TRIO SHRUGGS OFF THE WEATHER

 It did pour down rain just after 4 PM on Wednesday, but by 5, three Wednesday night riders decided to try a ride.  As it looked like the sky was clearing, Mike rolled in from New Albin on his bike, Richard arrived in the Slingshot, and Bob (If it's above 50 and ain't rainin', I'm ridin') was ready to lead on his trike.

Mike is walking.  Soon he would be riding.

The original plan had us doing the Arlington loop, but after consulting the weather on his new smart phone (yes, he's catching on), Bob decided heading north was the best option.

So, off through Waukon we went with the temp reading 66 degrees on the bank clock.  We meanered onto HWY 76 north, and after a couple of miles of sprinkles, we were dry the whole time.  We cruised along on HWY 76 and slowed way down as a deer crossed our paths near Eitzen.  Just past Eitzen, we turned west onto Sylling Road (CR 27) and headed for Spring Grove.  Sylling is a great stretch of smooth asphalt with some neat curves and good views.

When we arrived in Spring Grove, we took HWY 44 back east.  After slowly following a truck hauling silage, we were able to pass and made our way into Caledonia.  Onto Main St. and CR 3 we headed for Brownsville.  CR 3 is another scenic drive, and despite the latest rains, we could still see a long distance.  Once we arrived in Brownsville, we stopped at the River Station Convenience Store there.

Plenty of parking in the small lot

There was a tremedous amount of cookies for sale in the store.  The gal in charge said "I baked them all!"  She also wanted us to wait around until she got off work at 8 to give her rides.  We told her we would probably be asleep by then!

After the break, we backtracked on CR 3 until we came to CR 24.  This is the road that leads into Freeburg (home of Little Miami Restaurant).  On a previous ride to eat, we stopped at Little Miami and took CR 24 back out.  It is mostly a layer of blacktop with no yellow markings, but I wanted to try it going into Freeburg.  The ride in was well worth it.  You have to watch the unmarked curves, but the views are worth the trip.  Once arriving before the "rush hour" in Freeburg, we took the paved portion of CR 249 back into Caledonia.  This section of smooth blacktop is also a fun ride.

Back through Caledonia we went and back onto HWY 76.  We cruised through Eitzen making our way north.  I always slow way down when I reach the turn that goes into Dorchester.  I think this is a hazadous intersection, because it's blind.  If you are coming from the north, you cannot see some vehicle that might be turning into Dorchester because of the high bank on the left side.  I have always thought that this intersection needs to be marked better.

After passing by the Dorchester turn safely, we continued on 76 up to Iowa River Drive (CR A26) and made our way east.  We did see some crop damage from the all the rain, but the river was still well in its banks but very muddy.  After we reached Lycurgus Road, Mike split for New Albin, while Richard and Bob continued on Lycurgus and onto HWY 9.  The two of us rolled into Waukon and ate at Uptown.  I had about 115 "dry" miles on the trike for our ride.

UPCOMING EVENTS

This Sunday, the 14th, is our annual "You Gotta Love Summer" Pizza Run.  We will depart Casey's at 11 AM that day for a ride and a stop for pizza at a location to be determined.  It should be another "fun" time and let's hope we have more participants for this one.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

Trike rides for residents of Wellington Place in Decorah

This Monday we will meet with Jill, the activity director for Wellington Place, to go over the "ground rules".  The rides will take place on July 24th at 10 AM with a "backup" date of August 4th.  We, along with the residents are looking forward to this event.

Speaking of trike rides, the Waukon Standard news paper had an excellent article written by the folks at Northgate Care Center.  To me, it gives the recognition to the Wednesday Night Riders that I was hoping for!  I will try to reproduce the article below for those of you who do not get the Waukon paper.

NEAT!

THIS IS THE "ONLY" WAY TO RIDE TO SCHOOL!

Next Wednesday we will try either Arlington or North Andover.