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Spencer to Algona- 1168 feet of climb in 73 miles- Still Easy as long as the weather is cooperative!
Towns visited
Dickens, Gillett Grove, Ayrshire, Curlew, Mallard, West Bend, Whittemore
our thanks to Rich Ketcham from GeoBike for doing this great work and research and allowing us to put it here.
Monday: Searching food with lines
that were less than 45 minutes long.
Spencer had us quite self -contained in the fairgrounds. The
showers were delightful. We found a great meal at one of the
local churches. Then we headed back to the fairgrounds. There was
entertainment at the Grandstand that we only heard from a
distance, which was followed by a fine fireworks display, which
we watched, from the top of the bus. We could also watch Mother
Nature's fireworks. There was spectacular lightening in the
southern sky. There was some rain during the night but we managed
to stay dry.
The day began with another HAWG historic event. Mary and Joanie
were up and out of their tent at 6 o'clock. That is A.M. not P.M.
Bruce had a flat tire, which slowed our start, but better to
discover it before we get out on the road. Norm and Greg took off
without waiting for the tube change. One thing good about the
flat tire is that I was able to get a cup of coffee. That is one
thing that I have yet to figure out about RAGBRAI---getting a
good cup of coffee before we ride. Finally we took off. The
weather was much changed from Sunday. Cool and cloudy and the
road surface was smooth and only rolling hills. We and most
everybody else were flying.
We breezed by Dickens; it really was off the road and was only
recognizable by a large cardboard mailbox. It was placed there
for the RAGBRAIers that collect stamps at every stop. We stopped
at Ayrshire to have breakfast, after 26 miles we needed some fuel.
Our first choice was the Methodist Church but we discovered there
was nearly an hour wait. So we went up to the fire station and
that line was equally as long. We had quick orange juice and a
couple of granola bars, split a banana and headed out for the
Pork Chop Man. Arriving there we encountered another incredibly
long line and so we decided to just keep on going. After 35 total
miles we stopped in Curlew. Resigned to standing line (we were starving) we had
pizza that was cooked fresh at a mobile stand. It was quite good.
Our next stop was in Mallard. Our first mission there was to find
an Internet Connection. The city clerk pointed us in the
direction of the Insurance
Office and veterinarian. Nancy Nesheim
graciously let us into her office and allowed us to use her
computer. Bruce and I were so excited that we were able to send
Monday's pictures and text. It is still amazing to me that we can
send information in such a short amount of time. Nancy's husband,
Daniel A. Nesheim, is the local veterinarian. He was working
filling water bottles all morning, but we snapped this photo he
was enjoying a beverage. The local bar was named the Duck Stop. Mallard provided entertainment in the form of a tuba. Gary McCurdy, the Iowa Tubador was playing. We have enjoyed his music in past years.
On to West Bend, for more grazing. We stopped after a northbound
leg for imitation smoothies. We did not discover, of course that
this weren't the real thing until after standing in line for a
very long time. Watermelon and ice cream cones were the choice in
Westbend. No lines at all for us to stand in. The most unique
site in West Bend, is the Grotto of the Redemption
located next to St Peter/Paul's Catholic Church. This is one of
the most impressive sites we have seen on RAGBRAI.
The cool weather has now changed to hot and the winds were
blowing from the Northeast. So of course that is the direction we
traveled. I stayed behind Bruce most of the way to Whittemore,
using him as a wind block. Here Bruce bought a REAL Smoothie,
made with fresh fruit. This was a quick short line, the vendors
had the system down to make them as fast as possible. Whittemore
was set for party central. Many of the teams were stopping to
take part in the festivities. Since Dave is not with us this year,
we are not big party animals anymore, so we pressed on toward
Algona.
Upon our arrival in Algona, we rode all the way through town to
the information booth located at the high school. We had to ride
more than a mile back through town to find our campsite by the
swimming pool. As we arrived in town, there were no traffic
control and no one guiding the bikers to designated sites.
The campsite is quite pleasant, abundant shade and showers at the
pool. One of HAWGS, Don
Swinton, a celebrated Waverly rider relaxes with Boss Hawg.
