40 on the 4th

I took the roadie.

A patriotic ride.  Jason started this ride and the last time he held it was in 2008.  North Polk County where the roads are flat.  Then it dropped of the radar.  I picked it up in 2012.  Simple easy ride.  Crank out 40 miles and then drink a 40 oz of beer or malt liquor after completing the miles.  Despite the invitation no one showed up.  "Too early."  "Too long."  "No bar stops."  "I don't ride on anything but trails."  You're an asshole and i don't want to ride with you."  Ect.  Only Mary road with me.

Personally, I work hard to get to the weekend.  I choose to get up early on Saturdays and Sundays and make the most of it.  Sleep on Mondays at work.  Sleep when I'm dead.  I prefer to beat the heat.  I also do not like to hang out in bars all day except maybe during winter when it is totally miserable outside.

MISSING!!!!  My favorite landmark in Carlisle was not there today.  We hope he was in the parade and we missed him.

As advertised, we stopped at Mullets.  Split a breakfast burrito and rolled off at 9 am sharp.  Took the Des Moines River Trail all the way to its end then SE 23rd to Evergreen.  Hooked a left on Evergreen and skimmed the north shore of Easter Lake before turning left again to so windy hills that lead us to SE 44th.  Then right, the only possible move, to highway 5.  Once there we took a left and rode a 1/2 mile of that and then a  the road that runs into the metropolis of Avon Lake.  A right then a left to Carlisle.  12 miles.

Need a photo of the chrome bumper for Bicycle Ride & Seek.  Fail

Once in Carlisle we were stopped by the 4th of July parade.  If you like candy then this is your parade!  Felt great to witness such an event in small town America.  We watched it for a while then moved on to the Summerset Trail which is 11 miles long and ends in Indianola.  We simply turned around and headed back to Carlisle.  Stopped at Casey's for a Gatorade and a snack.

This look out was an Eagle Scout project from 2004.  It is located about 5 miles into the Summerset Trail and overlooks wetlands.  A moat surrounds the wetlands and a variety of wildlife can be seen here.  Off note were the bull frogs and tadpoles.

This route we take all the time.  We use it for when we ride to Ottumwa, our hometown, or Chariton, gateway to southern Iowa.  The roads are good and traffic was light.  We were glad we left "early" and beat traffic.  the lack of baseball and soccer at the Cownie complexes made traffic even lighter.

44 miles.  Stopped at the convenience store near home and purchased our 40s.  Mary did not drink hers.

The obligatory photo at Casey's in Carlisle.