Iowa, flat?

Today was a pretty tough day! It was our first day in Iowa, and I never expected the number of hills that we saw today! Everybody talks about Iowa as being flat (or at least that's how I've always pictured it). We biked about 96 miles with something like 4000 feet of climbing. It was interesting though, because the hills weren't like the mountains we've crossed so far. Just a long gradual (more or less) up hill. They were short and steep. Several were 9 percent grade.

We did have fun today, though. Arek and I were singing Disney songs through several hills. It may not have made the hills easier, but definitely more fun. :)

This evening we are staying in the small town of Edgewood, IA, and had the opportunity to visit with two church congregations. We shared a meal with the first and gave our presentation at the second. There was a lot of interest in our trip and the ministries we're supporting from the congregations. We set it up more like a panel ended up having a lot of really good questions. It was great to interact a bit more with our hosts than to just tell them what we're doing and call it a night. Which, is what i need to do... I'm exhausted.