RAGBRAI 2021, Iowa

Ride Across Iowa, Mardi Gras on Wheels

I heard my cousin Kathy and her husband Jerry were riding the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI).  The RAGBRAI is a bike ride like no other.  Thousands of bikers ride for a week from the Missouri River, along the Iowa's byways and small towns, to the Mississippi River.  I'd always wanted to ride the RAGBRAI, but it usually conflicted with my annual service trip to Denali National Park the last week of July.  This year I wasn't doing the service trip so I was free.  I sent Kathy an email asking about the ride and secretly hoped she'd invite me to join them.  She emailed me back the same morning with details on registration, shuttles and an invitation.  "We have 5 friends from AZ we’re meeting. It would be great if you join us. We all camp together each night."

"Sounds good, I'll meet you in Clinton, IA," I responded.  Easier said than done.  Over the next 8 weeks, I had to buy a sold-out RAGBRAI registration on the secondary market, signup for a week-long parking spot, find a bus shuttle across Iowa, and, most importantly, log hundreds of training miles to toughen my butt for seven consecutive days of biking.

Weeks later, I arrived with my hard ass and bicycle along with 15,000 other bikers in Le Mars, IA.

15,000 bikes (where's mine?)

I was confident that I could ride the first day's distance, 84 miles and 2,816 feet of climb, but I worried about days 2-7.  Would I be able to bike that far day after day?  "I better take plenty of Vitamin I (Ibuprofen)," I thought.  I started the first day riding with Jerry, Kathy and the group from Arizona.  When the peloton of bikes crowded in on us, I got claustrophobic.  Ditching my team, I rode ahead looking for some breathing space.  

Jerry and Kathy

I arrived in the overnight town, Sac City, around 3pm, well ahead of my teammates and feeling pretty good about myself.  I took a break in front of the courthouse.  After twenty minutes or so, I got up to ride the last mile to the campground and, wham, I was hit with horrible leg cramps.  I staggered up and down the sidewalk trying to walk off the cramps for about five minutes.  

"Bike on!"

A young couple watched me with curiosity. "What's with this guy?"  An older biker nodded knowingly. "You OK?" he asked.

"I think so," I replied as the cramps were subsiding.  Soon I was able to walk fully upright and carefully I mounted my bike and rode to the campground -- an auspicious start ... NOT.

Camping wherever they can fit us

The first night's campground was a nice one along the Racoon River and just outside the county fairgrounds.  That evening I walked over to the fair grounds for the free concert.  Each overnight town would host a festival with beer tents and live music.  Mostly cover bands, the quality was uneven.  I did note that talent was inversely proportional to the number of costumes the band wore. 

Live music every night

Dolly Parton, Little Bo Peep, Gene Simmons, Surfer Dude = not very good

Other than some single-serving electrolyte drink mix, I didn't bring any food.  Rather, I was advised, bring plenty of cash in small denominations for the food vendors that greet you in every town and the various farms along the route.  RAGBRAI is a huge fund raiser for these small Iowa towns.  Many of the food stands are run by the locals with the proceeds going directly a church or 4H club.

Ribeye for breakfast!

And the food was fantastic.  Some of my favorites were: porkchop-on-a-stick; toasted cheese with bacon and tomato; free corn-on-the-cob, pickle juice (prevents cramping) and my new favorite breakfast food: apple pie a la mode. Hey, it has all the vital food groups for breakfast -- grain, fruit, dairy, delicious!

RAGBRAI protein bar

100% Iowa Ingredients Breakfast Wrap (except salt and pepper)

Pancake breakfast only $5

Wood-fired pizza baked in a fire truck

Food wasn't the only thing you could buy on the side of the road.  There were plenty of beer stands as well.  Jerry assured me that you could work off a beer with 15 minutes of biking.  Despite his advice, I avoided drinking until I was within 15 miles of the campground.    

