Part 7 - Des Moines, Iowa to West Lafayette, IN 455 Miles

Woke up to rain. Sometimes light, sometimes pretty hard, but still rain. I wanted to hit the coasters in Adventureland before taking off East again, and the park didn't open until 10, so I had some time to kill. Read a lot of maps.

Eventually the rain tapered off, I showered and dressed, and caught the way-cute trolly to the park from the campground. There were about 20 other people milling about the entrance at 9:45, a far cry from the thousands massing in front of Great Adventure on any given day. The rain was off-again, on-again, leaning towards on-again. Rode 3 of their 4 coasters (the one that I really wanted to ride was down for some reason), and even almost blacked out on one (a first, which I blame on hunger and trying to close my eyes to the rain). By the time I get back to the campground, packed up, suited up for the rain and headed out, it was almost 2:00. I had hoped to do the park and be on my way by 11:00 or so.

Rode in and out of the light rain through Ottomwa (hello, Radar), then it cleared up. Rode through Pella (home of the Window manufacturer), which turned out to be quite a nice town. Formal town square, lots of well-kept and large homes, lots of trees.

The bike started acting up about 10 miles out of Oskaloosa. If anyone read about my trip to Ohio and Kentucky, it was the same thing. The bike stumbled as if needing to go on reserve, so I switched to reserve (mileage was about right), but it kept on stumbling. I could not accelerate at all, and could barely keep an even throttle. Solution was to put the choke on almost all the way, and then I could accelerate some, but never past 7000 rpm or so. Also had to watch it when coming to a stop with the engine screaming at 5000 rpm on full choke. After about 5 miles it sorted itself out. It did this to me on the last trip for about 400 miles (100 miles ok, 5 miles crap). I attributed it to a batch of bad gasoline, and went my way.

Took 163/63/34 to Burlington. Very picturesque bridge leading into Illinois from Burlington. In Illinois, rode 116 and then 9. Route 9 was completely deserted, no people at all. There was, however, lots and lots of corn. I had not seen as much corn as I thought I would previous to this, and I had been sort of disappointed. This was beginning to even the corn- scales.

Not paying enough attention to the map lead me into south Peoria. AH! Get me out of here! Passed Peoria stockyards, lots of abandoned (and abandoned-looking) factories, warehouses, and other nasty places. Once outside of Peoria, it was back to the corn (and a light rain and twilight). The darkness and bugginess came on fast. This was the buggiest portion of the trip yet, that half-hour before full dark in the cornfields. The density of dead bugs on my faceshield and headlight was truly exceptional.

Coming into Iowa yesterday (I forgot to write aboutit before), there was some excitement. I had just left Nebraska, where everyone on I-80 was moving fast, so I carried that speed into Iowa. Maybe 5 miles later, I saw an Iowa Trooper car entering the highway from a ramp directly next to me, and he pulled in a few cars behind me. I started to slow my speed down, and watched as the cars between he and I found other places to be, and then he was behind me. Damn, damn, damn. No lights yet. So I'm watching my mirror with my main vision, and scanning the road ahead with my peripheral (not smart). What's this? Suddenly there's a riding lawnmower-tractor thingy crossing the lane in front of me, towing a little trailer of something. I'm on the brakes hard, and miss the suicidal farmer by a few feet. The trooper pulls out to the left lane and comes up next to me after we pass the rolling roadblock, and wags a finger at me and blasts off up the highway. Took me a few minutes to remember to breathe.

Travelling alone on a deserted arrow-straight Illinois back road in the dark lets one's mind wander.

• There's no place for jockey underwear on a long- distance ride. I had 3 pair of 'sports underwear' that didn't have any seams along the butt area, and 1 pair on normal jockeys that did. The jockeys are good for 150 miles max, and then my butt and thighs begin to complain. The sports shorts are good forever.
• I hate that feeling when, after you've been sitting on the bike for far too long and you're butt's asleep, you stand up or lift your butt of the seat. Owww!!!!!!
• No matter how empty the night air is, the moment you lift your visor up, WHAP! Either a juicy one or one with the consistency of a BB.
• If only one car is coming your way, you'll meet at the apex of the only blind curve on the road for 100 miles.
• As soon as you come up on the truck you want to pass, either you hit a no-passing zone or the oncoming traffic increases dramatically, and you're stuck sniffing desiel exhaust.
• At night, oncoming traffic will be staggered just enough that you can't use your highbeam between them.

Once I got into Indiana, I took 41 to 52 and into Lafayette. Both of these roads were completely deserted, until I got near Lafayette. Major crowds, lots of rowdies in cars (this was about 10pm on a Friday night). I was pretty beat from riding, and just wanted a motel for the night. I checked my Citi-Travel listing, and the Days Inn there was listed as a member hotel. I got there, and they said they didn't honor it on weekends (the book said they did), and that the rate was $58. For a Days Inn! Next one in the book was the Holiday Inn up the road a piece. I got there, and the older couple checking in in front of me said that their deal was $40 if they mentioned the 'Wolf Park'. Which they mentioned, and which price they got. When it was my turn, I did the Citi-Travel thing, and he said they had no rooms left at that price, and the normal price was $60. I asked what if I mentioned the 'Wolf Park', and he slowly said he'd have to give me the $40 rate. Sold! The room was enormous, the bed was just right, and the TV had Comedy Central (Joel and the bots doing 'Earth vs. The Spider'. A luxury night.