I'm off to Iowa early Friday morning. I need to be in Davenport by early evening to put my bike on a truck to be shipped to Glenwood. The RAGBRAI goes from West to East...so I'm driving to the finish town and taking a bus back to the starting town, the bus leaves Davenport on Saturday morning expected to get into Glenwood early afternoon. I'll be camping in Glenwood Saturday night and our ride starts Sunday morning.
My neighbors Gerry and Bill helped me make some final tuning on the bike on Tuesday night. It was running super smooth yesterday, but I did have a flat tire somewhere on the way into work. That was a good thing...I found out I had the wrong spare tube on my bike, so I've fixed that. Fortunately my buddy Chance had given me a patch kit and I fixed the tube for the ride home.
I found a posting from some folks who did a pre-ride of this year's RAGBRAI route with comments on the towns we'll be going through. Below is the report, it will give you a flavor of what the ride is supposed to be like...I'll find out for real next week. I'll try to get out a posting late tomorrow when I get to Davenport.
Day 1 – Glenwood to Atlantic The day’s ride is about 59 miles and just under 5,000 feet of climb.
Silver City The Silver City Fire Department and the American Legion will be the main stopping points for breakfast treats, including breakfast burritos and biscuits & gravy. Live bands will entertain riders in the outdoor beverage garden to kick off RAGBRAI. 9 Miles
Carson (Meeting Town) The town will be selling a wide variety of foods and pie. Some other activities include live bands, the Windstream internet trailer and a bicycle ferris wheel, and a slew of vendors up and down the street. 20 Miles
Canoyer Country Greenhouse (not a town, but worth a stop) Tender Tom’s Turkey is planning to set up there and sweet corn, funnel cakes and shaved ice will also be available.
Griswold The town will turn into “Griswold Acres” for the day displaying their proud farming heritage. Dusty’s Bar and Grill in downtown. The house specialty is the club sandwich and onion rings, but all of the food is really good. The town will also have live entertainment in the shady park and the American Legion will host an outdoor beverage garden. 15
Lewis Duane Weirich is busy welding the world’s largest bike to display for RAGBRAI. Duane says the current big bike is in Germany, a mere 12 foot by 26 foot large. He envisions his bike will tower at 14 feet by 30 feet. The bike will be constructed of pipe and scraps and can actually be ridden. This will be a must see. This Cass County town of 438 people will have the Jam Time DJs playing great tunes at their beverage garden. Riders will have their choice of a variety of meats as they enter town including beef brisket. 7.7 Miles
Atlantic The first day’s ride will conclude in Atlantic, the Coca-Cola Capital of Iowa. 5 p.m. Beer Garden Opens 8 Miles
Day 2 – Atlantic to Carroll The day’s ride is about 66 miles and just under 5,000 feet of climb.
Elkhorn One of the big attractions of Elkhorn is the Authentic 1848 Danish Windmill that was imported from Denmark 35 years ago and rebuilt by the community volunteers. Food booths will run the length of the street with Danish treats including Abelskivers and Danish Crepes. 14.7 Miles
Kimballton The Little Mermaid Fountain and the Hans Christian Andersen Park is home of the newly recast bronze statue of the Little Mermaid of Copenhagen Harbor. 3 Miles
Manning (Meeting Town) Live entertainment will include local bands and the Nuns on the Run. The Legion is located in the park and they will host a beer garden. The German Hausbarn was original constructed in 1660 in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and will be serving homemade brats, German potato salad, beer-sauerkraut-fudge cupcakes and a variety of German beers. 19.7 Miles
Templeton The Templeton Rye distillery is a must hit stop along this year’s route for their 4th Annual Rock & Rye Celebration. They will be offering tours of distillery, free group photos in front of the distillery, as well as small samples of Iowa most sought-after product, Templeton Rye Whiskey. There will be music and entertainment outside of the distillery as well as a beer garden benefiting the Town of Templeton. 7.7 Miles
Dedham This Carroll County town of 266 people is known as a farming community with a rich sports tradition. Two of Dedham’s historical sites are the Southside Lounge & Bar, operating since 1914, and Donna’s Café, feeding the town since 1958. 7.5 Miles
Willey You see the towering St. Mary’s Church that was built piece by piece that was carried by horses up those steep hills from the railway in Dedham. The town will also have a beer garden for riders. 5 Miles
Carroll Monday’s ride will end in Carroll. One of the top restaurants and places to see is the Santa Maria Vineyard & Winery in downtown. 7.7 Miles
Day 3 – Carroll to Boone The day’s ride is roughly 71 miles and about 1,800 feet of climb.
