99 BIKE ACROSS IOWA - RAGBRAI

July 23, 1999 Friday Drive to South Bend, Indiana

Got up and ran 5.1 miles. Showered and packed car. At 8:50 am Anne drove me to Bill Sneeringer’s house in Catonsville where we all gathered, Six Hard Crabs from Maryland, and loaded up the rental white Ford 9 passenger van with gear and bikes. Jim Huelskamp, Bill Sneeringer, Pat Mooney, Bob Benhoff, Joe Wisniewski and Dan McQueen are making the trip to Iowa to ride the Register’s Annual Great Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) the grandaddy of all bike rides. We left Sneeringer’s at 9:48 am and headed west on Interstate Highway I-70 to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. We got off the turnpike in Somerset, PA for lunch of clam chowder, salad, fish, fries, ice cream cone and ice tea for $6.40 at Hoss’s. We continued west on the PA Turnpike to the Ohio Turnpike and on to the Indiana Turnpike. It was cloudy and hot all day and we ran into a severe rain storm in Ohio with outstanding bolts of lightening. We ran a kitty to pay for the tolls, gas and other incidental group costs. We exited in South Bend, Indiana for the night. We toured Notre Dame University campus and took some pictures. We stopped at Pizza Hut for supper of pizza and 3 Miller’s Beers for $15. Stayed at the Days Inn with roommate Bill Sneeringer for $25 each.

July 24, 1999 Saturday Drive to Rock Rapids, Iowa

Got up and ate a light breakfast in the motel. Drove off at 6:30 and headed west to I-80 to I-75 through Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota to Iowa. It is hot and sunny all the way. We stopped at a Hardees for lunch of a hamburger and vanilla shake for $4.64. We had a big flap and a lot of laughs about stoppping at a museum in a small town in the middle of nowhere in Minnesota. We arrived in Rock Rapids a small town in the north west corner of Iowa in 11 hours and 30 minutes at 6:00 pm. We drove 1310 miles from Catonsville. We met up with the Des Moines Cycle Club who had a truck and large tent. We picked up our biking shirts, registration and info packages. We started to set up tents on the vacant lot in the sun when a young mother with 2 kids invited us to camp in her yard across the street under some trees. We met her husband a policeman and another young couple her sister and husband. They were all very nice and friendly. Went to dinner of lasagna, salad, fruit salad, bread and lemonade for $5 at a Lutheran Church. Went to the RAGBRAI vendor displays and picked up a couple of water bottles. We camped in the yard and it stayed hot all night. I’m using my Coleman 7’x7’ tent.

July 25, 1999 Sunday Bike Rock Rapids to Spencer, Iowa

We got up and packed up our gear and tents. We started biking at 6:30 in the grey morning light. The roads were packed with cyclists with over 10,000 participating. It was dangerous and you couldn’t do anything because you were packed in so tight. At one point we were in rolling hills and you could see cyclists 6 to 8 abreast as far as you could see probably 2-3 miles. Very impressive and almost an irresistible force. Stopped at the infamous pork chop man for an Iowa pork chop for $5. It was about 2 inches thick and large. It was smoked and charred on the outside but raw inside so I didn’t eat most of it. They were trying to cook them too fast to meet the demand and weren’t doing a very good job. We rode south on K52 to a left on A34 through George, Ashton and Melvin to a right on M12. Biked through Hartley to a left on B24 through Moneta into Spencer. Stopped for lunch of a turkey sandwich and lemonade for $4.50. Starting in Lyon County we rode through Osceola and O’Brien into Clay County. Stopped for a root beer float for $2. We arrived at our hosts Sue and Keith Mugge at 500 West 4th Street in Spencer, Iowa at 2:35 pm after biking 75.6 miles in heat with the thermometer reaching 97 degrees and the heat index reaching 102. We spent a lot of time inside in the air conditioning getting cleaned up, cooling down and talking to the Mugges who were very interesting. Drove the van to supper of seafood fettucini, salad and ice tea for $19.48 at the Prime Rib. Went to bed early on the back porch that stretched across the back of the house with ceiling fans. It was cool and comfortable. Four younger women arrived for the first time after we went to bed and slept inside. They were party animals and pretty wild.

