Steamy morning, though the “experts” called it foggy.  Interesting for the last several mornings, the temperature has been 70°, but it always feels different (sometimes hot, sometimes cold), today was hot.  Started off on the highway with the rest of morning commuters; though traffic was heavy, we were just happy not to have the wind in our face.  But it wasn’t far down the road that cars and trucks roaring by us at 70 mph started to shake us, especially when we lost our narrow shoulder entirely.  Managed to find a turn off through a couple small towns and by the time our course headed back to the highway, the traffic had thinned and the road became more rural.  A couple of hours in, the sun shone on us for the first time in days and we saw the temperature gauge climb over 80°.  A small breeze had begun giving us a nice assist as we pedaled down the almost flat countryside.  By 11:30 we needed to replenish our liquids, so pedaled into a small town for a bite to eat, too.  We never expected either meal to be this big, but they sure were delicious.  The sky had been busy during our leisurely lunch, building quite a resume of darkening clouds.  But our cool tailwind and warm sun seemed to defy any chance of rain.    We sailed along enjoying the rich blue sky filled with white fluffy clouds to the south and the quickly growing storm to the north.  Pedaling over the Wapsipinicon River,  we could hear a slight rumble of thunder. A swirling wind came in, dropping the temperature twenty degrees and within minutes a torrential downpour hit us sideways.  We were only a half a mile from cover, but were soaked to the bone.  Within another 10 minutes, rain and rumble were gone and we were on the road again, watching the storm pass.  Only eleven miles more before we reached our stop for the night; fifteen minutes later, it poured again.

Riddle:  What has at least 5 pizza take out/delivery and one mexican restaurant?

Answer: Every small town in Iowa.

We opted for across the street and after 65 miles, a cherry on top!