We are getting better at listening to our bodies.  When Mike woke up feeling dizzy and nauseous, we decided to take the first day of our last leg off.  Walking 12 miles when you don’t feel good is just a poor idea.  So we strolled along the Cedar River Trail to explore the city of Cedar Rapids.  This is definitely an area that we could see spending some time getting to know in the future.

Day two conspired to keep us inside.  We have, and will, walk in the rain but there was thunder, lightning and severe weather in the area.  We got up early and drove to our end point.  After waiting a few minutes watching to see which way the storm was moving, we decided it wasn’t worth the chance.  So instead we found the St. Ludmilla Church kolaches festival.  The pastries only came by the half dozen or more so we chowed down on these interesting yeast buns topped with fruit jam.  We are hoping for at least one more day of walking before we stop for the spring.  Had another great dinner – this time in Iowa City in the Pullman Car Restaurant.  That’s our third good restaurant find in the area.

Yippee – we got back on the road on day three!  The weather was perfect – never higher than the mid-70’s, mostly cloudy and no gnats.  We did walk through brief periods of rain, hail and thunderstorms, but on the whole an easy day.  The only negative was the uniformly dull view – not much to see.  It’s bittersweet to be finished this spring walk – we are ready to spend some time at home with the boys but will have to put our cross-country walk on hold for the near future.  Stay tuned . . .

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Day one of the second leg, we are  back on track.  (Mike walked his 1.5 miles on our off day yesterday, while I kept an air-conditioned car nearby for each time he took a break.)  The weather today was sunny and hot but not too hot (high 70/low 80’s) with just enough breeze to whisk away the sweat.  After about 8 miles on Route 30, we pulled off on Old Lincoln Highway to walk through two charming towns – Lisbon and Mt.Vernon.  A very nice area which boasts lots of green space, some Victorian houses and Cornell College.  When we arrived at the end, we saw a police car behind our parked car and another approaching.  Both officers were quite nice.  We were slightly confused because when we said we hoped we didn’t cause them any trouble, they replied no worries and confirmed that it is legal to park on the street we were on.  We asked if they saw our sign that explained what we were doing, they said yes but they didn’t try to call our cell for more info.  Not sure why this needed two police responses – maybe it’s quiet in the town now that the college is on summer break.

Day two was a very pleasant hike from just beyond Mt. Vernon to just into Cedar Rapids.  A little too hot (upper 80’s and no clouds) but pretty countryside and wide shoulders.  Both Mike and I like the south east part of Iowa – lots of green open spaces and little towns each with their own character.

Day three was a perfect weather day for walking – starting in the mid 60’s and topping at upper 70’s, and overcast.  We started walking in downtown Cedar Rapids (a really interesting and pretty city) and ended on Route 30 for the last two plus miles (a four lane divided highway with not much to see).  The walking is getting more strenuous with rolling hills as we move past the Mississippi.  We had an amazing meal at Cobble Hill in downtown Cedar Rapids and are looking forward to exploring on our day off tomorrow.

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Today is our 26th wedding anniversary, and the first day of the next leg of our walk.  We started in DeWitt, Iowa and ended just outside Calamus, Iowa.  We were on Route 30 the whole way – it was mostly farms and a few very small towns.  We got up at 7 a.m. in order to avoid the hottest part of the day.  Still a little too warm at the height of our walk (low 90’s) but enough of a breeze to make it bearable.  It is nice to be done walking by mid-afternoon.  There is nothing like a nice cool shower and an afternoon nap after a long, hot walk.

On our second day, we started even earlier – out walking by 8 a.m.  The majority of the walk was uneventful except for the stinking gnats, which assailed our faces continuously – up our noses, in our ears and in our mouths.  On the plus side, we had a nice chat with a trucker who pulled over as he went by to say he had seen us walking yesterday and today and wondered what we were doing.  I appreciate people who are curious and make an effort to find out more info.  He was genuinely interested in what we were up to.  At mile 10.5 of 12, the heat (well into the mid-90’s by that point in the day) got to Mike and he was too overheated to continue.  I continued on to the car (leaving him lying by the side of the road) and swung back to pick him up.  Not surprisingly, a woman stopped to make sure he was okay.  (Mike walked the final mile and a half on our off day, so he is all caught up.)  Tomorrow is predicted to be high 70’s/low 80’s – fingers crossed!

What a difference a day makes!  Day three was absolutely perfect weather for the first half.  Overcast and high 60’s, with enough breeze to banish the pesky gnats.  Much to our distress, the clouds moved out and the second half of the walk was sunny and up to the mid/upper 70’s.  Hot but bearable.  A nice way to end this leg.

On our drive back to the hotel I had to stop at the Hound Dog Rock Shop in Clarence.  What a great find.  I met a really nice couple – he was a real estate broker whose hobby is rock collecting and she was a hair dresser who makes jewelry.  About two years ago, they left their jobs and opened a new wave crystal, rock and jewelry shop.  We had a wonderful time learning about each other, I bought a really cool geode for Adam (which they helped me pick out and cracked while I watched) and some jewelry for me to mark our reaching the Mississippi.  They gifted me a beautiful crystal native to Iowa as a memento.

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