Six Maryland Hard Crabs with host family in Spencer, Iowa

July 26, 1999 Monday Bike Spencer to Algona, Iowa

We got up, packed up and departed by 6:22 am. Jimmy Huelskamp had us all well trained. We left Spencer via B74 to Dickens and a right on M54 to a left on B53 at Gillett Grove. Biked through Ayrshire to a right on N38 through Curlew to a left on B63 through West Bend to a left on F16 to Whitlemore where we turned right on B40 to Algona. It was hot but reasonable with a cloud cover most of the day. I ate a hamburger and a Red All Sport drink for $4. Then I ate a pizza and a lemonade for $3.50 in Mallard. Finally I ate a Tom Turkey tenderloin and ice tea for $4.50. Since there was no food left in Iowa, we stopped at 1:26 pm at Dave and Judy Havlik’s our hosts at 505 Bell Court in Algona after 71.9 miles. We set up tents in their back yard under some trees with a nice breeze. We showered and chatted with Dave, Judy and Gabriele Dangel from Germany. They had vegetables with dip and all kinds of drinks so we spent a leisurely afternoon socializing. Judy insisted on making us dinner so we spent the evening around the dinner table. She made Iowa pork chops, salad, bean casserole, cheese potato casserole, bread and pecan pie with ice cream. It was excellent. We pitched in for some Merlot wine. We lingered after supper exchanging stories of how we met our wives. Sneeringer presented our hosts with an Oriole ball cap, a plate with a crab on it and a Maryland flag from the group. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves sharing good food and conversation.

July 27, 1999 Tuesday Bike Algona to Clear Lake, Iowa

Got up packed up our tents and gear in the van and biked away at 6:40 am. Rode north on P44 to a right on B19 to a left on P66 into Titonka for about an hour and talked with Scott a teacher from Iowa. We stopped for breakfast of fruit salad, orange juice, a muffin, pancakes, milk and sausage for $4.50 in the firehall. Turned onto R35 through Woden and Crystal Lake to Hayfield. Turned right on B20 through Miller to a right on S14 to a left on US-18 to Clear Lake. Stopped for a chicken sandwich and All Sport Mellon for $4.50 then a root beer float for $1.50. Finaly we stopped at Tom’s Tender Turkey and an ice tea for $4.50. It was cloudy in the morning then sunny and windy with mostly a headwind with the temperature reaching 90 degrees. Arrived at hosts Carl and Wilma Ades at 1807 First Avenue north in Clear Lake at 3:15 pm after 69.8 miles. Carl is a retired state police trooper. We stayed in the air conditioned basement with our own entrance. We cleaned up and drove to the next town to Papa’s American Cafe for supper of salad, black bean soup, spaghetti, meatballs, bread and ice tea for $10.48. We stopped for a root beer float for $2. We returned to Clear Lake and walked around the vendor displays. We walked over to the camping area and found Bill Perry who I had ridden Border to Border with in 1998 with Wandering Wheels. Went to bed early and we had a tremendous thunderstorm at 11:30 pm. It hardly disturbed us as we were in the basement that was very quiet.
Town mobbed by bicycles...

July 28, 1999 Wednesday Bike Clear Lake to Waverly, Iowa

Got up early, packed up and departed at 6:00 am. Rode south out of Clear Lakes on IA-107 in Cerro Gordo County. Turned left on B60 into Swaledale. Stopped for pancakes, sausage, orange juice and milk breakfast for $6. Continued on through Rockwell to a right on S56 through Dougherty to a left on C13 to Greene where I drank a raspberry lemonade for $1. It is hot and breezy with the temperature reaching 95 degrees. Continued on to a right on T47 to a left on C33 into Clarksville. Drank a smoothie for $3 then ate a hamburger and an All Sport drink for $3 plus corn on the cob for $1. Biked on C33 to a right on US218 a short distance to a left on a back road into Waverly. The last 20 miles we moved pretty well. We arrived at Paul and Geneva Liebau’s at 109 W Bremer Ave in Waverly, Iowa at 1:40 after 76.8 miles. Paul is a barber and we slept in the front window of the air conditioned barber shop. Geneva runs a small shop next door. We showered in their remodeled apartment upstairs. We went to dinner of rolls, ice tea, salad, beef roll, spaetzels, potato, carrots and fruit cobbler with ice cream for $16.89 at the Brandenburg. Very nice German meal.

