Day 12 Sherrill IA to Sabula IA 60mi

We all got up for another early start.  We woke up with dry tent flys so I was happy faced that I wouldn't have to carry any extra weight through another day of lesser hills.

We had a small breakfast prior to leaving Dave's home from mostly what was left of the food we carry.  The plan was to have a bigger breakfast in the city of Dubuque IA that was nearby.  

Wendy was familiar with the city and had a trendy spot picked out that was adjacent to the route.  We used a combination of city bikepaths like this and lighter used city streets to navigate to where we stopped to refuel prior to facing the hills south of town.

Dubuque's got three colleges and some iconic architecture like this clock tower in the downtown.  It's always a fun challenge to bicycle through large cities.  Many cities along the Mississippi River seem to have gone out of their way to accommodate bike traffic.

The route out of Dubuque took us through the Mines of Spain park which dates back to Dubuque's earliest days as a community. I made a wrong turn that sent Wendy and  I up a steep hill to the Dubuque memorial overlooking the Mississippi and the city that he founded. It was a great spot to view the river.

Wendy and I made two longer stops between Dubuque and Sabula. The first was in Bellevue IA along the banks of the Mississippi for lunch.

We stopped at a grocery store and filled up on a combination of citrus Cuties, bananas, and of course chocolate milk. We made a table and chairs out of plastic milk crates in the shade next to the store.  

Our last stop was just short of Sabula at an orchard along the route that Wendy had visited before.  We purchased a handful of the eating apples that were just ready for picking and a couple of fresh Bartlett pears.

Sabula is an island community accessible from both the IA and IL shore of the Mississippi.   There is actually an enclosed lake on the south end of the island that we would be camping at tonight. You can see the approximate center of the town by the water tower in the background.  Good night from the middle of the Mississippi.

Day 11 Lacrosse WI to Sherrill, IA 55mi

We crossed the Mississippi at Lacrosse WI into IA today.  We're heading into river bluff country where the roads on either side of the river will begin to have steep climbs and decents.  This photo was shot just after we crossed the river bridge into Marquette, IA.  Alot of the small towns along the way have made a strong attempt to maintain their old charm but still provide services that folks expect today.

We had several long steep hills  to ride up today.  I was usually first to reach the top so I photographed Wendy, Cindy, and Doug holding up the sign for the hill we just completed.

It was both strenuous but rewarding to know we could haul ourselves and gear up to the top without stopping.

We stopped for a lunch break in the town of Gutenberg, IA.  There we found another big fish to strike a pose next to.

The big fish was next to a cafe serving homemade pear and triple berry pies along with lunch items.  This was the second awsome pie stop of our trip.  

I liked the suggestive oven mitts they were selling as well.

The town also has one of the multiple lock and dam combinations that started With number 1 somewhere near Minneapolis.  I believe this was Lock #10.

I should be a spokesperson for Prairie Farms Dairy with all their chocolate milk I have drunk on these trips.  I was told its a great recovery drink for after the ride but have found it really helps drinking along the way with getting through some of the more demanding stretches of the road. Wendy and I have split up to a half gallon (800 cal each) at a convenience stop. We found this trailer parked along our hilly route today.

We eventually worked our way up to a high ridge road in the afternoon.

We passed through the town of Balltown where Wendy's son played baseball recently.

By this point Wendy was running low on drinking water. We saw these two young ladies on their porch and asked if they could fill up her water bottle - which they did.

The road eventually 

 lead to our destination for tonight - in the town of Sherrill.

We were invited to stay at Doug's 93 year old father in law's home overlooking the nearby farm community.

Dave was a generous host.  We had dinner down the street at a brother in laws home.  It was a great way to end a long day of climbing the Iowa bluff country.