Lidderdale This town of 186 will be the first breakfast stop just 10 miles outside of Carroll. Lidderdale will be serve breakfast treats from their Fire Station and the Community Hall. The town will be serving a variety of croissant breakfast sandwiches and fruits. Local farmers will proudly display their tractors. 10 Miles
Lanesboro This town of 152 will be serving a variety of food in the park and in the downtown and the church will have breakfast burritos. The bar will be serving Sausage-on-a-Stick, a sausage dipped in pancake batter then deep fried. 8.9 Miles
Churdan (Meeting Town) They will be serving pie, cinnamon rolls, cookies and bars, and beverages. For a special attraction Churdan will have BIG BUD 450/50, Case 80hps stream engine, 9th scale miniature Rumley stream engine. The Churdan Bar and Grill has a large outside beer garden-large tented area within the garden. They will have 5 full service bars serving mixed drinks, wine, beer and apple pie shots, chicken wings and French fries. 13.5 Miles
Paton The fire department and the Greene County Cattlemen will be serving the thin ribeye steak sandwiches throughout the day. 12 Miles
Pilot Mound Pilot Mound was the location that some of the most exciting scenes of the 1996 movie “Twister” were filmed. 12.5 Miles
Boone Tuesday’s riders will end the day by “Chuggin’ into Boone” The town’s train heritage will be on full display. The Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad & Museum will be offering a RAGBRAI special train into the Des Moines river valley leaving from both the Story Street downtown depot and the Museum Depot. 14 Miles
Day 4 – Boone to Altoona The day’s ride is about 56 miles and a mere 1,250 feet of climb.
Luther This town of 158 will be the first breakfast stop just 10 miles outside of Boone. Luther has a few churches in town and a shady city park that will allow riders to relax. 9 Miles
Slater (Meeting Town) The town will also have vendors and a beverage garden in downtown. The fire department and the bike friendly Take Down Bar will be ready for the influx of cyclists. 13.5 Miles
Sheldahl The High Trestle Trail cuts through the heart of the town that is located just a few miles south of Slater. 2.1 Miles
Alleman The Salem United Church of Christ will be preparing lots of homemade goodness for the riders. There will be plenty of free water and kybos as well. 7.6 Miles Arrive 10:00
White Oak Vineyards Many food vendors will be at the Vineyard to offer RAGBRAIers some great choices. Wine, wine-a-ritas, beer, pop, sports drinks and water will be available for purchase. The Iowa Air National Guard will be on-hand to fill up your water bottles for free. 5 Miles
Elkhart There will two beer gardens in Elkhart that day. Music will be provided near the beer garden at the Elkhart Pub. . Photo opportunities with “Team Elkhart” will allow riders to transform to spandex clad elk cyclists. 4 Miles
Bondurant The town will have a great variety of food and beverage the day RAGBRAI rolls into town. Riders will notice some new buildings in town including a new high school and Irish Pub. 9.3 Miles
Altoona Wednesday’s riders will end by cruising into Altoona. Beverage Garden opens at 4:30 pm Grand Funk Railroad 8:00 to 9:30 pm 5.5 Miles
Day 5 – Altoona to Grinnell The day’s ride is about 57 miles and about 3,300 feet of climb.
Mitchellville The Legion will be serving pancakes and sausage. The Park will have entertainment and games for RAGBRAIers. 7 Miles
Colfax (Meeting Town) Live chainsaw carving of the RAGBRAI logo. Over 600 pounds of ice will be carved before it melts starting at 9am. Sheltered Reality’s young drummers from 9am-10:30am and local DJ’s will entertain riders. The mineral spring water will be available to “heal” sore riders! 7 Miles
Baxter Not only will they have gobs of pie, but even the O’ Kelly’s Steak & Pub will have “Apple Pie Shots” in sticking with the theme. The Bethany United Church will have a chicken luncheon. The town’s two bars will each have a beverage garden where live bands and DJs will entertain riders. 15 Miles
Rock Creek State Park This 602 acre lake is mostly known as a camping hot spot and is one of central Iowa’s most popular boating lakes. The Rock Creek Marina store will also be serving food and drinks. 21 Miles
Grinnell Thursday’s ride will conclude in Grinnell, which is home to Grinnell College. Entertainment will start at 2pm at the Gazebo in Central Park and will include popular area groups: Too Many Strings Band: Folk music Calle Sur: Latin Music, Turlach Ur Bagpipes and Drums. 7.4 Miles
Day 6 – Grinnell to Coralville The day’s ride is about 75 miles and about 2,800 feet of climb.
