It was a lovely, tree-lined path, but the only real nature I encountered were the 102 chipmunks that lived along the way. They had a curious habit of dashing out of cover, skittering across the trail in front of me, then hiding in the cover on the other side. Silly chipmunks.
At the midway point of the trail it intersected with route 92, which was where I had to turn. I would have liked to stay on the bike path, but it cut away at a northerly angle and would take me too far out of my way. I biked on until I got to the town where I was going to stop for lunch only to find that there was no lunch there. I went on with a growly tummy to the next town and was annoyed to find it was a two mile detour off the main route. I had no choice and banged a right for Keota.
As I rolled toward Main Street, I noticed a sign for the Kewash Nature Trail. Yup, if I had just stayed on the bike path it would have taken me straight to lunchtown!
By the time I was done with my popcorn chicken basket there was a cold rain falling. I suited up and plunged into the uncaring elements. It was shortly after beginning the afternoon leg of my ride that I was starting to suspect Iowa wasn’t as flat as I’d always thought it was. I was topping a hill only to find another one waiting for me. This pattern continued until I arrived exhausted at the gates of Lake Keomah State Park...which was closed.
There was some sort of big construction project going on and the entrance was blocked off. Cars couldn’t get through, but bicycles could! There was no way I was going to try to make the next town at that point in the day, so I slipped past the blockade, bumbled over the torn up road, and found a lodge on the lake that had a covered pavilion. Perfecto!
Once I got set up, I broke out the freeze-dried rations. Mmm, chicken and rice. I grabbed my water bottle and poured the requisite amount into the pot of my cook stove and notice the water was pink. Gah! I always made an effort to keep plain water in my water bottle, but the other night I had thrown some strawberry-kiwi drink mix in there because the water had tasted a bit funky, then forgot to replace it. I briefly wondered if strawberry-kiwi chicken and rice would work, but wasn’t too keen on the idea.
There was no water at the lodge, and I wasn’t thrilled about filtering lake water. I’d passed a picnic area with bathrooms on the way in, maybe the water would still be on for the construction workers. I hiked off to check and found that the bathrooms were only outhouses. No water. I was about to head back when I spotted a spigot sticking out of the ground. Chances were minimal that it was functioning, but I had to try. Eureka, water! My razor-sharp survival skills had saved me yet again.
What I Learned: Having a state park all to yourself is da bomb!
Distance Today: 50 miles
Total Distance: 1,555 miles
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