Des Moines

We arrived in Des Moines, Iowa last night and I'd have to say it couldn't be any more different than Washington. I was a little worried about our hotel, as we will be here for one week, but unlike the Grand Hyatt in DC, everything at the Drury Inn is FREE. Free internet, free long distance calls, free hot breakfast (not my kind of food though....), free happy hour drinks and snacks..... I am probably missing something else that is FREE, but you get the gist. 

The weather is HOT here. Seriously, ridiculously hot. And, anywhere indoors is ridiculously cold. They love their air conditioning. The contrast is too much for me and I find myself constantly shivering, wearing layers indoors, but as soon as I step outside, I want to strip down. Our massage therapist today had a perfect description of the Des Moines summer: "you wear the weather." It felt like we rode into a blow dryer today, over 40 C (I can't lie, the air conditioning felt amazing after this ride!) But, later this afternoon, an intense storm quickly rolled in. At one point there were three weather warnings for this region: Severe Thunderstorm, Excessive Heat, and Flood Advisory. I was shivering and sipping hot soup tonight!

Apart from the bizarre weather, things are great. I didn't pull up too sore from the race, just the usual fatigue. We've got a few more days of recovery and tune-up sessions before the weekend of racing!