Vespa Cross Country: Cross Country Day 6 – Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Sioux City, Iowa

Another sunny, hot day. By the time we hit the road (10 am), it was already 85 degrees! Was very glad to have my venting jacket and pants. They worked great in hot weather – feel the air flow through the jacket and feel pretty comfortable as long as I’m moving (standing at a traffic stop still sucks). The windshield has been very helpful – especially during the rain in New York. It cuts a lot of the wind that hits your body, which decreases fatigue, but it also cuts the wind that cools you down! Anyway, I’m pretty pleased with my combination of equipment (jacket and windshield height). I cruised comfortably through a hot Iowa summer day, and again passed more corn than there are people on this earth (at least that is what it felt like!).

Couple notes on gas – I tried experimenting with the different gas octane levels. I usually get lower octane gas, but I started getting premium and super premium to see if it had any impact on PX performance. Not sure if I am imagining things, but I think it does make a difference. Filled up with 94 octane gas and I felt faster – top speed was around 57-60 mph on relatively flat road. 87 octane gas, I can only muster about 55 mph. Perhaps it is the ethanol mixture in the gas?　Anybody have any thoughts on this?　Perhaps all the miles are making me imagine things!

Also ran out of gas for the first time, about 500 feet from the gas station. Sick feeling when the ol’ PX runs out of gas and lurches unpredictably. Used one of my gas canisters (you can see it anchored on the bottom of the topcase rack) to get myself to the station. The gas stations are getting quite far apart and I’m wondering if I should buy another gas tank (a bigger one) just in case I find myself miles and miles away from humanity…

Arrived in Sioux City, which is on the border of Iowa and Nebraska, at around 7 pm. Hope I don’t offend anyone here, but I found the city to be quite run down. I wasn’t expecting Rome, but the city had many factories that appeared to be deserted. People were nice enough – was able to find some good Chinese food before knocking out for the night. Tomorrow, will cross over the border into Nebraska and head north toward South Dakota.

Total miles - Day 6: 300 Miles
Quick stop in Brandon, Iowa