Tailwind, my new favorite beer

I did admire the younger generation that started drinking before 9am, aka "Drinkers with a Biking Problem."

Drinkers with a biking problem

Another surprise was how friendly everyone was.  On more than one occasion, when I was tired and needed a distraction I would cruise up to another biker, start up a conversation and before I knew it, the hills were climbed, the miles were ridden, and I was turning into the campground entrance.  The locals were very friendly too.  One woman let us shower in her apartment. 

The locals were very friendly

Friendly biker with a trailer playing some good tunes!

This local shared the history of Webster City

This family gave us water after we got lost on Gravel Day

This woman is a direct descendant (on her mother's side) of William Eddy,
the first rescuer to reach the stranded Donner Party

Two boyzz from Illinoiz on College Jersey Day!

Best costumes!

Chain Reaction Team:
Jerry, Donna (nice local who let us all use her shower),
Kathy, Tim, Sue, Patrick, Genie, Cindy, Pat

The nights were worse, 82 degrees at 3am

Where's Kathy?

Entering a host town -- time to eat some more pie!

The "Roadkill Bike Team" memorialized every carcass with beads -- I'm still not sure why.

Optional gravel day

Iowa commuter car

The "Cornfield" Photo

Bonjour, Papa!

RAGBRAI 2021 Route

State:	Iowa
Date:	2021-07-25 thru 2021-07-31
Route:	La Mars, IA to Clinton, IA
Distance:	450 miles

Kansas, Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area

New Mexico Tour, Day 7-8

From Dodge City, it's 13 hours to home. I could "smell the barn," but I had a couple of stops planned.

Dodge City Stock Yards at dawn

The first was Pawnee Rock, an historic site just southwest of Great Bend that marked the halfway point on the old Santa Fe Trail. I was the only person there on a quiet Thursday morning when I climbed the sandstone prominence. From the top, it was easy to imagine the bison herds and passing wagon trains of 150 years ago.

It is said that Pawnee Rock got its name when Kit Carson was on his first trip west at seventeen. While on guard duty, he shot his own mule thinking it was an attacking Pawnee. His associates commemorated his experience with the name, Pawnee Rock!

The view from Pawnee Rock, KS

My second stop was on the other side of Great Bend, the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area. A 28,000 acre wetland, the Cheyenne Bottoms is famous for birds. During spring and fall migration, tens of thousands of geese, ducks and shorebirds can be observed. The area is bisected by gravel roads, so I parked at the headquarters and circled the pools on my bike.

Cheyenne Bottoms

This poor snake was run over and breathing his last.

Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area Bike Lean

Praying Mantis

No question -- there are a lot of birds here. There is also a nice free campground on the west side of the refuge. My best bird sighting was when I surprised a dozen pelicans. They rose off the water in dramatic flight just a few yards from me.

If you carefully review the wildlife area map, you'll see dozens of little circles in the water. Each of these is a duck blind. It's a killing field for migrating waterfowl!

 

Hennepin Canal Trail

From Great Bend, I just drove until I couldn't stand it any more -- which was a rest stop somewhere in Iowa. Sleeping at a rest stop on a cot in a minivan is lot better than sleeping in a car, but it is still not very restful -- too much activity and road noise. I'd had enough by 4am and got back on the road. After crossing the Illinois border, I was sleepy again so I pulled over for an at-dawn visit of the Hennepin Canal and another nap. Three hours later I was home and, after unpacking the van, I took another nap!

 

Bike Route: Cheyenne Bottoms

Route Summary:

• State: Kansas
• Date: 2020-10-01
• Route: From HQ and around Pool 1
• Distance: 12 miles

New Mexico, Carson National Forest, South Boundary Trail

New Mexico Tour, Day 6

At last I had arrived at the goal of this trip, the Carson National Forest in New Mexico.  Just outside on Angle Fire, NM, I had identified a remote forest road reputed to have really nice dispersed camping.  Dispersed camping is at-large camping in the National Forest outside of designated campgrounds.  No fees or reservations required, you simply pull off the forest road and set up camp.  In practical terms, these campsites are well-established by frequent use.  Look for the well-worn tire tracks from the forest road.  You will typically find a nice parking spot, a fire ring, a comfortable log to sit on and maybe even some leftover wood from the previous camper.  Dispersed camping appeals to the self-sufficient because you won't find amenities such as water, toilets or garbage cans.  

