Day 2: Spencer to Algona

Spencer to Ayrshire – 24.0 miles
Ayrshire to Curlew – 10.2 miles
Curlew to Mallard – 5.6 miles
Mallard to West Bend – 13.4 miles
West Bend to Whittemore – 8.3 miles
Whittemore to Algona – 10.2 miles
Total Mileage: 71.7 miles
Total Feet of Climb: 1,631
Weather Forecast: 79 and sunny, 7 mph wind

Today was brutal! This was the longest ride of the week, 11+ hours of riding including stops in 5 pass through towns, so I awoke with sense of anticipation and dread, planning to get an early start! Boy was I tired and sore. I was glad the longest stretch between towns, 24 miles and 2+ hours, was first thing in the AM. From my host's house, I rode back to the main campground in Spencer and to my delight, my bags were where I left them the night before. Whew! I waited in line to hand them to the guys loading the 18 wheeler. Then I drank a lot of water, took an Aleve and ate an energy bar before taking off at 6:30am.... 24 miles to go to the first town. Along the way were lots of roadside stops for breakfast. I chose one hosted by a church and fire department. Long lines for Porto potties , but the biscuits and gravy were delicious!

Firnally, the 1st stop was Ayrshire, population approximately 140! It was a "booming" 1880s railroad town that somewhat dried up in the 1980s. Back in 1999 Ayrshire was voted the best breakfast on RAGBRAI. It was super crowded. I grabbed a corn dog, got my first look at cheese curds and rested in the grass.

Can you imagine their surprise and preparation while hosting all of us for a few hours today? The town was named after a breed of cow that was popular in the area. In 1979 Ayrshire was famous for having the youngest Mayor in America, Jody Smith was elected when he was only 19. During its heyday, Ayrshire had many churches, grocery stores, gas stations, cafes, bars, hotels, a creamery, and lumber yard. Today, they offered an all you can eat breakfast with coffee for $8, but I passed. Too heavy this early in my long ride! The professional al RAGBRAI photographer snapped this of me early in the day. Don't I look like a pro in my flip flops? Ha ha ;)

Next stop was 10 miles down the road in Curlew, population of only 56!! Another railroad stop in the 1880s, it was named for the Curlew birds in the area. Not much in the way of amenities for bikers, but today we took a moment to remember Paul Bernhard on Mr. Pork Chop Day. This RAGBRAI legend and long time food vendor passed away last year. His son Matt carries on the tradition of the big pink pork chop bus and offered memorial Pork Chop patches to riders. The town also had pies, frozen grapes and cell phone charging stations for riders! I grabbed a banana and a piece of the biggest corn I ever saw, listened to the band and took off. Half way to the overnight town, I wasn't tired but had pain everywhere.... neck, wrists, tail bone, back and knees. Ugh.

Next town, 5.6 miles ahead, was Mallard, population 275, "home of the friendly ducks" and named for the abundance of mallards in the area in the 1880s. They had a beer garden, lots of duck games to play and "ducky" photo ops. Mallard Park offered shade and duck shaped cookies. The Local Cattlemen’s Association was grilling ribeye sandwiches, and there was Edgewater BBQ, and famous BBQ from Emmetsburg, along with a local band playing at the Duck Stop. A little early for a beer, so off I peddled... I was seriously considering using the sag wagon at this point.
 

Another 13.5 miles to West Bend. Now this was a stopping place! It is home to the Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption, 1912. This “miracle in stone”, considered by some the Eighth Wonder of the World, is that a Catholic priest, Father Paul Dobberstein, became critically ill with pneumonia, and he prayed to the Virgin Mary that if he survived, he would build a shrine in her honor.

He survived,  not a small thing in the days before modern antibiotics, and he built a monumental structure in West Bend containing nearly 100 train-car loads of rocks, precious and semi-precious gemstones, and seashells. Work on the Grotto complex began in 1912 and continued for 52 years, built primarily by Dobberstein and a fellow priest. The series of nine grottos each portray a different scene from the life of Christ. It’s said to be 100 feet wide and up to 40 feet high in some places. Well worth a stop...the Grotto is the largest man-made Grotto in the world and represents the largest collection of minerals, semi-precious stones, and petrification concentrated in one spot.  The Grotto Shrine was placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 2001 and has been featured in Roadside America and Disney’s The Straight Story. St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church adjacent to the Grotto had a blessing of the bikes at 1pm.

