Elkader Sweet Corn Days

After a familiar sleep in the RV we’re back on the road to Maine again.  Joe left about 7 am for his 78-mile ride today.  It stormed last night and although the temp was only mid 70’s, it was muggy.  The bike ride started out calm when he was in Wisconsin, but it seemed that the minute he crossed into Iowa the wind picked up and was in his face.  And then it started to rain. Joe made it about 30 miles into the ride before it began to rain.  He stopped for a bit at a mobile home on stilts and chatted with me before heading out again. This time he made it just a few miles before it began to rain again and he needed to find shelter.  And who should appear, but an orange cat.  It was friendly, as all orange cats are, and had cool golden eyes.   And the hills began in Iowa.  Not flat farmland. 

Neptune and I were able to leave a little later because our campsite was reserved for 2 nights, so I had no pressure to leave by 11.  Because of Joe’s long ride we tried not to rush to our next site.  Neptune and I took a nice long walk along the river before leaving Stoddard, WI.  Unfortunately, we did not see any turtles. There were quite a few pull outs and historical markers along Wisconsin Hwy 35.  Neptune had no interest in the map of Goose Island.  However, he did show some interest in trespassing onto the BNSF land.  Luckily there was a number for the BNSF police that I could have used if he didn’t get back in the truck. 

The road from Stoddard, WI to Elkader, Iowa is gorgeous.  We enjoyed many bluffs and river views.  The max speed limit was 55 so I was able to look out the window AND keep up with traffic without getting too nervous on the highways. Joe has a picture of the Genoa Fish Hatchery in Genoa, WI which was right next to WI Hwy 35.

We traveled from Wisconsin into Iowa via WI-82/Iowa Hwy 9.  We took the Lansing Bridge/Black Hawk Bridge.  It was gorgeous crossing the Mississippi River.  The river was flowing; Joe caught a picture of a barge headed down river.   The Wisconsin side has a long causeway over the Winneshiek bottoms and there is the Winneshiek Slough Landing which would be fun to stop at and explore.  However, pulling an RV offers limited areas for me to stop. That is until I become a badass backer upper.  The bridge became terrifying as we headed up to the top of the metal deck bridge. You go straight up like a roller coaster before the big drop. You cannot see what is on the other side, including if anyone is heading your way.  The bridge needs to be high enough for the river traffic, which I get.  But when you’re on this skinny metal bridge heading straight into the unknown, it causes a moment of concern.  And we’d do it again in a heartbeat!

Once we entered Iowa, there were the corn fields, which we expected to see, but much of it was hillier and just beautiful with the bluffs, rolling hills, river views, etc.  What an opportunity to see more of Iowa besides just traveling down I-35. 

We are making our camp at Elkader City Park in Elkader, IA.  It has a train depot, so you know it’s a good spot. Joe arrived a few minutes before me and told me to turn at the tank.  I asked if I would be able to see the tank?  And yes, I did.  It’s hard to miss.  We quickly met some friendly and helpful people staying next to us.  Moe, Trina, Tammy (Go Irish), Lorna and Art. Moe kindly provided us an extension for our electrical.  We recently bought an extension for our water hose (Thank you for that recommendation, Cari!  This is the 2^nd time we’ve needed it) but have not needed an extension for the electricity until today.  We’ll be adding that to our list for future trips. 

This weekend is Sweet Corn Days in Elkader.  We walked to Main Street via the river walk on the Turkey River and you can see Joe and Neptune enjoying a bit of an uphill climb to the top of the bridge.  The Keystone Arch Bridge is listed on the national register of historic places.  There were quite a few booths set up on Main Street and there was a band playing.  A wonderful street party.  We bought the $5 brat, chips and drink option and shared a picnic table with a couple people in the shade.  They were great to talk with and agree that this part of Iowa is unique and beautiful.  One of the women we met is the widow of Jack Dittmer who was a major league baseball player in the 1950’s who grew up in Elkader and has the sports park named after him.   And we finally found the way to get Neptune to stop pulling on the leash – walk with a cup of ice-cream.  He was not leaving Joe any time soon.

Tomorrow is a shorter 55+ miles.  Hoping it’s a rain free day with the wind at his back.  We understand that there is an impressive hill or 2 to climb.  This part of Iowa is definitely not flat farmland.