Manchester to Oelwein, Iowa Tuesday, July 6, 2021
Everybody knows the Winkie March, where the armed guards are marching into the wicked witch’s castle in the Wizard of Oz, chanting “oh-we-oh, oh-WE-oh”, but few know it by that name. Winkie just seems like such a cute little name for those fearsome guards.
Oelwein (sounds a bit like oh-we-oh) was where I hoped to get to yesterday, but elected to stop early in hopes of getting an early start today. Bike maintenance and two long phone calls interfered, however, and the hot headwind remained just as unrelenting, with thunderstorms predicted overnight, so Oelwein is as far as I got today. Well at least this time it was 36 miles.
Oelwein was the focus of the book Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town, about the declining fortunes of middle America and the rise of methamphetamine; it was widely praised in the major book reviews but a local paper found a number of inconsistencies in the reporting. Whatever, it didn’t seem like Breaking Bad to me, just another sad little small town. It had a good Subway, grocery store, and a decent cheap motel however, so I was happy, even if it did mean pushing my loaded bike up another flight of stairs. I’m getting used to this.
It seems to be taking forever to crawl across Iowa. The topography is moderating, rolling hills but nothing too daunting, except the wind. It will be cloudy and cooler tomorrow, still a chance of rain but I will try to get as far as I can. When I get a tailwind, I will definitely make a run for it.
Distance 36 miles, 3,504 total. Time 5 hours with stops. Elevation gain 746 feet.
©️ 2021 Scott Luria
The Ends of the Earth 