RAGBRAI Route Inspection Pre-Ride Day 7 – Waukon to Lansing

Well we’ve spent almost a Week Behind Handlebars and after having fun in Waukon last night we are ready to pass Go, skip collecting $200, and go directly to Lansing… after we stop in Waterville, Yellow River State Forest, and Harpers Ferry! It’s a lovely but challenging ride on the last day of the Route Inspection/RAGBRAI XLV with 44.9 miles and 3,200 feet of climb.  After riding this day it is perhaps the most beautiful ride ever on RAGBRAI.  It has four major hills that will make you work, but the payoff is some of the most scenic vistas you’ll find in the Midwest!  You’ll discover the beauty of the Driftless Area.

Note – there is no Meeting Town on the final day of RAGBRAI XLV. so vehicles will NOT be able to pick up riders in Waterville or Harpers Ferry.

We would also like to send out a big THANK YOU to Helen, Lyle, Jack, Alethea, John, Lynda, and Jean, our amazing ride support (we would be lost without you… literally!!), to Rich Ketcham of GeoBike.com who wrote our mapping software, and to Michael Zamora and Brian “Dismount” Powers of The Des Moines Register for taking photos along the way (without them you would be looking at a blurry photo gallery with thumbs in the corner of each pic).

First of all, the ride from Waukon to Lansing is drop dead gorgeous. The Driftless Area of Iowa is scenery that you can’t see anywhere else in the U.S. It’s hard to describe beyond “beautiful” so take a look at the gallery below and see for yourself. Besides beauty the Driftless Area also brings HILLS. We were told that there would be four hills on Saturday’s route. We had the usual cyclist’s response, saying of course there are always more hills. But when you ride the route you’ll see that there truly are. four. hills. that you won’t mistake for “hills.” And then you will be treated to an almost four mile descent into Lansing. FYI we won’t ride their famous Hosmer Hill but if you’re one of the people who said our route wasn’t difficult enough this year we expect you to go out and ride it (more on that below).

Don’t let the big climbs scare you off of the last day, it’s truly worth it for the view. We were all able to make it and we had the disadvantage of more than a month less training than you’ll have. Just practice hills beforehand, take your time, and enjoy the view.

Photos: Day 7 of RAGBRAI pre-ride route inspection

We rode past Park Place and the Boardwalk in Waukon, but we went the extra mile and also visited these towns before we hit the winning square, the Mississippi River:

WATERVILLE

Don’t let the relatively flat ride over from Waukon to Waterville fool you, we are entering the hilly part of the route.  On the other side of Waterville is the first of four big climbs before you reach Lansing.  Enjoy!

In 1846, a treaty with the Winnebago Indians opened the Paint Creek Valley for settlers. In 1850, the first settlement was established that was known as Waterville. The area was mainly settled by immigrants from Norway, Ireland, Scotland, and Germany. Waterville was known for the first Grain Mill in the area and after the railroad was built, Waterville was a large export area for livestock with its stockyards. Today, Waterville shows that they are proud of their heritage. Waterville remains one of the smallest incorporated cities in Iowa, with its own centralized local government.

Famous Citizens:

Roger Halverson – was a State Representative in Des Moines for many years, born and raised in Waterville, he eventually moved to Monona, IA with his business. Through all that he never forgot his Waterville heritage.

Robin Larson – also born and raised in Waterville, has published two books about the history of Waterville. They are “A Town on the Hill” and “We Remember Waterville.” Both are fine historical accounts of this small and quaint community.

Infamous Events/Strange Happenings:

Waterville was tragically plagued over the years with a series of devastating fires that tore at the heart of Waterville Business community. The town continued to find a way to move forward from each of these catastrophes. The Town of Waterville and the surrounding Waterville community continue to support the community organizations and continue to stand proud of their ancestral heritage.

Interesting Buildings/Restaurants/Sites:

The new “Winchester” is in the center of town, formally the Waterville store that was tragically destroyed by fire in 2015. The newly opened Winchester in its Western theme offers famous homemade pizzas, a full menu to enjoy, plus the friendly small town atmosphere. Across the street you will find Hammy’s Hideout and when you enter through the door, you will realize immediately this is the headquarters for the northeast Iowa outdoor sportsman.