The West Bend Historical Society has created a replica of a Sod House, which represents the temporary dwellings that many early pioneers built when first settling on the prairie.
The town went all out to welcome riders and raise money... large farm equipment welcomed us to the town. An impressive display of antique tractors was available for viewing near the Grotto. Vendors were be set up to provide pie, ice-cream and trail mix.  The local bar, the Wagon Wheel, was open and selling cold beverages in a large beer garden.  The Pool Committee was assisting in the beer garden in order to raise money to build a new pool for the community. DJ music was playing on Broadway Avenue and a mechanical bull was set up too. There were plenty of photo ops set up, including baby pigs for anyone that felt the urge to “plant a big kiss”.  I had to do it!

 Other activities included a dunk tank and baseball throw by a local ball club. The West Bend Fire Department served cold drinks at the new fire station and provided live entertainment. There was also a booth on saving butterflies and they handed out balls of milkweed seeds for cyclists to throw out along the route.

It was here I decided I'd had enough. I was dying from various aches and pains, not fatigue. I inquired how to use the sag wagon and was told to go the the edge of town and join an ever growing group, turn my bike upside down at the left side of the road. I was so disappointed in myself but joined a group of girls under a tree who had been waiting an hour. It was 3:30. We talked and laughed and got heckled by cyclists who were still going. one girls husband biked by and coaxed her back onto her bike. After 90 minutes, still no sag wagon! Part of me really wanted to finish the day.  A motorcycle cop said there were lots of large groups waiting along the route today... no surprise. At 5pm, the 4 of us rallied and rode hard, 8 miles to the next town and another 10 to Algona. I finished after all! ;)

The 8 mile town was Whittemore, 8.5 miles away, established in 1878 and named for a Milwaukee Railroad engineer, Don Whittemore, population 500. Riders got a glimpse of the 40×60 Betsy Ross flag painted on Community Center at Noah’s Park as we rolled into town. The town is the home of the Kossuth County Freedom Rock which honors Veterans. Read about the interesting project here and the 6 foot boulder dragged from a local farm to make it all possible.

There was a DJ on Broad Street and lots of food vendors. Authentic, family owned Schmitt Hardware Store has to be seen to be believed! Built at the turn of the century, many of the features are still in use today. There is also a refreshing municipal swimming pool in town, but not for me... I had another 10 miles/one hour to go, so I breezed through to the next town, Algona. I had never seen a more welcome sight than that water tower!

With a population of 5500, it was our much anticipated overnight town! The town has an aquatic center, miniature golf course and POW Museum. During WWII, Algona was the site of a POW camp that held 10,000 German prisoners from 1944 to 1946. The town also has an AG and Motor Sports Museum, and the Train Wreck Winery, operated by football player Dallas Clark, was an interesting stop located in the former train depot. They had free movies at the State 5 Theater and an endless lineup of bands and live music, starting at 11AM for riders that got an early start (think dawn). Algona is also home of the World’s Largest Cheeto and was recognized for this on the Jimmy Kimmel show ;) Famous Algonans include Dick Dale, member of the Lawrence Welk Band, and Gary Kelley, a famous illustrator and artist.

Once again, I was fortunate to be offered host accommodations, this time in a home just blocks from town, with a family of 7! Kids had been stashed at grandma's, and the host Mark and his nurse wife also had campers in the yard and 2 nice fouoles staying inside like me. Bed, shower, snacks, Wifi, laundry, beer and pulled pork sandwiches were available and I had my own room. I felt sorry for the riders stuck in the noisy, crowded campground, rain or shine, but that will be me soon enough ;0 Once again, for logistics, I swung by my host's home first to clean up and then went into town to claim my bag, swap out a few items for the coming day, and set them aside until morning. The baggage trucks leave for the nex town at 8AM sharp... no exceptions, and they won't load any bags lying on the ground nearby. Fingers crossed that my system continues to work!

Day 2, the most difficult, was in the books! Tomorrow, it's a relatively easy recovery day, "just" 52 miles to Clear Lake and another host family!