Well we finally got the 18-wheeler on the road and TWC was absolutely right about the traffic. We edged along with little concern we were headed in the right direction since we were surrounded by buses, trailers, campers, and all manner of vehicles bolted to bicycle racks. It was slow but steady as we eased along ever closer to the "support crew" route. CaDiva was in the shotgun seat while I gripped the steering wheel like it was the last cup of Dunkin Donut's coffee in a sea of Starbucks. I was actually doing ok until I realized the Interstate entrance was in the away-from-my-watch lane.
Ok, I can deal with this. I'm in a HUGE-ASSED SUV with a trailer slightly larger than my first apartment and the only view behind me is from the things they hang on the outside of the car. How should I know how to use those, I never actually looked in one before. I'm used to seeing behind me in the rear view mirror. Or at least being able to ask CaDiva, "How's it look over there?"
Then I hear a sort of low hum and realized CaDiva, having rolled down her window, is hanging out the car having a conversation with someone out... you know ... there....beyond this behemoth I'm holding to my lane by sheer force of will and my butt cheeks. "Excuse me?" she says with her butter-don't-melt-in-her-mouth, "Can you let us in? This is our first year and we never drove one of these things before." Then she turns back to me with a little grin and says, "Go ahead."
Go ahead? She got a stranger to give us pie yesterday and today she gets someone to hold back the hordes while I slide the 18-wheeler into the next lane over. I do not know why I waste her powers on piddling pies and parallel lane changes. Surely there is some sort of modern-day John Beresford Tipton, Jr who is just waiting for someone to ask him for $8.33 million dollars. Oh, well I'll worry about that later, right now I just need to get to Story City.
We tried to talk to HRH on her birthday bluetooth but it is kind of windy out there and so we figured she would call us if she needed us. It isn't like we needed to stop soon, CaDiva gave me a banana and Cheerios in the cab before we started out. It was really uneventful while we stayed on the interstate until we pulled off in Story City.
Then we enjoyed reading the team names on the vehicles who passed us. And they all passed us. Big trailers, semis, buses, cars, motorcycles, scooters, motorized skateboards, one spry looking older gentleman in a walker... Hey, not my 18-wheeler and I stayed in the slow lane (at least it was slow behind me.)
When we got to Story City, we drove some distance looking for the bikers. They had what appeared to be a lovely set up in a park just surrounded by no parking signs as far as the eye could see. We slowed down to ask someone who looked like the helpful police officers in Webster City. But looks is all we got. His instructions were we could park wherever we could find a place as long as it wasn't there. So we pulled into a mostly empty nursing facility parking lot and called HRH to tell her where we were. While I filled her in on the drive thus far and determined she was having the time of her life, CaDiva pulled her silver-tongue routine on the nice lady who came out to ask us not to park there. Then she told CaDiva if we went back the way we came there was a Mall letting "buses" park there.
I managed to maneuver out of the parking lot and back into the flow of traffic, negotiating several turns until I saw the very helpful people with pink flags. Unfortunately the first ones we saw were not in the parking lot. It looked like either a grand home or country club with a traffic circle, round-about thingy. CaDiva said just pull over as far as you can and swing around. I got pointed in the other direction somehow or other, don't ask me how, my eyes had been closed ever since the nice lady told us to go away.
We eased back out onto the road and down a few more blocks and found more very helpful people who held back all the darkness of the world that surrounded this leviathan I was aiming more than steering and helped me glide it into a big old wonderful place just opposite the exit driveway. Nothing but straight shots after we hooked up with HRH. A lady from the Kitchen Collection gave CaDiva a coupon (yeah I know I still don't know how she does it) and told her the building had public bathrooms INSIDE and they FLUSHED and they had free coffee. No food court though.
Didn't matter, we were busy talking to our bikers. TWC called to find out how to get the SAG bus for Not-Hank. We read off the instructions about "going wheels up" on the left side of the road. I also gave him some of the insight HRH's neighbor had given us, was it only yesterday, yeah well she said find shade, most any one would let you sit in their yard if you asked, and pick up some of the trash as you leave. When she was settled he said he would meet us in Story City.
She waited almost two hours but we were stuck since she was smack in the middle of the route and we still had to follow the rules until we got TWC and HRH to the end. The SAG bus would not drop her in Story City, it had to take her all the way to Marshalltown. She said it was loaded full, she almost didn't get on. But she and a lady who had medical needs did claim the last two seats.
In the meantime, HRH caught up with us. We replenished her water and ice and got her to the indoor plumbing. She was still reveling in her adventure. We tried to get her to rest some but she was anxious to get back out there. She did stay with us long enough to hear from TWC that he had blown past Story City without even realizing it and would meet up with us in Marshalltown.
HRH took off and CaDiva and I headed to the Casey's across from the mall thinking it would be easy in/easy out and would have food. Now, let me say this, I haven't spent a lot of time at Casey's General Stores before this trip and, as welcome as they were during the adventure, if I ever eat another roast beef sandwich and diet coke from there again I will shave off my taste buds and pack them away in blue paper in a ceder lined box under my bed. Enough Said.
There was one more issue at Casey's ... easy in/easy out was not so accurate. We saw an RV pull out from what looked like a straight in parking place but it was the line for diesel fuel. This is the point at which I discovered the car had something called "park assist" that I didn't know how to use and backing up is a VERY BAD idea with a trailer. HRH said something about me being one step closer to being able to go out with her and her boat but I think she might have been delirious at that point.
In the meantime, Not-Hank had arrived in Marshalltown, found the DQ didn't have AC but the Caseys would let her hang out inside, with cool drinks, indoor plumbing, and no place to charge her phone. She was so patient. I hated leaving her hanging like we did. I know next year we'll coordinate the maps better so everyone will know where we can cross the bike path without breaking any rules. If she had known just how much further she had to go for us to pick her up she might have been able to make it after a little rest.
I'll tell you about TWC's victory lap, and the rescue of Not-Hank and HRH tomorrow. But now it is time for bed.
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