dannwilliams

I am on my last week before my bike tour of the Driftless Region, SW WI, SE MN, NE IA, NW IL. My goal is to make it to The Field of Dreams outside of Dubuque, IA. I have wanted to see that since forever! I'll be riding with another cyclist. Planning to launch from the La Crosse, WI - La Crescent, MN area. I hope I have enough work put in, with weather not turning favorable until so late this year. I have been riding in the drift less area, mainly Trempealeau County, WI frequently the past few years. The riding is unbelievable there. Adventure Cyclist and Bicycling Magazines have both done nice articles on the riding. Now I'll be exploring a little more of the region!

Been a few years since I loaded up self-contained, I forgot what all I'll need and how to pack! Seems I have become a "roadie" the past couple years. Anyway, the maps are printed out, pdf versions on the tablet. Gear is all laid out. I'll be riding that Surly Long Haul Trucker this week to make sure the thing is set up and then heading out on Saturday morning! Planning on a lot of pics and a write-up when I get back.

I also posted this in 50+ group

Doug64

Try to get to the Field of Dreams early in the morning when there are no people around.

Have a great ride!

Cyclebum

Sounds dang near perfect to me. Drifting and Dreaming. Enjoy.

indyfabz

Have a good trip. The closest town to the FOD is Dyersville. When I rode through there in '99 you could camp in the city park, where there was a nice public pool. It was over 100 degrees, and I had never seen the film (and still haven't), so I didn't bother riding out there.

I am flying to Missoula on Thursday for a 9-day loop through the mountains. Starting to pack the gear tonight.

robow

Are you going to be taking in the "Bike 4 Wisconsin Trails" LaCrosse down to Reedsburg? Highly recommend if you're not opposed to R2T's.

Bike 4 Trails

Btw, would love to see your route at some point if it is available via pdf or online.
Thanks

Cyclebum

[QUOTE=robow;16853654

Btw, would love to see your route at some point if it is available via pdf or online.
Thanks[/QUOTE]

Ditto

jcollinsia

Good luck to ya, Dannwilliams! Dont forget to holler if you need any support while coming through NE IA

indyfabz

As someone who does mostly road riding and who took a long break (8 years) between a lot of loaded touring and picking it back up again, I am curious to learn whether you have a hard time "slowing yourself down," for lack of a better term. I sometimes do. I have to remind myself that 13 mph is a decent pace and that I cannot expect to cover the same mileage in the same time like when I am on road ride. "I can't believe I have covered only 30 miles" should be "Wow! I have covered 30 miles already," but it isn't always like that.

rjl33

I am fortunate enough to live in the driftless area of southwestern WI, and have ridden thousands of miles in Iowa, Grant, Lafayette, Sauk, Green, Richland, Crawford and Vernon counties. I also am familiar with NE Iowa and SE MN. In May my wife and I did a 300 mile loop starting/ending from home and had a great time exploring this area. You will love the experience of deep valleys, high ridges, spring-fed creeks with trout rising in the evening, rock outcroppings and quiet country roads. I am always torn between telling everyone I know about this area and keeping the secret to myself. Enjoy your trip!

dannwilliams

Did this on my first ever trip. I jumped on in Trempealeau and took it all the way to the end in Reedsburg. It was great!

dannwilliams

I turn the bike computer to a different screen on the touring bike, 'cause I feel the same way!

indyfabz

I would do that but...If I put my cheap computer on trip distance or trip time, there is a chance I can zero it out when I stop for things like photos. The change function button in on the front of the unit and it hits my leg when the handlebar swings to the left. Really a bad design. I had a shop in Missoula install it sight unseen before a tour in '11. For the first half of the first day I couldn't figure out why the computer kept re-setting, then I got it. To avoid this, I have to display wither the odometer or the clock, which still gives me TMI on a regular basis. I leave for Missoula for a 9-day tour on Thursday. I am seriously considering brining some electrical tape to cover up the screen.

Doug64

I have one bike that I forgot to put the computer back on after doing some maintenance. That was a year ago, and the computer is still sitting in my tool box. It is rather liberating not having it on the bike.

I almost went off on a rant about how much more adventuresome bike touring was before bike computers, gps, smartphones, the internet, and google map; but I won't.

rjl33

The best thing I did when I bought my Fargo was to not mount a computer. This is the bike I ride for adventures, explorations and rambles. It is liberating to not have everything measured and to just ride, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, usually somewhere in between.

indyfabz

The battery of my road bike computer died last year. Haven't replaced it. No GPS or smart phone. But I like to have a rough idea of how many miles I have left in the day so I can mete out water, food and energy. Going to MT tomorrow and will likely have some relatively long stretches of remote riding with no services.

dannwilliams

Shortened the trip to 5 days, as my wife wants to take our camper out this weekend. Here are my routes by day:
Sat: LaC to Decorah - A bike ride in La Crescent, MN
Sun: Decorah to Arlington - Winneshiek, IA (Rain from Clermont to Arlington!)
MON: Arlington to Field of Dreams, New Vienna - A bike ride in Arlington, IA
Tue: New Vienna to Marquette, IA - A bike ride in Dubuque, IA
Wed: Marquette, IA to La Crescent , MN - A bike ride in Marquette, IA
Over 300 miles, plenty of hills, only half a day of rain. all in all a great ride with plenty of rural Americana scenery. And of course, The Field of Dreams!
Photos of the trip here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/555533...7644954937399/

robow

thanks for the route and maps,
how were the roads and traffic and any other words of wisdom to consider since we might be up riding in that area this fall.

dannwilliams

The roads were, for the most part, low traffic. But many of the roads lack paved shoulders (even state highways!), not much of a problem since I was given a wide berth by traffic. Some county highways are gravel, and nearly ALL other rural roads are gravel. I have ridden the Driftless Area in WI, scenery is similar, but IA is even more rural! The hills on a loaded touring bike can be quite hard, as they are steep and sometimes go on for over 2 miles! Work! I had a trekking crank (26-36-48) and that worked for me, others may find a MTB crank (22-32-44) to be a better option for the hills. I had a great ride, I will probably go back at some point in the future!