Interesting Landscapes/Lakes/Parks:

When you think of Iowa, you normally think of flat crop lands with bordering rivers that really do not reach into the state. When you visit the Paint Creek valley area, you will see rolling terrain and large wooded areas separated with numerous streams and creeks. If you enjoy outdoor sports, small crowds, trout fishing, hunting, cycling the open country, plus many winter sports, you will find that Waterville is in the middle of God’s outdoor playground. Visit www.watervilleiowa.com or find the Waterville Facebook page @WatervilleIA.

Other:

Waterville area has become nationally known, from a recent TV episode of Finding Bigfoot. The show identified the lower paint Creek Valley and the Yellow River Forest as very Squatchy. We will be known from now on as the gateway to Sasquatch country. When you ride through the area you should not be surprised to spot a Squatch peering out of the trees along the road.

Waterville is thrilled to welcome all of the RAGBRAI riders! Plans are being made between our community organizations and our small business community to welcome you to experience the Waterville hospitality.

Plans:

As you first enter Waterville, the fire station will be on the right.  This is their non-profit vendor area, and you will find several food options here, as well as porta-pots.  The fire department and three local churches have combined efforts to serve riders when they first hit town.  Try the pork wings, they were fantastic!

Travel down the hill into town a bit where you will find the Winchester and Hammy’s.  It is a steep decline into the downtown, so stay on top of the breaks.  A theme you will play out for the rest of the day.

Town T-shirts and temporary tattoos from Ed the Tatt man will be sold at the Committee tent by the fire station. A local soap and craft store is making bike soap (Paint Creek Soaps).

Food:

Breakfast foods, fireman’s pancakes, fresh donuts, Church lady cinnamon rolls, pies, and possibly some Norwegian Lefse. These tables will also have some fine Amish rolls and pies, directly from the local Amish community. Free coffee at the Committee tent as well as bottled water, ice cream cups, and ice for sale.

Neat Places:
Information for the beautiful Paint Creek Valley can be found at the Committee tent. 

Restaurants:

Winchester and Hammy’s Hideout will be serving homemade breakfast pizzas, bloody Marys, local BBQ, beverages.

Two independent vendors – “Flippin FlapJacks” and “Breakfast Delights” will be serving in the downtown area.

Theme:

Waterville, the center of God’s outdoor playground

For more information on Waterville’s RAGBRAI plans, visit:
http://www.watervilleiowa.com/main-street-pride
https://www.facebook.com/watervilleIA/

YELLOW RIVER STATE FOREST

The Yellow River State Forest will be a breathtaking highlight to our last day of riding on RAGBRAI XLV. We all kept asking ourselves, “are we still in Iowa??” It’s a mostly forested area with the Yellow River and Paint Creek running through it. It also contains 6 miles of trout stream stocked from April through October and a marsh from which bass and panfish may be taken. Most of the large pines you will see along the route are the results of massive planting efforts undertaken in the 1940s.

The forest is located in what is known as the Driftless Area of Iowa, a region that was only lightly glaciated during the last ice age as opposed to most of the rest of Iowa. You can look forward to views of steep walled “canyons,” showing millennia of erosion, where glacial action would have otherwise smoothed out the features.

If you have some extra time on your hands, you may want to check out the Yellow River Fire Tower, the only fire tower standing in Iowa. The tower is an Aermotor LS40 model fire tower sold to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources from the U.S. Forest Service. It was acquired in 1950 and rebuilt on the current site in 1962. Today it is in poor condition, so you cannot actually go up into the tower. If you keep an eye out there is a sign for this along the route.

Yellow River State Forest is located just north of the Effigy Mounds National Monument, which protects 200 prehistoric mounds built by Native Americans. Many of the mounds depict bears or birds.

Also – make sure you keep an eye out while you ride by. Bigfoot has been sighted several times in Yellow River State Forest. We thought we might have seen him but weren’t sure. The park was featured in an episode of Animal Planet’s Sasquatchland: https://www.waukonstandard.com/articles/2017/02/22/weekends-finding-bigfoot-episode-animal-planet-filmed-yellow-river-state-forest

HARPERS FERRY

This is the first time for Harpers Ferry hosting RAGBRAI!  They are really excited to welcome RAGBRAIers to their quaint Mississippi River town.  The town’s theme is “Double Dip in the Missisip” as they have a nice wide boat ramp that is perfect for large teams wanting to dip their tire in the famous river.

