Day 54

Grapes
The trees I set up camp near seemed to have grapes on them. I didn't try them though. Aren't they supposed to grow on vines? Anyways, I enjoyed the bike path for an hour or two. I found a water spicket, but it was a pain. After flooding the ground and filling up all my water, I headed on. There was a town that I had to awkwardly maneuver through. No post cards. More bike path, then it ended in another city. I really needed a post card now. I checked a gas station- they suggested the post office. The post office suggested the flower shop. At first she said she didn't have any- then randomly checked and found some. It's crazy how forgotten post cards are nowadays. She asked me where I was from, and I told her about my trip. She told me I could have the postcard for free. Yippy! My first and only birthday present I actually got on my birthday, and she didn't even know. I passed through a town, and all of a sudden there was a lady running behind me, asking me where I was headed. We talked as we walked. She asked lots more questions- like if I was married or not. When her turn came up, we parted ways. A few seconds later, she came sprinting after me again. "Where are you from again?" "The Kenai Peninsula." I never really know what to say to people when they ask that- virtually no one knows where Nikiski is. A few more hours of peddling, and I got to cross the Mississippi again. It's crazy how big it is. The city on the other side was huge as well. Another state down- Wisconsin. I skipped out looking for post cards here- it was too intimidating. A few miles away I stopped by a gas station though. They didn't have any generic state postcards. They had one of a ferry and one of a bridge, both serving to connect Wisconsin and Iowa. I almost didn't get it, but then decided I could always trade it out if I found a better one. I made good time for the rest of the day. I planned on going through a city at sundown, then camping just outside of it. Right when I got in, there was a man walking who asked me how far I was going. We ended up talking for a really long time. He warned me about the storms coming through- and how it was supposed to be stormy for the rest of the week. He suggested camping under a bridge tonight. I figured my rain fly would be enough. I continued down the road, not going as far as I would have liked, but I found a fantastic camp spot. I could be seen from the road but only barely. Any cars passing by wouldn't see me unless they had hawk eyes. Unfortunately there was a giant lump right in the middle of my tent that I didn't notice until after I had everything inside my tent. It's gonna be a long night.