrest, 95,000 acres with 25,000 self planted.  Jeff walked up to the top of the ranger's fire tower, I made it up two flights.  It was good to see some greenery.  We saw quite a bit of smoke from a fire in Rosebud that appeared we were driving closer and closer to in South Dakota.  Happy to head east through South Dakota, back on the interstate, there aren't any more towns in South Dakota than there are in the wilds of Nebraska.  We overnighted in Mitchell, breezed through the Corn Palace, met my friend Marilyn for Saturday breakfast, and stopped in at Cabellas.  We were probably the only ones there not dressed in camo, not looking at the huntin' & fishin' equipment.  Jeff's pony tail raised more than one eyebrow.  On to the rolling corn fields of Iowa, stopped in Sioux Center along with 10,000 other RAGBRAIers to check out the pre-ride festivities and get our bearings for Sunday's send off.  We spent the night in Sioux City, the closest city I could find a hotel, and that was in February.

Jeff's RAGBRAI 2012-"he was hanging by a thread..."