How quickly things change in the weather! About 4:30 a big thunderstorm blew through with lightning and very hard rain. It sent the fellows sleeping outdoors scrambling to get into tents or cars to finish the night. Everything had to be dried off before they could leave, so departure was delayed until about 6:30. 
About an hour into the ride, the guys noticed big white patches along the side of the road. Scott said it looked like someone had emptied an ice chest. But the patches were everywhere. Soon they realized that it was drifts of hailstones that hadn’t yet melted. We were lucky that it didn’t hit Chariton where everyone was camped. The guys said that they saw several cornfields that were flattened – a farmer’s worst nightmare.
The route took them around a lake. Ride around one side and the route was about 75 miles. Go around the other and you got the 100 mile route. Most of our group chose to do the longer route. They stayed together and enjoyed several stops along the way, including the town of Blakesburg, where the entire main street was decked out with food and activities to welcome them. In addition to the usual spread of delicious food, one place had karaoke for the bikers to enjoy. It’s a party in every little town and all along the route each day.
Meanwhile, those of us in the driving crew were in a convoy of our own. For some reason, the traffic was much heavier today as we rolled towards Ottumwa (Ott-tum-wah is the correct pronunciation, instead of Otta-oom-wa as Jerry Grady pronounced it, getting lots of laughs). Here is the view from the windshield of the line of vehicles ahead….and the sight from the rear-view mirror of the traffic streaming behind. Don’t you know the locals just loved it?
Before we left town, we gassed at a local convenience store/café/truck stop. Cathy went in and came back out telling me I had to go in and take a picture of the local coffee club. Obviously, they met at this place every morning to solve the problems of the world. At first, Cathy said she thought, “How rude…they are taking up space.” But then she realized that WE were the ones invading THEIR space and they were being good-natured about it. The shelves had been pushed back to make way for extra merchandise and the fellows had their space squeezed out by the line to the restroom. I chatted with them for a few minutes and they were having a great time watching and visiting with everyone.
And Our hosts in Ottumwa were Crystal and Pat Howell on their farm outside town about 4 miles. Because it was down a country lane, Crystal went to the trouble of making signs to help direct us. Many of the host families do this, so as you ride around town, you'll see signs in many yards welcoming bikers. The setting was lovely and Crystal baked homemade bread and a killer chocolate cake. Their animals were all friendly, especially the cats, Miss Liza and Peaches. Crystal’s mother, Linda, spent the afternoon at the house to watch the activities and welcome everyone.
Cathy and I headed to the airport for our flying adventure. Bob bowed out, preferring the comforts of the bed instead of the excitement of the wild blue yonder. Our pilot was a 21-year old kid named Sean, who reminded me a great deal of Richard, my youngest son. Both have figured out a way to make a living from their passions – Sean flying and Richard drumming. He’s a part-time flying instructor (at 21!) and part-time co-pilot of a private jet that flies from the Ottumwa airport.
The day was spectacular – partly cloudy and very little wind – so the ride was smooth as could be. Sean took us over the center of town where the campers were housed in one central campground next to the Des Moines River, then out the road where the bikers were coming in to town. We flew out to Blakesburg, the last pass-through town about 12 miles from Ottumwa and circled over the town. We could see all the activities that our riders were enjoying down below. Our ride lasted about 30 minutes – a bargain for $20 each. 
As an aside...Cathy and I were amazed at how straight and perfect the rows of corn were when seen from the air. Sean told us that the equipment used today has GPS systems and they help steer the tractors. He'd been in one and watched it work and was fascinated by how exacting it was.After the ride, we drove through the big campground to see the area and the bikers coming in. Ottumwa painted the one lane of the road for the last ¼ mile a bright blue and the bikers rode under an arch to finish. We enjoyed seeing all the campsites and the vehicles (but that’s going to be another blog installment all by itself).
When we returned in mid-afternoon, to our surprise, all the bikers had arrived. But they were tired, so everyone collapsed and rested for a while. Good thing, too, because the partly cloudy clouds had organized into a heavy shower that blew up, dumping hard rain for about 20 minutes. Everyone was glad they were off the road. But immediately after the rain, the sky cleared and the weather was beautiful again. Crystal complained of how humid it had become and we all insisted that she didn’t know heat and humidity. We thought it was fabulous. 
Dinner was outside on tables they’d set up. It was perfect…especially with Crystal’s homemade bread and chocolate cake to finish off the meal.
No comments:
Post a Comment