September 25, 2024
Day 3 - La Crescent, MN to Guttenberg, IA
Another beautiful weather day for a bike ride. The start was cool but sunny skies. I knew this was going to be a challenging ride, not only was it going to be 85 miles but it had five big climbs. The total ascents was 3,375 feet. Good thing of going up is that you go down. Today the total descents was 3,200 feet. Through the ups and downs I averaged 14.9 mph.
My first picture of the day was from a bridge over the Root River. There was a small island in the middle that was covered with downed trees.
At one of overlooks along the river, I learned about protected areas of the river where migratory birds can rest without the fear of being hunted.
After biking for 25 miles, I stopped at the Minnesota/Iowa border. They had several panels that explained how a survey monument is use to mark the northern border of Iowa when it was admitted as a state. From this monument next to the Mississippi River the northern border was surveyed. The is another important monument just miles from the highway which is used as the reference point for all property surveys in the state of Iowa.
The next town with a bridge is Lansing, Iowa.
The first two climbs were back to back. Between them was a church and cemetery in the middle of nowhere. The grade for the climbs got to 7 degrees which is very steep on a bicycle.
After these climbs I stopped at the Portside Bar and Supper Club in Harper’s Ferry for a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich and a cold beer. Would highly recommend this place. It was a good break before the next set of climbs.
The first of the remaining climbs and descent was four and a half miles with a 9% grade in spots. After this you go through Marquette which has a bridge across the river.
A few miles from Marquette is the town of McGregor. Looked like a very vibrant small town. The next climb started just outside of town. My legs were burning when I got to the top, but I made it.
Passed another small church and cemetery that was built in 1861.
One more climb and then a descent into Guttenberg. A few pictures of the river.
Tomorrow is a shorter ride but some more climbs. The trail follows the river then climbs inland then descents back to the river, rinse and repeat.
Having a great time!
Today's ride: 85 miles (137 km)
Total: 247 miles (398 km)
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