Oscaloosa Rocks

Once again today, the strategic decision was that I should make for the overnight town and skip the mid-day stop, since it is only 15 miles from here, and since there are advantages to getting to the final resting place early…namely a better choice of camping spots.

The criteria are flatness, quietness (a generator free neighborhood), proximity to showers and shuttles.

I have nabbed a prime spot with compatible neighbors at the Southern Iowa Fair Grounds (The Annual fair just concluded on July 22nd). I got here early enough to set up camp, then take my bike on a reconnaissance mission to the downtown festivities, which are just setting up around the town square.

The picture to the right is of a cyclist taking a picture of another cyclist and a little old lady who had just taken their picture....Iowa hospitality. The statue on the background is the Indian Chief of the Ioways Mahaska (White Cloud). In the background is the County Seat.

These small Iowa cities seem to have iconic town squares with a handsome government building…usually a county seat…either on the green or nearby. Oskaloosa is the county seat of Mahaska County, which I have learned is named for a chief of the Ioway tribe who lived peacefully alongside the invading settlers. He was well enough thought of that the County is named after him and a bronze likeness stands on the town green. [Copy editor's note: Ironically, Mahaska was murdered by one of his own braves after refusing to allow a vengeance killing to take place against a member of a rival tribe. ]

Later this afternoon, the town square, which is blocked off to all but foot traffic, will be a bee hive of activity and loud music, but in the early afternoon, the food venders and purveyors of biking gear are just setting up, and the rock band members are probably still home in bed.

I ordered up a “Badass BLT” and a raspberry frozen yogurt waffle cone and sat under a tree on the town green for a spell of people watching. [Copy editor's note: Don't know if Sue's "bad Ass" sandwich was like this one, but it seemed typical of the culinary genre. ]

A bevy of Little Leaguers has come by selling home baked cookies for a buck a bag.

They could tell I was going to be an easy mark.

Today’s amusing sitings: Something we easterners can’t imagine…driving down a highway with corn fields to the horizon on all sides, broken up only occasionally by a clump of trees indicating a farm house, I passed a dirt road entering from the right with a street sign that said 180th St.

My next door neighbor in the campground road her bike 53 miles in very fast time today , then proceeded to do an hour of calisthenics with heavy rubber tubes. I have to say she looks great.

My riders have stopped to fix a flat for Arthur and one for a complete stranger. They will arrive soon for showers, cold beer, and planning another exciting evening on the town. Then, on tomorrow to Fairfield.

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IMAGE CREDITS: 1- Oscaloosa Town Center - Sue Merrow; 2- Chief Mahaska / White Cloud - National Archives but found at While Cloud Chief; 3- Bad Ass BLT, from Mr. Spanky's (Chicago); 4- Iowa Cornfields - by Bob and Sarah and posted on their blog This Beautiful Land