Day 02: Bristow, IA to Eagle Grove, IA
Saturday May 26, 2012, 76 miles (122 km) - Total so far: 121 miles (195 km)
It turns out it did storm last night. I did some rearranging of the picnic tables and moved my tent towards the center of the pavilion. I am glad I did because when I woke up not much else, other than my tent, was dry. Woke up early, on my own without an alarm, which is one thing I really do like about traveling, but I didn't get up until the weather calmed down. So it wasn't until after 07:30 that I hit the road. Made much better time today than yesterday. Followed county roads which were very light and traffic and threaded them together to hit towns that looked suitable to refill the water bottles and have a rest. Most of the towns along these roads are not much more than a grain elevator, but it was still nice to have a place to take a rest. It also made them easy to spot from a good distance away and then I just had to wait until I got there to break (good motivation).
The one problem I had today was that since it started out cool and wet, I forgot to apply my sunscreen. Big mistake, but the end of the day I was pretty burnt. My arms and face don't seem bad at all (except the tips of my ears) but my legs right above the knee got the bulk of the sun. As I moved into Eagle Grove, I decided against cooking some of the too much food I am carrying and ate at Subway, after over 76 miles (a longest for me) I treated myself to air conditioning, a sub and a cold drink. I then proceeded to try and find the police (a lot easier to find when you don't want them than when you do). Did manage to find the station and asked about a place to sleep. They put me up in the county fair grounds tonight. Hot, burnt and tired after a long day, I should sleep well as long as I can sleep on my back.
