(forgot to post this yesterday): One day after riding a day of RAGBRAI and I’m feeling just fine – maybe a little creakier than usual but not aching at all. So maybe this weekend I’ll set out with the new Cycle Central Iowa map which has mapped out 17 loop rides around central Iowa on bike trails and county roads. They all look great – and the descriptions include handy info on things like where to stay and eat. My one reservation is that we’re somewhat reluctant to ride our bikes on country roads, given the bad reputation they’ve developed for being inhospitable to cyclists. There have been some bad accidents where cyclists were hit by vehicles. Still the loops look like fun – and i far prefer a loop to going back and forth on the same trail. I bought my map for $2.99 (I think) at a local bike store – and it was the last one available but with hope, there are more available. To order contact: info@dsmbikecollective.org
Category Archives: RECREATION
My first taste of Ragbrai – why haven’t I done this earlier???
I LOVED IT! Granted I only rode 37 of the 56 miles (from Slater to Altoona Iowa) on one of seven days of RAGBRAI – but I loved everything about it. The scenery – small towns with welcoming residents, from kids offering welcome sprays from water hoses to elderly people sitting in lawn chairs clapping, to farm families rooting by ringing a cowbell as we chugged up a steep hill; picture postcard perfect farmsteads, fields and fields of corn and beans; the scene – riders of every shape, size, complexion, age, attire on all kind of contraptions (a variety of bikes, upright, recombinant,old-fashioned, sleek and modern, tandems, triple-seat bikes, plus the occasional wheelchair), great food (pastafari’s pesto pasta/ariabiatta pasta with sautéed zucchini and grilled salmon outside of Alleman, terrific rhubarb/strawberry pie in Elkhart, a homemade citrus sorbet bar (which completely hit the spot when we arrived in Altoona in 94 degree heat/humidity completely dripping with sweat). Eating my sorbet bar and watching nine very cute kids do a pretty impressive musical performance where they all danced and played the drums was perfect! I met people from Brooklyn, Vancouver, Oak Park (Illinois); Oregon, all over really. I’d really love to go again tomorrow but not sure I’m physically up for it. Next year, maybe I’ll do more serious training and try to do more of the ride.
Filed under Agritourism, biking, Iowa
Day tripper – on Ragbrai in Iowa
We’re off tomorrow morning to Slater, Iowa about 35 miles north of Des Moines to tag along for a day on Ragbrai – not exactly sure what to expect but figure it’s a good way to get a brief taste of what it’s like to ride bikes alongside thousands of other people through Iowa’s countryside and small towns. We’re only riding 34 miles of the 56 mile route tomorrow but that’s a lot for my friend and I – and who knows, if we enjoy it, maybe we’ll do more next year. (My friend did the entire Ragbrai ride across Iowa last year.) In preparation, I’ve bought an inner tube in case I have any tire issues. Wish me luck.
Filed under bike trails, biking, Iowa
Off to bike/canoe in southwest Wisconsin!
We’re finally leaving tomorrow for three days in southwest Wisconsin around La Crosse, spending one day riding the famous Sparta-Elroy trail and the next maybe canoeing on the Kickapoo River or driving north on the Mississippi to re-visit towns like Trempealeau and Pepin that we went to some 20 years ago. In Sparta, we’re staying for two nights at Justin Trails B&B Inn which comes well-recommended by a friend here. (We were tempted to stay one night at the old Trempealeau Hotel – for much less than the Inn but figure it’s best to stay put. Not sure where we’ll stay tomorrow night en route or, i hope, in La Crosse.Planning to bring picnic stuff since restaurant options are reportedly limited.
Filed under bike trails, biking, Wisconsin
Iowa county fairs to visit
Yes, the big kahuna is Iowa’s state fair – and it is all it’s cracked up to be. But here’s some county fairs in Iowa that are worth a visit according to Iowa Farm Bureau’s Family Living publication (which my husband happens to edit…):
– Clayton County Fair (aug. 2-8) in beautiful northeast Iowa, which will have its first “officially sanctioned” bull-riding event (not clear if this is the first or the first officially sanctioned.)
– Cherokee County Fair (july 7-1o)
– Adair County Fair, (july 20-24) with an Ag-themed Olympics and a text messaging contest (not ag-themed). Something for everyone!
– Washington County Fair (july 17-22) and check out the surprisingly authentic, sophisticated Italian restaurant Cafe Dodici in Washington if you haven’t filled up on fair fare.
No mention of the famous Clay County Fair in Spencer, (sept. 10-18) with is almost as huge as the Iowa State Fair, I’m told.
Filed under Agritourism, Iowa
awe-inspiring new bridge for bikers/walkers on High Trestle Trail – near Woodward, Ia.
