Knees, sounds good to me!

Oooo..Mo Valley through Woodbine not taking Hwy 30 would be really hilly through the loess hills. That would be a fun route. Maybe, we could go through Pisgah and stop at the ‘Old Home Fill’er Up and Keep On Truckin’ Cafe’.

” Maybe, we could go through Pisgah and stop at the ‘Old Home Fill’er Up and Keep On Truckin’ Cafe’.”
——————————
According to the song, Pisgah was the location of the drive-in theater that C.W. took Mavis to on their date — “I took her to the drive-in theater over to Pisgah to see ‘True Grit’.”

The “Old Home Fill’er-up and Keep On a-Truckin’ Cafe” was located off of the Beebeetown ramp on I-680 — (“I popped the clutch, gave the trannie a spin; took the Beebeetown ramp and slid on in to the Old Home Fill’er-up and Keep On a-Truckin’ Cafe.”)
-“BB”-

Yep, Beebs, but there was/is an actual an “Old Home Fill-er-up and Keep on Truckin’ Café in Pisgah. I’ve eaten there a number of times in the rather long ago past and stopped in there on RAGBRAI IX (Missouri Valley to Mapleton on Day 1). Maybe the DM Register can come up with a Day 1 from Mo Valley to Audubon that would include the Loess Hills, Pisgah, Woodbine, Kirkman and Irwin, all very hilly territory and part of it in those hills. That would be a fun kind of day. Cheers.

I remember the Old Home Bread TV commercials … what a hoot! Mavis was built like a'” burlap bag full of bobcats” according to the commercial.

My first Ragbrai started in Missouri Valley. The Loess hills were a challenge for this flatlander. I did okay going uphill but I was very anxious downhill because of the many riders. I thought for sure my brakes would shell out or I would fly straight off a cliff, (I was on a single bike not the tandem).
I would love to pedal across the Loess Hills again where I could actually enjoy the view on a better bicycle and much more experienced.

From another of C.W.’s songs, this time talking about Mavis:

Now the gal waitin’ tables was really classy,
Had a rebuilt motor on a fairly new chassis,
And she knew how to handle them truckers; her name was Mavis Davis.
Yeah, she’d pour ’em a coffee, then she’d bat her eyes,
Then she’d listen to ’em tell her some big fat lies,
Then she’d ask ’em how the wife and kids was, back there in Joplin?

Now Mavis had all of her ducks in a row —
Weighed ninety-eight pounds; put on quite a show.
Remind ya of a couple of Cub Scouts tryin’ to set up a Sears, Roebuck pup tent.
There’s no proposition that she couldn’t handle,
Next to her there was nothin’ could hold a candle,
Not a hell of a lot upstairs, but from there on down, Disneyland!

-“BB”-

Beebs, too bad we can’t hear you sing it? Then again, maybe that’s a good thing!!!

If you can find this song (the title is “Audubon”, which was C.W. McCall’s real home town) on karaoke somewhere, you might get your chance.
As for my actual singing abilities — well, they aren’t so bad that people have gotten up and left in groups…..

-“BB”-

“Bicycle Bill”: As for my actual singing abilities — well, they aren’t so bad that people have gotten up and left in groups…..

Beebs,

Don’t feel bad! I’ve been told I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, and that if I could, I should drop the bucket down a deep well!

See you along the I-O-Way!

I’ve also been accused of cracking windshields and scaring off the local wildlife when singing in the car. Don’t even ask about the glass shower door at home!

My choice for five of the overnight towns have been decided!! Corning to Peru to Lenox to Belmond to Ottumwa. I would call this the Breaded Pork Tenderloin Tour…………..BPT2!!
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/entertainment/dining/2015/10/09/who-has-iowas-best-breaded-pork-tenderloin/73647780/

RIDE RIGHT

As long as the rout passes within stumbling distance of the Mason City brewing Co., we’re good here.

someday they should have a “Submit the route” contest. where people submit the entire route in as much detail as possible and the choose one to do. Like open the contest now for XLV and run it up until the end of XLIV. I’ve got one that would go through 25 new for me southern Iowa towns. And since I have done the ride 33 times now you would think finding that many would be hard. But it wasn’t.

I would like to end again in Davenport, but that will not happen.

Missouri Valley
Atlantic
Audubon
Winterset
Eldora
Belle Plaine
Washington
Muscatine

Missouri Valley
Atlantic
Creston
Des Moines
Des Moines Loop/century (layover day; 2nd overnight in Des Moines)
Oskaloosa
Mt. Pleasant
Keokuk