I turned off US-64 and onto Forest Rd 5 -- a dead-end valley with an elevation of 9,000 feet.  Yes, there were a lot of nice campsites here along a pretty mountain creek!  I skipped past the first few open campsites so as to avoid getting crowded by late arrivals and found a perfect spot for my minivan bubble.

Dispersed camping, Carson National Forest

The valley was in shadow when I arrived, but the leaves of the aspens on the upper slopes glowed yellow in the last afternoon sun.

Future album cover art

Despite the higher elevation, the air temperature didn't seem as cold as the rim of Palo Duro Canyon.  I wasn't worried either way as I crawled into my new double sleeping bag arrangement.  "Best $20 I ever spent."

Climbing the forest road

In the morning I woke to another day of fantastic fall weather.  I drove a quick five miles to Forest Road 437.  My eventual goal was the famous South Boundary Trail, but to get to the trailhead I needed to climb 1,600 feet.  My research indicated that the FR 437 was only passable by high-clearance vehicles, so I parked the Family Truckster on the shoulder and started the slow grind uphill.  Later I was passed by a sedan so it might have been doable in the minivan, but the forest road was well packed and the views were spectacular.

Fall in the New Mexico's Fernando Mountains

South Boundary Trail

After an hour or so of climbing, I arrived at "Heaven on Earth"  -- the name for this segment of the South Boundary Trail.  The singletrack trail did not disappoint -- flowy and tight gliding through the aspens and pine trees.

The perfect spot for lunch

"Heaven on Earth"

My planned route turned out to be enormously ambitious.  I had mapped out a loop to the top of Osha Pass and then down FR 70 to the van.  Halfway across the South Boundary Trail I realized that this route would be very difficult and very risky because at some point you will be committed to finishing the loop regardless difficulty.  Getting lost in Carson National Forest at 10,000 feet in the autumn did not seem a risk I should take.  Instead I turned around and headed back the way I came.  Regardless, the ride was the highlight of the trip and well worth the effort to get here. 

Eastern Colorado makes Nebraska look like Times Square

I drove out of the mountains through Cimarron Canyon on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway.  Sadly I did not have time stop and soon I was eastbound on US-160 and gazing at Colorado's remote eastern high plains.  Since leaving the interstate in Trinidad, CO, the infrequent cars had dwindled to nothing.  I was now totally alone.  I checked my gas gauge.  "Do I have enough gas?"  I considered turning back the safety of the interstate.  "No, just keep going.  There's gotta be gas station eventually!"

I spied my first Pronghorn Antelope peering over the barbed-wire fence that bordered the road.  A while later, I watched another Pronghorn gracefully jump the fence, cross the highway and effortlessly jump the fence on the far side.  "Cool!"

Aside from a filling station, I had no destination in mind.  After living in the van for six days, a hot shower and soft bed was pretty appealing.  But endless landscape was mesmerizing.  "I wish I could find a place to camp here," I thought.  I studied the gravel roads that intersected with the highway.  They had cattle crossings, the open grates across the road, and signage with a ranch name.  

"Are these public roads?" I wondered.  I didn't want to blindly wander down a road and meet an angry rancher with a long gun.  Indecisive, I just kept going.  In retrospect, I made a mistake as I unknowingly drove right past the Comanche National Grassland, arg!

After 120 miles of nothing, I found a gas station in Springfield, CO where I got enough fuel to get me to a hot shower and soft bed in Dodge City, KS.

