Day 14 - Council Bluffs, IA to Mondamin, IA (54/669 miles)

I arrived at the Lake Manawa State Park in Council Bluffs, Iowa early last evening only to learn that the campground had closed at the end of last season and is not reopening this year.  Not that it mattered to me, but depending on who I talked to the reason for closure was either renovations or to appease angry neighbors who were annoyed by unruly campers.

Fortunately for me, One of those angry neighbors was out walking his dog when I arrived.  He saw how crestfallen I was and kindly offered to let me camp in his yard.

I started today by having a delightful breakfast with my niece, who is a student at Creighton in neighboring Omaha. But things went quickly downhill from there.

I got a flat tire on the outskirts of Council Bluffs.  A piece of metal, probably from a steel belted automobile tire, penetrated my tire and the tube.  I always say there's never a convenient time to get a flat tire, but this was as convenient a time as ever. There happened to be a bicycle shop just down the street.  I decided to take the opportunity to buy the most bulletproof tire they had in the unrealistic hope that this will be my last flat tire of the trip.

I'm extremely happy with how my new tire rides.   I think I feel about like Clark did after his crew put up the new mast!

The wind was pretty favorable most of the day, and I had plans to make it to a campground about 13 miles north of here. Unfortunately, late in the day the wind direction changed abruptly and I didn't want to risk having to ride in the dark against a very stiff headwind on a narrow 2-lane highway with no shoulder.  I rode all over this small town looking for an appropriately discreet place to pitch my tent and found nothing. So I am awaiting nightfall, at which time I will pitch my tent in a small city park under the cover of darkness. 

Oh, and by 5:00 p.m. today the temperature here had cooled off to  94°F!  My weather over the past two weeks has gone from 40° and rainy to this! The one constant throughout has been hard winds, mostly in my face.

Just another exciting day in the life of a bicycle tourist!

I've ridden about 50 miles of gravel roads and rough trails over the past two days without having any tire problems.

 

And then I follow the red brick road through Council Bluffs and get a flat!  :-)