Just back from our first official visit to the remarkable new 13-story high, 1/2-mile long bridge crossing the Des Moines River on the High Trestle Trail between Woodward and Madrid Iowa. (We visited unofficially – and possibly illegally – last summer when the bridge was under construction.) The former railroad bridge high high above the river has been turned into a dramatic sculptural passageway where riders pass under 41 rust-brown angular steel beams, kind of like riding underneath a hooped tent. (They represent support cribs within an historic coal mine.) At each end of the bridge are four dramatic 42-foot high towers with dark bands that represent veins of coal in the area.
Not sure this description does it justice, but trust me – it’s well worth a visit on bike or on foot.
And the word is out – the trail was full of riders, enjoying not just the bridge but several other amenities that have suddenly popped up along the 25-mile Woodward-to-Ankeny trail, including a really fun bar on the side of the trail in Madrid called the Flat Tire, in a metal Quonset hut that has been neatly outfitted with tables, a bar, very nice bathrooms and a pleasant patio. Place was hopping but easy to get a table. Slater also has a bar that caters to cyclists – the Take Down. But our favorite picnic spot is a mile south in a little park in the small town of Sheldahl. Woodward also has a little cafe in town Cayanne’s, that we’re told has good sandwiches (an egg salad/tuna salad combo…) On the half hour drive back to Des Moines we stopped for an ice cream cone (and super thick chocolate shake) at Heavenly Delight, a cute little shop with a lively neighborhood message board where 12-year-olds babysitters, adult pet sitters and concealed weapons instructors advertise their services…
Filed under bike trails, Iowa
Places to check out along the new High Trestle Trail in Iowa
The High Trestle trail just north of Des Moines officially opens today and here are some places the DMRegister recommends checking out along it:
– Woodward: Lake Robbins Ballroom, Woodward Hardware’s Antique Toy (nuts and bolts and antique toys and other antiques)
– Madrid – Baldy’s Chill and Grill opening soon in the old American Legion building
– Slater – Snus HIll Winery, with a tasting room, a mile north of the trail along a gravel road
– The Bridge, of course: A 13-story high bridge originally built in 1973 that has been redesigned with six overlooks, four art installation/towers at each end and 41 steel frames overhead that light up in the dark.
Filed under bike trails, biking, Iowa
The scoop on shuttle service for the Elroy-Sparta trail in Wisconsin
Word has it that there is shuttle service – so you can ride the 32-mile trail one way by being dropped off at one spotted and then having your car delivered to the other. One guidebook I read suggested it’s best to ride north from Elroy to Sparta. So maybe that’s what we’ll do in July.
Filed under bike trails, biking, Uncategorized, Wisconsin
Bike adventures near Iowa
It’s March first and even though it’s foolish to believe this suddenly warm Spring-like weather will last, it has got me daydreaming about spring – and even summer. With that in mind, here’s a few bike rides I hope to do when the weather warms – and maybe you will too:
– In Wisconsin: The Great River State Trail, the La Cross River State Trail, the “400” State Trail and the most famous of them all, the Elroy-Sparta Trail (which reportedly includes long railroad tunnels that require travelers to use flashlights.)
– In Missouri: The 225-mile Katy Trail (good for inn-to-inn biking, which reminds me of my trips as a kid with my family with Vermont Bicycle Touring). It goes past bluffs and tourist-friendly towns (according to the DM Register) along the Missouri River between Clinton and St. Charles (near St. Louis.)
Filed under bike trails, Missouri, Wisconsin
On zip-lining
No one – including me – can quite believe that I went zip-lining in Panama. For the uninitiated, zip-lining is an adventure sport that involves coasting along a cable strung between two high tree tops. You’re attached by a harness and a metal pulley – and you’re way up high, often soaring above a roaring river. I’m not afraid of heights – so that wasn’t a problem. But I do question my technical skill in these kind of things – will I be able to follow directions properly so I don’t end up at a standstill mid-cable dangling over the roaring river? Will I remember when and how to brake. (It involves simply squeezing your hand that the cable is running through – but it’s hard sometimes to figure out just when to start squeezing and how hard.) I didn’t screw up too badly.
I wish I could say it was fun – but I was too nervous to really enjoy it the way the others in our group (five young kids in their early 20s, four German, one Chilean) were. I did try to enjoy the sensation of flying across the tree tops way high on a mountain and occasionally succeeded. It did help that there were six very good-humored, safety-conscious young guys from Boquete Tree Trek as our guides. The first three zips were easier than the final nine because with the last ones, there was more standing and waiting which meant more thinking about the nutty thing we were doing. It kind of reminded me of our trip to Morocco in 1989 – made for interesting story-telling but once is probably enough.
Filed under Adventure travel, Panama
TakeBetsywithyou 