Route: Carson National Forest

State:	New Mexico
Date:	2020-09-30
Route:	Vale Escondido, FR 437 and SBT 164 (about half of "Heaven on Earth")
Distance:	22 miles

Texas, Palo Duro State Park

New Mexico Tour, Day 4

Palo Duro State Park is a mountain biking mecca and the site of the USA Cycling  mountain bike national championships.  Similar to Caprock Canyons, Palo Duro Canyon lies just below the Caprock Escarpment and features miles of single track.  On my arrival, I hiked the Lighthouse Trail to get a lay of the land.  The trails looked really nice.

I was unable to reserve a campsite within the park, so I settled for the Canyon Rim RV Park just outside the entrance.  The RV park allows tent campers can set up anywhere on the grass.  I chose a spot with a nice view of the rim.  After dinner I took a shower in their ridiculous shower stalls.  The lighting was so poor I left the door ajar -- hey, when your my age you don't really care if anyone peeks in.  

Overlooking Palo Duro Canyon

On the canyon rim, the temperature got quite chilly in the wee hours.  Even wearing my long johns and a 20-degree bag, I was very cold.  

Turkeys looking for breakfast

In the morning, a thousand feet down from the rim, the weather was perfect for riding.  I started biking where I hiked the previous evening, the Lighthouse Trail.

This familiarity led me to be careless as I dropped down into a dry wash.  Instead of smooth transition, the trail dropped sharply causing me to hit the bottom leaning heavily on the front wheel.  On any of my other bikes, this would have resulted in a nasty crash -- an endo with a face plant.  But I was riding my new full-suspension Specialized Stump Jumper.  Bracing for the worst, I was surprised when the bike's suspension absorbed the poor landing with ease.  A quick couple of pedal strokes  and I was up the other side of the dry wash like nothing had happened.

Back in February, Mona had balked at the price of a new bike ($1,900 cash at the Chicagoland Bike Swap).  I probably just saved a couple thousand in medical bills by avoiding a crash so the bike just paid for itself.

Palo Duro State Park single track was spectacular.  It even has a trail for bikes only!  

"Share your thoughts"

"Once the trip starts, everything's bully" Richard Frisbie, RIP

Geology on the GSL Trail

My next destination was near Angel Fire, New Mexico where the elevation would be 9,000 ft., a mile higher than Texas.  Freezing on the canyon rim last night was on my mind, so I stopped in Amarillo and bought a big bulky rectangular sleeping bag to use as an extra layer.  Packed, the thing was the size of a beer keg, but only $19.  "I'm not sleeping cold tonight!"

  

Megalith near Cadillac Ranch

A few miles west of Amarillo is the famous roadside attraction, the Cadillac Ranch -- a sculpture consisting of ten Cadillacs buried nose-down in the ranchland.  The public are welcome and encouraged to add spray paint graffiti to the artwork.

Access to the ranch was off the frontage road and a little confusing.  As I approached, I suddenly convinced myself that I was actually driving the wrong way on the exit ramp to I-40.  I quickly pulled a 3-point turn and drove to the gas station to consult a map.  My panic was contagious as two women behind me with Wisconsin plates also turned around.

The confusion didn't end there.  After visiting the sculpture, as I drove west on the frontage road to the next I-40 entrance ramp, a large truck turned left into my lane and nearly drove into me head-on.  It was only my quick move to the shoulder that avoided a crash. 

New Mexico was only an hour away, but I was slightly apprehensive as New Mexico had closed it's borders to anyone without a recent negative COVID test.  At the time, tests were hard to come by, so I had mocked up a fake test result and hoped I wouldn't need to show it to the authorities.  I crossed the border without incident and headed north to Angel Fire and the Carson National Forest.

State:	Texas
Date:	2020-09-28
Route:	Juniper/Riverside, Sunflower Trail, Rojo Grande, Lighthouse Trail, Little Fox Trail, GSL Trail, Paseo del Rio Trail and back
Distance:	12 miles