Hi from Lamont, IA!

Team NWF’s cycling team is moving through Lamont, IA this morning, on our way to Dyersville tonight, about 65 miles from last night’s campsite in Independence. We had quite a little storm move through, so a few of us were a little soggy at the campground this morning. Oh well, all part of the experience.

Yesterday, I took a break in Fairbank and took a spin around town in a horse and buggy, compliments of a local Amish farmer. He and two of his 10 brothers and sisters were giving buggy rides. The Amish live such interesting lives (at least I think so). This older teen, Freeman, farms for a living. They grow nearly all their own food and sell the rest to the local community. They use horses to plow their fields, grow diversified crops and for the most part don’t use motorized vehicles or equipment. While some may see this as an “old-fashioned” way of life, I think we can learn a lot from the Amish. Their carbon footprints are negligible. As we all try to adjust the way we live to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, we may want to think about just how independent we can be of fossil fuel based energy – by using less electricity, using alternative modes of transportation when we can (like biking to work if it’s feasible!) and growing more veggies & herbs. You don’t need to be an Amish farmer to do these things, but they sure do exemplify what’s possible!

It’s on to Dyersville today. A little rain along the way, but so far no storms. I’m liking the cooler weather (80s as opposed to 90s), but I’m still drinking lots of water and Gatorade – about 60 ounces of water and maybe 30 ounces of gatorade a day. I can tell you one thing – the dry, cracked ground in the corn fields is getting a little help from the thousands of cyclists who don’t want to wait in line for the portalets! Oh, and I had my first “Walking Taco” yesterday. It’s a bag of doritos and taco fixings heated up that you can eat on the go – yummy! More tomorrow…