My load was cut down to the bare minimum.  I ditched the backpack as I would no longer be camping, and carried only my hydration pack loaded with a few essentials.  This, combined with a much flatter day of riding, and cooler temperatures through the early hours of the day made it a very successful trip.  Todays ride took me from Carroll to Boone, just over 70 miles.

Aside from the lighter load, the other riders helped me to keep my spirits high and keep on pushing.  I couldn't go half a mile without someone calling out "Go skater dude!", asking me questions about what my crazy ass was doing on a board, or just telling me how much they admired my ambition.  I was interviewed on Sunday by a reporter from the Des Moines Register, so some people even knew my name, which I gotta admit felt pretty cool.  On that first day I had rome across a rollerblader, as well as someone who was running the whole route in a pair of flip flops.  Neither of them were carrying more than a water bottle, but I knew if they had it in them, then so did I.  

Learning from the experience of my first day, I knew that I had to drink more... lots more.  So I made it a rule that every time I heard the word skateboard/longboard I would take a big drink, as well as at the top of every hill.  I also set it as a goal to try to finish my 2 liter water bladder off before reaching each town.  Every mile or two (and sometimes more often) there were people sitting on the side of the road selling water, gatorade, and sometimes food.  As well as most of the towns we went through had stations to fill up your water bottle for free.  Even while using these free stations, I still spent close to $30 just on drinks each day.  

In Pilot Mound, one of the last pass-through towns, I stopped for a bit longer break than usual (I was keeping them around 5-10 mins to keep myself moving and take advantage of temps earlier in the day).  I ate some pie, a couple sandwiches, and tried to find some coveted shade to relax in for a while.  All everyone was talking about that day was "Twister Hill", a fabled giant that was rumored to be the big one of the week.  When I reached it, I was pleasantly surprised to find good concrete, and a good amount of space between me and the other riders, something that didn't happen often.  Twister hill was a big down hill into a river valley that took a hard right turn into a menacing up hill.  Probably 20% of the riders were off their bikes and walking up, and I'm sure it was more by the time the later afternoon crowd rolled through.  After the big hike up, it was a smooth sail the rest of the way to Boone.  

Upon reaching Boone I found a Taco Johns that wasn't busy with riders yet, sat down in the A.C., and mowed down a six pack and a pound.  It was going to be a few hours before Chelsie came to get me, so I found a shady spot and took a nap for a while.  While I was there, Kelly and Aaron, a reporter and photographer from channel 2 in Cedar Rapids, found me and we set up a plan to meet early the next morning so they could interview me and ask questions about my ride.

This day made me so much more optimistic about the rest of the week, and when Chelsie got there to pick me up she could tell I was in a lot better shape than the first time.  Thanks to keeping hydrated, I hadn't had a single cramp all day