Day 16

I learned early on to avoid upside-down boats on the highway, but thankfully there aren't many on this stretch of the Tour. That aversion might be obvious to some, but for me it was a process of learning and comparison. For you see, dear reader, each vehicle creates turbulence in its wake, depending on its size, speed, and shape, also known as "frontal area", "velocity", and "aerodynamics". That turbulence can create an alternating pattern of gusts called "buffeting" that batters a rider's head from left and right. It's more disconcerting than life threatening, but it makes for a stiff neck and a healthy dose of fatigue if it happens all day. We passed the 6,000 mile mark today, and in that distance I've made the following observations on a scale of 1 to 10... Small vehicles are inconsequential, rating a 1 for sedans and a 3 for pickem-ups. Mini Coopers are nasty little buggers though, and they rate a 4 all by themselves. Semi trucks with no trailer behind them rate a 5, and those with single trailers rate a 6. Small box trucks are basically aerodynamic bricks, and they along with double- or triple-trailer semi trucks rate a 7. Semi trucks with a fairing over the cab create a significant shock wave at the bow that rates an 8. Semi trucks hauling loaded car carriers rate a 9, as they create turbulence with the semi at the front, and six cars on the trailer. Last but not least, a semi truck hauling a car carrier, and loaded with upside down aluminum jon boats ranks a 10, as each of those boats acts as an airfoil to scoop air down and to the sides and directly onto the rider. With the strong southerly cross winds continuing into today, I was especially grateful that we didn't see any of those on this leg. We crossed into Iowa at about 9:20 AM, and immediately there were more trees, hills, and curves in the road. But the *roads*... we must have been spoiled across the south and north through California, Wyoming and Nevada, because the quality of the roads in Iowa was reminiscent of Massachusetts and points east. Sectional cracks, bad grooved pavement, potholes, construction zones, you name it. Iowa had it in spades. The view was thankfully different, but no less repetitive. Thousands and thousands of cows and terraced fields, with combines gnawing their way through endless corn. We passed through De Soto which lays claim to being John Wayne's birthplace, and ate lunch in Altoona at Jethro's BBQ, near the Facebook datacenter. Later in the day we passed the headquarters for Brownell's, a company near and dear to many firearms owners, and it was only slightly less remote than Cabela's had been the day before. Oh, and it was tan. We passed into Illinois and signs for the birthplace of Ronald Reagan, rounding out the "conservative actor" part of the tour, and stopped short of our target, in Peru, Illinois. We have significant inbound weather starting tomorrow night, and we've set a goal to achieve 500+ miles tomorrow and 330+ the following day in an attempt to make it home dry. There are still a lot of leaves left on the trees in Illinois, especially the oaks, and they have some muted shades of yellow and red left to them which is a welcome change after so many days of tan and brown. They also conveniently store water in their river beds, something the west might want to consider... All in all a safe if not difficult day of progress for Day 16 of the 2018 Prefrontal Tour, which will hopefully end with another successful attempt to arrive ahead of a weather front, safe, dry, and shiny side up. Onward and upward.

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