July 29, 1999 Thursday Bike Waverly to Decorah, Iowa

Got up and packed the truck by 6:00 am. I could no longer avoid driving the van so I drove to St Lucas. It is quite hilly and hot! Ate a pork sandwich for $2 when they finally opened. Went through a nice church in town. Bill and Jimmy arrived in town. I hung around a little while then took off north out of St Lucas at 9:45 on W14 through Fort Atkinson and Spillville to Ridgeway. Stopped at a firehall for lunch of chicken, chips, All Sport Fruit for $4.50. I had moved pretty fast through the hilly terrain averaging close to 20 miles per hour. Turned right on IA-9 and biked through Decorah to Dean and Lois Humpal’s house on a hill at 2215 Pole Line Road at after 37.9 miles. I arrived about 12:15 after searching up and down the road. I beat the van in to the house. We were supposed to camp outside but it was 97 degrees with the heat index at 110. The house is big, new and very nice. There was a mob scene with many young riders staying there too. Lois, an attractive and vivaciuos mother of four in her early 40s took pity on us old guys and gave us the large air condtioned game room in the basement. We showered and headed for town and the Silver Dollar where I had two Heinekin beers for $5. We drove south to Calmar and the Train Restaurant for an early hamburger, mushrooms, onion, pepper, potato, cheese, potato soup, salad, ice tea and apple pie with ice cream dinner for $11. Withdrew $150 from an ATM in a gas station convenience store. We went back to the Humpal’s and hung out in the basement family room. Dean, a handsome man in his early 40s and riding RAGBRAI himself, and Lois joined us and we talked for a couple of hours. They are really a nice couple with 4 nice kids. Dean is wiped out and we broke up early to go to bed.

July 30, 1999 Friday Bike Decorah to Manchester, Iowa

We got up early and packed up biking out at 6:00 am. We started east on IA-9 then right on W42 to Ossian. Ate Chris Cakes pancakes for $6. Continued on W42 south to West Union then left on B64 to Elgin. Stopped for a turhey sandwich and water for $4.50. Turned right on W51 through Wadena and Arlington to Lamont. Stopped for a smoothie for $3. It is hard biking and staying hydrated in the 100 degree weather with the heat index at 118. Stopped for a Gatorade for $1 as we turned left on C64 and biked through Dundee to US 20 then left a short distance into Manchester, Iowa. We camped under the trees next to the river at Ken and Joan Sheppard’s house at 406 North River Street arriving at 3:00 after 85.4 miles. We showered and then explored the town on our bikes. There was a lot of activity with many loud bands and large groups of noisy young people. The sound seemed to carry. We ate supper of ice tea, salad, cod, baked potato, strawberry pie and a root beer float for $13.66 at Boonies. We walked around the festivities for a while then retired early to our tents. It was reasonably cool by the river and it was helped by several severe thunder storms with heavy rain. Meeting Presidential hopeful Steve Forbes...

July 31, 1999 Saturday Drive to Columbia, MD

We got up early and packed up. It was raining lightly but the skies looked ominous. The forecast was for severe storms. In a split decision we decided to skip the last day and take off for home. We drove east on US-20 then south on US-61 to I-20. We stopped for a big breakfast as we ran through several sessions of rain, some of it quite heavy. We apparently made a wise decision. We continued east on the interstates across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and finally into Maryland. We stopped for lunch at Burger King for $4.13. We stopped for supper again at Burger King for $4.37. We drove straight through and I arrived home in Columbia, MD after 1:00 am in the morning. We biked a total of 417.4 miles across Iowa in six days.