Where's Waldo???

Iowa & Illinois .... how confusing can their road signs and directional system be???

Yesterday & today we wove, then switched directions, got lost, was found, and then did it all over again and again.

It started yesterday as we were riding through Iowa. Our back roads were a way better choice than the intermediate roads we initially started on. The roads were quite varied: minimal to no shoulders, then full and very clean shoulders, then rough & beat up roads, then brand new roads....all within 30 mile stretches. All the people we met were delightful and helpful (thank the goddess of Road Directions).

Mark rode first, then Ken. The roads were becoming a bit steeper in their rapid repeats of rolling hills. Still incredibly green; acres of corn sprinkled with ?beans?; and today I noticed large patches of strawberries.

Then it was my turn to ride. I reviewed the map with Mark and sketched the primary rode numbers on my left wrist in ink (I'm sure I'll have a tan line on this area by the end of the journey).

The ride was absolutely incredible. There was abundant new foliage with the appearance of dense trees & streams, yet still the acres of crops. The roads became more narrow and winding with increased frequency of up/down rolling hills.

Suddenly I was in Mennonite Country. The road I rode on loss the markings, and became a bit more pitted - think, "Hoofs-N-Poop"; literally. Although cars still use the road, the primary transportation is buggy and horses. One barn I rode by must have had 20 buggy's parked in perfect alignment.

Fenced areas with calves in one portion, horses of varied sizes in another, goats in yet a third, cattle in yet another. Hens & Chickens most everywhere.

Buildings for selling hand made items, from sewing to wood crafting, lots of produce and canning, and everything in between.

If the Mennonites believe they have found "God's Little Acre", they may very well be correct. I would move here in a moment (for the land and presence).

So there I am, riding along with the perfect weather and the perfect day; just couldn't be any higher than if I had ingested something totally illegal. I kept checking my forearm to follow the correct road signs.

Now, let's go back to the previous X2 days of blogs where I stated immense confusion regarding Iowa's sign style & placement of their directional road signs. Long story short: I followed the numbered route I had recorded, coupled with the "paved-vs-unpaved routes" I encountered, and, being from Montana, yes, I also follow the sun's direction with respect to Daylight Savings Time. And I continued to ride.

Suddenly, there I was at an intersection with the "blue" road signs: F62 crossing W62. Next to each of those signs were additional green road signs further naming each road (isn't one name sufficient???). One was Sharon's Crossing Road, and the other I can't remember. This was all irrelevant since I had on my wrist W62 merging into F62. Hmmm.m... This is a distinct 4 way intersection. No "merging" going on here.

OK ... look up at the sun since I am traveling East with some Southward direction. Crap. It is noon and slightly cloudy.

OK ... look around for satellite dishes to determine South direction. Double Crap. This is Mennonite Country. They don't do satellite TV.

One more try ... moss growth. Not a chance in hell any of these trees have moss.

I am soooo..oo.o... screwed.

Even the numbering of the "named" street signs didn't offer any direction. One was SW and the other was NE. Can't they be squared?!??????

OK ... give in and call the guys. Tell them where I am (no ... really ... I am not confused. I really am at 62W & 62F. I am NOT repeating myself. Hello ??? Can you hear me now????). So they said, "Stay there and we will be right there".

That makes sense to me since I am only 44 minutes into my ride, which means roughly an 18 mile radius. And no, I don't ride gravel, so that further eliminates my choices. And I have the route on my wrist, so I really can't be THAT far away.

Back to the "Where's Waldo" concept. Very small area ... no clue where Waldo is.

Ken and Mark start driving. I sit down at the corner in this really pleasant little hamlet, enjoying the perfect weather, watching various cars drive by (some multiple times [interestingly, no one offered to give assistance]). Thee Cop drove by at one time, asked me if I needed help. I discussed my dilemma but emphasized, my husband really isn't far away and I'm sure he will find me. He did do a "tongue in cheek" maneuver when I said that. As we continued to talk, I pointed out the confusion with 62W & F crossing (what does F stand for?? Right now I can think of something that shouldn't be on a public sign.). He laughed. Honestly. He said, "No one around here pays any attention to those signs ... we all just know the road names". Off he drove.

Mark again calls and asks, "Where are you again???". I reiterate, then repeat, the 62W&F. Can you hear me now??? He again says, "Stay there and we'll be right there".

Oh, about 20 minutes later Ken calls for Mark....then Mark talks with me....then mid-sentence some male voice is talking to Mark saying 'go here then there then turn right ......'. Great, I think, the cop is there making Thee connection for us.

I hang up and sit down, and continue to wait, a really long time.

Many cars go by.

The sun starts to move, though I'm still not sure what direction.

A truck comes by with a really nice guy who stops and asks how he can help me. He also laughs when I tell him I'm at the crossroads of 62W&62F. Again, "No one around here understands those road signs". I dial Mark, give the phone to him and direct conversation and directions ensue. He hangs up, we continue to chatter about bicycling events. Finally, Mark and Ken pull up - the entire Van and 2 attached Bicycles totally covered in white dust. And neither of the guys were what I would call "Happy and Cheerful".

So, that male voice I overheard on the phone??? 2 old guys sitting on the porch of the local hardware store who offered them directions: "Well, no, if he turns right here and continues....ya' it is a gravel road, but probably a shortcut. Oh no, turn left then circle about 180 twice, then back up a few hundred yards. Uh-huh, then go left and travel, oh, about how far .... no I'm sure it's closer than that".

Get the idea????

No foresight like hindsight.

My "incorrect turn" was only one premature turn. Had I just known when I reached the intersection the direction of each road, I could have continued. Oh well. We are all together and in agreement. I continue to ride and life goes on.

Today really wasn't much better. The map sincerely and totally does not express in ANY way what is on the road!!! We are, remember, the back small roads that roam from really-small-city-to-city-to-city. However, EVERY flipping intersection was the same nonsense. Multiple signage that didn't make any sense, didn't correlate in ANY way to the map. Then, in desperation when we asks the "local folks" ... same response: Laughter. "We don't know those numbers and names....we just know the roads!!" One corner, on just 2 of the three sides, honestly, had a total of 9 Directions Signs. Why????

One was "81" with a right-to-left arrow. Directly under it was "76" with a up-to-down-to-left arrow. Above all of those was a single sign : End. How can "81" be "76" I asked???

Silly me. It was the end of "81" and the start of "76" that also went to the left. Now, to further add to this soup-pot ... in a few random blocks, for no particular reason, "81" again starts continuing in the exact direction that it initially had started.

Add to that 'Sudden Construction'.

To and Fro ... Let's try that route ... OK, we'll go here. Thank the Goddess of Distance we only had 120 miles to go today.

And we made it. We are now in Peoria for 2 days!!! We Do Not Have To Ride Tomorrow!! (Don't get me wrong ... I love my bike but I am ready for a day off!!!)

The pics above: Ken as he starts to cross the Mississippi bridge from Iowa into Illinois. The second: Mark as he looks around trying to figure where is how and who???

I haven't a clue precisely WHAT we will do tomorrow, but it won't involve straddling my bike, nor discussing intense directions with the guys, nor eating variable food sources from the cooler in the van for lunch, nor enjoying the beautiful scenery in this part of the country.

Tomorrow......