Brooklyn This town of over 1,300 people will be the first breakfast stop just under 15 miles outside of Grinnell. The town proudly displays a year-round, gigantic outdoor flag display unfurling the pride of 50 states, the armed services and more. 14.5 Miles
Victor Riders will be invited to play the Belgian game of Rolle Bolle on an official Rolle Bolle court in downtown Victor. The court in town was developed by the late Spyder DeBrower. Victor’s specialty food will be the Breakfast Sundae, which consists of scrambled eggs, sausage links, tater tots and a squirt of cheese and a variety of food vendors. The American Legion will be serving pancakes and Bloody Marys. 8.2 Miles
Ladora This tiny town of 287 will have plenty of food vendors, live bathrooms and a beer garden. 6.7 Miles
Marengo (Meeting Town) This town of over 2,000 plans to have live bands on their shady town square and plenty of food for the vendors. 6.7 Miles
Amana Colonies (West Amana, South Amana & HomesteadWest Amana will have the Village Association and Artist Guild serving food, pies and drinks. Copper Garden will host a large tented beer garden serving locally brewed Millstream Beer, Amana produced Ackerman Vines and Budweiser products. W Amana 7.7 Miles, S Amana 2.3 Miles, Homestead 5.3 Miles
Oxford The community will have plenty of food incluidng Hall Ball Sundaes, ice cream cups , root beer floats, tenderloins, walking tacos, baked kolaches, assorted pies and plenty of drinks. For entertainment, the Polks Dots will kick things off followed by the Dixie Swing Band. 5.8 Miles
Coralville Friday’s ride will conclude in Coralville. The pool will be available for riders to cool off after the 75 mile day. 38 Special in Concert Presented by Two Rivers Bank & Trust Southern Rock band 38 Special, presented by Two Rivers Bank & Trust, will bring their signature blast of Southern Rock. 12 Miles Arrive 4:00
Day 7 – Coralville to Davenport The day’s ride is about 64 miles and roughly 2,400 feet of climb.
Iowa City As we leave Coralville, we will ride through Iowa City 3.9 Miles
West Branch West Branch is the birthplace of Herbert C. Hoover, the 31st President of the United States. The town will have a variety of food and drink vendors. 9.8 Miles
Springdale The church area is typically where you will find some yummy food and drinks. 4.5
Moscow There are a few churches in the area and a rumor that Tender Tom’s Turkey will be set up there as well. 13.8 Miles
Wilton (Meeting Town) Riders will enjoy a mini petting zoo, the Wilton FFA’s milking cow and farm equipment display. You can also have your picture taken with Beaver Biker! The Boys Ranch will have a “grill your own” booth. Fro’s Pub in downtown will have a live band, beer garden and great grilled foods. 5.6 Miles
Durant For years, Durant hosted the Polka Fest and the Polka Bear was part of the festivities. Durant will have a live Polka Band playing as well as the rock band Deliverance. The school boosters will be serving homemade brats and rib eye sandwiches from Jeff’s Meat Market. 6 Miles arrive 10:30
Walcott Riders will be detoured off of Main Street to “Walctoberfest” at Victory Park- a German Octoberfest in July. The local non-profit groups will be doing a hog roast and serving pulled pork sandwiches, brats, sweet corn, and plenty of pie. A huge shaded Beer Garden. 7 Miles
Davenport Saturday’s ride will finish in Davenport. The BIX 7, one of the biggest and best road races in the country will also be held in Davenport. The final mile of the ride will start at historic Credit Island and ride the Mississippi River Trail along the river to the dip site. Rider’s can cool off at the new Sprayground located a block from the dipping site. 14 Miles
No comments:
Post a Comment