There are lots of great restaurants and pubs in town and their will also be lots of vendors as you enter town after tackling the hills and the amazing scenery of the Yellow River Forest

Historical or interesting things about your town: 

Harpers Ferry is one of the oldest communities in Allamakee County.   It was originally platted as Vailsville in 1851 and changed to Winfield a year later.  In 1860 the name was changed to Harpers Ferry after David Harper, an Irish immigrant.  David Harper, was a prominent river man who operated a ferry on the Mississippi and played a major role in making Harpers Ferry an important river landing.

Harpers Ferry is not just a place to go, it is a destination!  The spring kicks off with the Fire Department game feed and raffle which is a phenomenon that everyone should experience.  It is the perfect example of small town America hosting an event that not only stands out for the unbelievable amount of money raised but for the comradery, hard work and fun that surrounds the event.  Also in the spring, the area offers some of the best mushroom hunting in the state.  It’s not just a trek looking for the coveted morels, it is a back to nature experience not to be missed, but be prepared for hiking the steep hills and cautiously making your ways down steep gullies and ravines.  Its well worth the effort and the beautiful vistas and crisp freshness in the air will take your breath away.

Summer in Harpers Ferry unofficially begins Memorial week-end when the permanent residents welcome back the “cabin people.”  This has been going on for decades and is a big deal for both those coming from near and far to open up their cottages and trailers and the towns folks who have had a quiet, restful few months and are ready for some livelier activities.  The weekend is full with activities like launching your boat for the first time after a long winter, hopping on your golf cart to check out who else has returned, stuffing yourself with pancakes at the Fire Department pancake breakfast on Sunday morning and partaking of the American Legion pork chop dinner after the parade on Monday.  Everyone looks forward to the parade which is the biggest one in northeast Iowa.  It has grown from a very small group of Legion and Auxiliary members in 1955 to over 100 units in recent years.  The streets are lined with hundreds of enthusiastic onlookers many of whom make it a Memorial Day tradition to attend.  After the parade a service is held at Veterans Park in remembrance of our fallen men and women who gave their lives for our country.

After Memorial week-end, summer gets into full swing with boating, canoeing, kayaking, swimming and fishing.  There is also, camping, bon fires, the farmers market, golf cart cruising, cookouts, picnics, family reunions and biking. The July 4^th weekend is huge in this little river enclave.  The town literally bulges at the seams.  The Booster Club sponsors the Firecracker 5K Walk/Run that attracts participation from many of the visitors as well as runners and walkers from neighboring towns. The fireworks are the frosting on the cake and a highlight of the summer.  The last Sunday in July the St. Ann-St. Joseph Catholic Church hosts their annual Summerfest with a chicken and ham dinner, games, raffles and country store. This year Harpers Ferry is thrilled to be on the RAGBRAI route on July 29, the final day of the 2017 ride. We are excited and looking forward to welcoming everyone, riding and supporting, to our special place in this beautiful valley that we call home.

The fall in the Harpers Ferry area presents a show of colors that should not be missed.  The hillsides are gorgeous and attract many leaf lookers.  Many people who grew up here often return this time of year to enjoy the beauty and attend family and class reunions that are held at the community center.  The Bluff Country ATV/UTV Ride which begins and ends in Harpers Ferry is held in October and has become a popular event.  The library craft show and St. Ann’s rummage sale are also held in October.

In winter, the town quiets down a bit.  There is Christmas in the Park in early December when Tillinghast Park is decked out for the holidays including individual trees creatively decorated by the different organizations.  In January, the children’s fisheree takes place just south of town at Noble’s Island.

