Hello Iowa!

Minnesota came and went pretty quick.  It was very nice in Minnesota.  I had opportunity to get on a few bike routes that were absolutely beautiful.  The routes toured me around a few of the lakes that Minnesota is so famous for. I also took day off in Minneapolis.  A couple good friends of mine Val and Chad drove all night to meet me in Minneapolis.  It was so nice to see a couple of familiar faces.

While Chad and Val were here I had the opportunity to get into a chiropractor.  Val also hooked me up with deep tissue massage.  They both helped tremendously.  Putting in the miles I have lately takes a toll on the body and taking care of it is crucial.  Thank you guys for that.

Taking a day off in Minneapolis was great also.  My legs thanked me for it.  We had the opportunity to go to the Mall of America.  It was huge and had any child's dream in the center with rides and games.  I know we only walked through about a third of it but they had every store I could imagine.  We also took some time to walk through the city and had a good dinner.

After I left Minneapolis, my next destination was Rochester.  It was a pretty easy ride since I unloaded all my luggage with Val and Chad.  I can fly on a light bike.  Once I finished, Rochester is where I actually got a massage.  After the massage therapist beat me up, we went and ate a little Italian. 

The next morning Val and Chad started back to Ohio and I was heading to Iowa.  

  I ended up in Waterloo, IA.  At the bottom of the Iowa sign it says "Fields of Opportunities".  I'm not sure about the opportunites but there are a lot of fields.

Today I rode into Iowa City.  Waterloo to Cedar Rapids had a bike trail.  Most of it was pretty nice.  About 20 miles of it was gravel and rough.  I truly felt I was in the middle of nowhere at one point. I found myself on a gravel bike route in the middle of a field.

  I met up with a guy named Benny that was familiar with the path and guided me through it  to Cedar Rapids.  From Cedar Rapids I rode into Iowa City, home of the Iowa Hawkeyes. From Cedar Rapids to Iowa City was absolutely beautiful and had a wonderful bike trail.