Day 34 Davenport, IL to Dubuque, IL 83.4 miles Total 1,609.0 mi

 Steve was up at dawn and left to ride starting in the less hot part of the day.  Allane slept in a bit and then packed up.  A visit to a local bike stop for some extra tubes, and a stop at the post office, and then on toward Dubuque.  Steve had ridden against the wind all morning.  He rode 9 miles on a crushed gravel road that shook his bones, finally choosing to get on the side of the highway for a few miles.  There are more hills than in Illinois, long and rolling.  After 48 miles, we met at the City Limits family restaurant in Maquoketa, a town whose name we have no idea how to pronounce.  The waitress was no nonsense, but obviously took pride in her ability to anticipate our wants and needs.  She definitely wins the top spot for Best Waitress so far on the trip, and she set a very high standard.


Steve set out again, with 35 miles to go in the over 90 degree heat and relentless sun, hoping to find paved roads all the way to Dubuque.
Allane stopped at Walmart for some more powdered Gatorade and then drove north, wondering if she could even find Steve on the back roads and trails.  Along the way, she came across the sign for Crystal Lake Cave on the outskirts of Dubuque and decided to visit.  It was almost embarrassing to be touring a cave that was 52 degrees while Steve was slogging along in the heat and wind.




Steve gamely finished his 83.4 miles in the late afternoon, happy that it was over.


After cooling down and relaxing, Steve was back to figuring out the route for the next day.  We drove into
Dubuque and had dinner at the Copper Kettle, next door to the old Dubuque Brewing and Malting Company which was started in 1896.


Comments

  1. John OppermanJune 13, 2021 at 8:44 AM

    You are now in my home turf, follow IA 3 and you would go through Strawberry Point (ancestral home) and eventually Allison where I grew up. If you are going northerly, Spilville and Decorate are interesting towns.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. allaneJune 13, 2021 at 9:31 PM

      We were sitting in a park in Guttenberg when we read your comment! Had passed the turn for Strawberry Point awhile back. We are now in Marquette and crossing into Wisconsin for a day north, so we won't get to the other towns either. Sorry we missed them. We are finding something interesting everywhere we do go, though.

      Delete
  2. John OppermanJune 13, 2021 at 11:10 AM

    That's Decorah

    ReplyDelete
  3. John OppermanJune 13, 2021 at 11:11 AM

    That's Decorah.

    ReplyDelete

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