Famous Citizens:                                                                                                                                                     

Members of the 2016 National Championship Granny Basketball team and their coach, Bill Nation
Joe Valley (deceased), former mayor, police chief, fire chief and bar owner
Former resident, Gus Rethwisch, world champion power lifter and actor
Jerry Valley (Joe’s son), current mayor; in his 20^th year of service to the community

Infamous Events/Strange Happenings

Armistice Day Blizzard, November 11, 1940

Interesting Buildings/Restaurants/Sites:

Community Center and Library with playground, future home of splash pad
Oil Spring Country School, recently moved to town and in process of being restored
Allamakee County Conservation office with free boat launching
St. Ann-St. Joseph Catholic Church, built 1897
Barry’s Mini Mart and ice cream cart
Donahue’s One Stop, convenience store and laundry mat
Missfitz Bar and Restaurant formerly known as Jim’s Tavern
Spillway Bar and Restaurant formerly known as Valley’s Tavern
American Legion Hall formerly the town movie theater
Various marinas along the Mississippi shore line

Interesting Landscapes/Lakes/Parks, etc:

Tillinghast Park, overlooking the Mississippi
Sandy Point Cemetery, historical burial ground
Ball park with concession stand, restrooms and picnic facilities
Andy Mountain campground

The natural beauty of the river valley where Harpers Ferry is located is its biggest asset.  Not far behind that would be the lay back, relaxing and friendly atmosphere of the citizens who work hard to maintain the uniqueness and vibrant spirit of our community.  They say, “We do work hard but we also enjoy playing hard!”

For more information on Harpers Ferrys’ RAGBRAI plans, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/Ragbrai-Harpers-Ferry-2017-593446707512045/

LANSING

RAGBRAI riders will enjoy one of the most spectacular views of the Blackhawk Bridge as they enter Lansing along the Great River Road. At the town entrance, they will have the opportunity to visit the brand new Allamakee County Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center. Here, they can learn what “driftless” means in terms of the geologic location of Lansing.

Lansing is celebrating its 150th birthday when RAGBRAI visits this summer. They are installing new History Podiums around the Historic Downtown District and will have the Old Stone Schoolhouse open as a history exhibit area. The Downtown Historic District is a 2 block area along Main Street that houses more than 20 examples of historic architecture. This area is on the National Register of Historic Places.

On into town the riders will have a choice of “Dipping” spots with the official Dipping Spot right at the end of Main Street with a photo opportunity including the Blackhawk Bridge. It is also the start of our Festival on Main. Relax, eat, drink and enjoy an old river town experience. If you would like to get out into the water, they will have Mississippi River boat rides from 10-3. These will start from the dock below Shep’s. Let experienced captains take you out on the river to explore a little of the sloughs and main channel of the Mighty Mississippi!

Take in the river views from local pubs right on the River. Shep’s and the Tiki Bar will be serving from great vantage spots to the River.

Travel up Main Street and stop in to visit our retailers or the food vendors lining the street. The Beer Tent will allow you to refresh and relax in shaded lounge areas. Continue up Main and hit the Main Stage area for daylong music!  DJ’s will keep the energy level high starting at 9 am. Uniquely Lansing entertainment – SWITCHBACK – will take the stage from 1 to 3 pm with their mix of American/Celtic/Rock/County! DJ’s will finish the day until 5 pm.

THE MOUNT HOSMER CHALLENGE will take place all day. This event will pit riders against Harriet Hosmer – the famous American sculptor who named Mt. Hosmer when she challenged a steamboat crewman to a footrace to the top of the highest bluff in Lansing. Harriet WON! and the bluff is named after her and her accomplishment. CAN  YOU BEAT HER TIME? CAN YOU EVEN MAKE IT TO THE TOP? Riders on the challenge will be electronically timed and if they at least make it to the top they will be awarded with a prize.

Children’s activities sponsored by the Lansing Library will take place in Anderson Park along the river from 10 to 3.

If you would like to clean up before you head out of town, the High School will be open for showers, and there will be a shower truck in town.

Lansing invites you to help us celebrate 150 years of history and your own RAGBRAI accomplishment when you visit our river town on July 29!

If you are someone who will be leaving their car in Lansing’s long term parking lot, stop by the Fire Station on the 21st, the Lyons will be hosting a dinner for long term parkers and local residents. There will be a band and a beer garden, this is the official Alamakee County RAGBRAI kickoff!

For more information on Lansing’s RAGBRAI plans, as well as the rest of our Day 7 towns visit:
https://allamakeeragbrai.wordpress.com/
www.lansingRAGBRAI.com
http://www.waygoodmusic.com/

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