Pedal the Parks: Odometer Calibration

Pammel State Park in Winterset was the 5th park. It is one of the oldest state parks in Iowa, and proved to be very challenging. The riding day weather was very windy, and park's roads were hilly, rough, and filled with large cracks and potholes. At one point, I had difficulty getting started on a steep uphill, after encountering a dismounting pothole. I walked the hill, mounted the unicycle, and finished the ride. Patty, my head photographer and mileage counter, informed me that the ride was not complete. In an exhausted state, I asked "why?" "The hill was 1.5 tenths long, you haven't ridden the committed mile yet." So to keep things on the up and up, I rode the 1.5 tenths to make things official. I'm not sure Guinness has been alerted to my endeavor, but Patty is following the rules. God love her. She has been pedaling her Terra Trike right along with me on this journey. She has voiced a complaint or two about the hills as well, but I haven't seen her pushing her trike yet.

With a refreshed odometer reading we headed to Big Creek State Park, in Polk City. The entire ride was on the Neil Smith Bike Trail. I completed the "full mile," including some hills, with no problems. After the ride, we ate lunch in the park, and enjoyed a nice leisure bike ride on the trail. It was a great way to end the week. With six (6) parks complete, we entered into the 80's. Only 89 left.