Marshalltown, IA to Oskaloosa, IA

As of tonight Cal has ridden a total of 2301 miles from Neah Bay, WA to Oskaloosa, Iowa.  It is unbelievable the area he has covered.  We are having a hard time comprehending it.  If everything goes as planned, we will be home by tomorrow night.  And this segment of the trip will be over already! There is just so much to see in these great United States and we have seen it on the back roads at a much slower pace than normal. I have driven the Envoy a total of 3551 miles – that is all the extra running around!

Oskaloosa is normally 1 hour and 15 minute drive from Mt Pleasant – that is of course at 72 mph!  However it will take most of the day tomorrow to get home. Cal’s brother and sister-in-law are planning on meeting us along the route tomorrow. 

Today Cal continued to ride on the secondary roads or what we call County roads, as there are fewer vehicles.  The ride was fairly hilly again – what you expect in the southern part of Iowa.  The temperature climbed to 85 and the humidity was its normal high.  We have not experienced much humidity on this trip, so it does feel uncomfortable.

As to the landscape, it is field after field of corn and soybeans, soybeans and corn and more corn and soybeans!  The rivers in Iowa flow to the southeast – toward the Mississippi River, so since the roads go north and south or east and west, you are constantly going downhill into a river valley and up out of it again until the next downhill to a river valley.  The rolling landscape with good looking fields of agriculture is beautiful – if you were not on a bike, thinking about the next hill!  

Oskaloosa is located in Mahaska County – here is a photo of their Court House.  I have found some counties have a very generic building while others have a beautiful court house on or near the town square. 

Mahaska County Court House - Oskaloosa, Iowa

Below are a few of the sites we photographed today.          

Interstate 80 - Hills across the Heartland of Iowa

Wagaman Mill on the Skunk River - Lynnville, Iowa



Chopping Hay near Oskaloosa, Iowa

 

Where is the Road?