30 is the new 20

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[Bluff country is beautiful]

[To train fans this was an important train]

[It had two private cars attached...?]

[Goodbye Minnesota. We'll be back.]

[Welcome to Iowa!]

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Greetings from Lansing, IA where the curbs are higher than Snoop and the pitchers of water are tiny. We had a great day of riding to go along with another great day of Minnesota weather. It was my 30th birthday today and last night Megan decided to drive down and treat me to a hotel room for the evening. It was wonderful to once again sleep in an air conditioned room and wake up to a fantastic all you can eat breakfast! I think I might be getting spoiled. Ben was lonely by himself in the tent, but I'm sure he enjoyed the free shower in the room and the doughnut I brought him this morning. After rejoining my crew and saying goodbye to my lovely girlfriend we left Wabasha, albeit a little later than normal. We had a wonderful ride on a great shoulder for 33 miles on highway 61 down to Winona. We stopped at a bike shop so Ben could purchase some new gloves, but were unsuccessful as the only gloves for sale had been designed for normal sized people and their hands, not giants. While we were there, however, Megan's dad, who just so happens to work in Winona and is also named Joe, called to ask if he could take us out to lunch. Free lunch? Who in their right mind would say no? So after a delicious lunch with wonderful service at Jefferson's we continued on our way. (But not before Big Joe also bought us a dozen doughnuts and a dozen cookies for desert and breakfast. What a great guy!) We continued down highway 61 until we were forced to take a bike route/trail around Interstate 90. This forced us into a little town called Dakota where we met a young man at a rest stop waiting to take a video of a very "special" AMTRAK train. Apparently it had two private cars attached to the back and that was a really big deal because it only happens once or twice a year. It was such a big deal that as we rested several other people arrived to watch and take pictures as it passed. So I convinced Ben and Kevin to wait for it as well. We were already late, but what's another 15 minutes when you have the opportunity to see an AMTRAK with private cars? They relented, probably because it was my birthday, and there we sat. 15 minutes turned into 20, and then 30. Just as I was about to give up hope, there it was roaring around the bend. Like a shiny sliver of lightning the train came rushing past with two peculiar orange cars at the back. I did my best to take some photos, but you saw the resuls. While it was a very interesting experience, I'm not sure it was worth the wait. Sorry train dudes...I don't get the appeal. From there it was a simple matter of following the river south, beyond 61, and 16 and finally along 26. This eventually brought us, hot, sweaty, and thirsty to the Minnesota/Iowa border. Another state down and 6 to go. While we will miss the trees, lakes, and mostly the camaraderie of Minnesota our journey must continue before we return. So for now we ride on into Iowa with light hearts and full stomachs. Thanks Joe!