Three bridges for a day

Everyone has his daily little concerns. For you it may be to meet the deadline of this memo that you have to hand out to your client. In my case, I was concerned this morning by works on bridges. It may sound somewhat odd and from another time.

From Griswold IA to Omaha NE, road 92 runs across number of rivers and of course the bridges need to be maintained from time to time. Yet in the country where car is king, a detour of 5 or 10 miles is not an issue.



I came across with signs "road closed" but carried on: before taking a detour, I want to give the shortest way a chance. It's the third time since I left NYC that I come across with works on bridges. Two days ago, I could not cross the remaining 30 meters which forced me to take a several mile detour.



Yet it went quite well today with the two bridges I had to cross as they had built a temporary facility in dirt. And I was quite happy not to ride the extra 10 miles!

Yet the most exciting bridge was definitely the third one, an elegant pedestrian bridge across the Missouri, which also signs the border between Iowa and Nebraska.



The nicest bridge I've come across so far allowed me to enter Omaha, Nebraska.

More info:
* Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge

Are your riding the Ragbrai?

I had not really heard of it until I got away from larger cities such as Iowa City or Des Moines. Yet in almost all the small towns I go thru, I am asked that question.



The Ragbrai is an annual tour across Iowa and in most towns, this is the only occasion to see a bike rider; 10,000 to be more precise. At the same time, as I get to the western side of Iowa, on road 92, you can ride 35 km (24 mi) admiring the large open and hilly landscape and not going thru a town.



From time to time, the main road crosses dirt road; a pickup truck is easily visible in the distance by the dust it raises on its way. You can also come across with a house, most likely a farm.



Even some birds do not seem to be used to seeing cyclists around. From time to time, one of them flies right above me, screaming rather than singing as if it was warning the other birds of something strange on the road.

More info:
* The Bike league
* Bike Iowa

Most famous cowboy

Hey poor lonesome cowboy, I left your hometown this morning.

He was rather riding horses than bicycles. He was born here in Winterset, Iowa. The main street has been called after him, John Wayne, and you may even want to visit this tiny house where he was actually born.



Talking of celebrities: I rode very close to Dixon, Illinois where Ronald Reagan was born. A bike trail has been called after him. Whereas you can find plenty birth places of famous people around the US, did you notice that their death place almost always end up somewhere around Bel Air?

Talking of Bel Air, I heard that Mickael Jackson would have died. Did the news got thru to you despite the so many things taking place around the world?

More info:
* Winterset, Iowa

Where is the next 'Feria'?

Of course it's a State capital, so you have a Capitol, a business district, a University, nice parks and bicycle trails, nice bridges across its eponym river, and even a State flag and city name that both seem almost French: Des Moines.



Yet the real attraction is the State Farmground.



Although it was not active, I rode thru the barns for the different sorts of cattle: you can hardly imagine how this large market can feel when filled with live animals and people.



Not to forget that it must be also quite festive as just next to the market, there's a loop for stock car racing and the usual eats & drinks. I'm looking forward to next opportunity to see one live.

Let's go west then.

More info:
* Iowa State Fair

Gone with the wind

Or rather against the wind: I left Amana this morning, with a slight west wind that got stronger and stronger as I rode thru the morning.



Amana was established as a colony around 1850 and it gathers today 7 Amish villages. Yet, whereas some Amish people make very little use of technologies such as car, sometimes electricity... and dress in a traditional way, the Amana Colonies look rather like a traditional village of Europe, with some old houses in the center and regular houses the back streets.



You can even drink a very decent coffee and browse Internet thanks to their wifi connection. On the week-end, it gets a little touristy. It's a good purpose for a bike ride from Iowa City, especially if you can take advantage of the west wind to come back.



Yet for the little girl I know that would enjoy dressing like a traditional Amish, you'll have to find another Amish settlement.

More info:
* Amana colonies

Nico is back on the bike

Lance, are you really?



Hey Lance! It's my third week on the bike and I did not see you so far. In several bike shops, I saw this little sign though. I guess you are getting ready for this ride in that little remote country whereas the real adventure is here!

Lesson #4: don't push too hard, take your time
After three weeks biking, I start to build some experience on a longer distance ride. Over a few days, it is fairly easy to push yourself a little harder; but at the beginning of this week, I started to feel concerned with a pain I had behind my right knee. By adapting my way to pedal (softer, spinning more), drinking a lot, I think I managed it so far. Although I have ridden along 6 states ans more than 1,200 mi (2,000 km), I am just 32% done and still have to ride thru 6 states.

Tonight I stay in Amana, an Amish colony just west from Iowa City in Iowa. This ends my progression for this week:

View Larger Map

A day off (the bike)

Yet I had to work a little on my bike: a leak yesterday (which made me realize that one of the spare tube I had did not fit my tire), my rear tire ruined last Tuesday... I had to find some parts in Iowa City. And the town is quite pleasant to walk thru.

Despite many towns I have been thru, downtown is quite lively, thanks to its University and student population. You can find squares or streets with people walking along, 'cafés' the way the French like them, and bars of course!

How about this beer I had never heard of? Fat Tire. On their website, they offer to trade your car against a bicycle!

Navigating the Mississippi river

The Mississippi river drainage basin is somewhat a large "valley" between the Appalachian Mountains and the Rocky Mountains. I entered it around Curwensville in Pennsylvania: that was actually the Ohio drainage basin that then flows into the Mississippi river.

It's been quite a ride since as the "valley" spreads across 40% of the US territory. No doubt that it was a greater challenge at the time of the pioneers: Zadok Cramer wrote then one of the first travel guides to help people navigating the Ohio river, find the right settlement spots. The first edition of the Navigator was issued in 1801 and it got so popular that 12 editions followed in 25 years to enrich it and correct it.

Before getting to Moline in Illinois, I crossed the Rock river, one of the many affluents of the Mississippi river. Worth waking up early, isn't it?



Of course, as you ride along the Mississippi river, you have to get a picture of one of these traditional paddle boats (by the way, the bicycle trail in Moline is very nice): just a proof that it's actually the Mississippi river.



Across from the Mississippi river is Davenport in Iowa, linked by a few bridges and a dam that controls the flow of the river:



More info:
* The Navigator by Zadok Cramer, the actual text
* Mississippi drainage basin
* Ohio drainage basin

Note: tonight, I eventually reached Iowa City after a ride of 97 mi, my longest since I left.