The first day of the long adventure was a hot one. I planned on heading to my grandparents only about 60 miles away and made it in about 4 and half hours (not bad for the first day carrying around 40-50lbs of extra cargo.) The wind decided to go towards the south which was quite a day considering I was mostly going north and partially west. I climbed Pilot Mound, the steepest gradient hill in Iowa and probably the smallest hill I'll see in Colorado. Along my travels I stopped for a moment on a paved road with a gravel intersection. Taking a quick break I noticed a dog run up to me. I thought this was kind of weird since I hadn't seen a car in the six miles I had been on the road. Then an aged old man came down the gravel road on a mountain bike going at a nice pace of 6 miles an hour, no wonder the dog was happy to see me. I chatted with the man for a couple of miles at a leisurely pace and then he turned off and I continued. He has been a long time owner of the Gowrie skating rink that I used to go to back in the day with my grandparents. All I could think is how crazy it was that I ran in to someone on a deserted highway. Oh Iowa you never cease to amaze me. Once I escaped the 90 degree heat and made it to the destination, I was treated like a king. Nice shower, food on the table, laundry, it could be the most luxourious stay of the travel. With this being day one we'll have to see. For an evening meal I was welcomed to a potluck dinner where food was everywhere and there were 6 homemade pies and only about 15 of us were supposed to eat the food. It was great.
Total mileage: 57.5 miles
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