"I'm an idealist. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way"

Quote from Carl Sandberg  (courtesy of Glen Miller)

Jack was really worried about how the bikes would survive the trip on the back of our van, so he went out to Lowe’s and bought what I would describe as a mini storage shed that we can cover the bikes with.  Technically, it is a grill cover, but you could store quite a lot of lawn equipment under it, or maybe a whole T-ball team, and Sue and I may need to use it as a storm shelter out here in the Great Plains.  Anyway, Jack, you are a genius.  It is working out great.  Only problem was, the bike seats stuck up so high it was blocking the rear view out the van, so I took off all the seats – but not to worry, I marked them with our initials so we wouldn’t mix them up. 

We hit the road yesterday around 9 am, stopped at Reality for a coffee and a muffin,  and headed west.  The wind was fierce most of the day, with some rain.  We made it to  Iowa City and decided to camp at Coralville Lake, to get set up before the storm rolled in.  It was a nice place, except for bugs, lightning, thunder, and rain.   But the free hot showers were a bonus.  So, today we are back on the road, with a brief stop at Lowe’s to buy some grommets for the Storm Shelter, to be able to secure it a bit better.  I don’t know why the didn’t think to put them on.  So today we finish Iowa, and cross Nebraska, maybe into Wyoming.  
    So, the journey begins.  We don't know what mysteries, adventures, or challenges may be ahead of us, but we are on our way.

Addendum:  we entered a storm zone near North Platte, Nebraska, and pulled off into a rest area.  Then Sue said, "Isn't that hail?" and sure enough some small hail was falling.  Then came the pea sized hail.  Then the navy bean size hail.  Then the lima beans.  Then the golf balls started coming in.  Quite an experience.
So, here is a picture of the bikes on the back of the van, with our tent in the background.