Sept. 7
DAY 41
  About 2 miles from the border at the junction of Rt. 2 east and I-29 and the shoulders on the road so far is shale, but the road is flat.

Sept. 8
DAY 42
  Iowa border to Clarinda 47 miles of which 40 is rolling HILLS.Towns along route 2 are

Sidney at12 miles - store and cafe

Shenandoah turn at 27 miles- all services,but is 2 miles from rt 2 with a loop back.

Started out this morning with screaming legs from yesterdays hills. The road looks flat into the distant morning haze. After 3 miles the flat goes away and a 2 mile steep climb starts and from the top the hills are all around. It is a steady up and down the rest of the day except a 5 mile run across the valley at about the 20 mile mark. Remember asking a guy just east of Lincoln when the hills stop and he had said "when you get to Iowa", I don't think he was ever in Iowa. IOWA IS NOT FLAT!!!

Sept. 9 DAY
43
  Clarinda to Mount Ayr 50 miles passing through

New Market at mile 8 - store

Bedford at mile 20 - store, cafe,and motel

Today the hills are steeper than yesterday till you get to Bedford then they settle down a little and are a little farther apart to just outside of Mount Ayr, where they close in again. Another 28 miles of hills to Leon and my dog legs are tired so Mount Ayr is it for today.

Sept. 10
DAY 44
  Mount Ayr to Corydon 51 miles of steep hills passing through

Kellerton at 10 miles- off route but big enough to have a store
Decatur City at 22 miles -store at I-35 junction
Leon at 26 miles - stores ,cafe, motels(west side)

Today was another gruelling day of hills for me. For the most part you go up and down and right back up all the way to Corydon and the hills are bigger than yesterdays.

Sept.11
DAY 45
  Corydon to Bloomfield 51 miles of more hills passing the towns of

Promise City at 9 miles - has a cafe ,there is a nice rest area at mile 13
Centerville at mile 24- has all services and a neat town square
West Grove at 43 miles - small store/cafe, limited hours

Today started much like the last couple although the hills are a bit smaller and futher apart to Promise City,what is the promise? Why it's a promise of a flatter road for a few miles, and the promise is kept.Leaving Centerville the road narrows and the traffic and hills increase,not a good mix.The last 7 miles from West Grove is mostly flat to gradual rise,Oh by the way the wind blows from the south east at 15 to 20 miles a hour and today the road seems to wind from east to ,of course,south east. So the flats where canceled by the winds today.

Sept. 12
DAY 46
 Bloomfield to Fort Madison 65 miles passing through the towns of

Pulaski at mile 9 - store/cafe
Milton at mile15 - store, east on 2
Farmingtonat mile 41 - stores, cafe and campground/cabin rentals 1 1/2 miles north
Donnellson at mile 52 - all services
There is a covered picinic table at mile 23 and a truck stop at mile28

Started out in lite misty rain that soon stopped,until just out side of Milton. What is that up ahead? Why it"s a gas station /store with a large covered roof just as the real rain starts of course," cause I am the Lucky Dog." Wait out the rain for about 40 minutes and head on down the road, just past a covered roadside picinic table it again begins to rain. A well timed U-Turn and The Hitdog remains dry and gets a catnap in the bargain, rained for around 2 hours.Rested and dry I start out again only to catch the rain about 7 miles up the road,stop and give it time to move on, this works pretty good. The road today is for the most part flat to Farmington.Leaving Frarmington is a fairly steep hill and then become rolling to Donnellson, but nothing like the last few days.From Donnellson to Fort Madison is Flat to down with 1 short moderate hill. About 6 miles from Fort Madison a large dark cloud hangs over The Hitdog (see last photo).At 62 miles the outskirts of Fort Madison begins with motels and strip type malls. I am told ther ar 2 motel closer to down town and nothing on the east side of town so downtown I go, still the dry Lucky Dog. Next stop ILLINOIS........

Sept.13
DAY 47
  Woke to a pouring rain,need a rest day anyway so will stay dry today in Iowa,and cross The Mighty Mississippi in the morning,and continue across
ILLINOIS