Thornton to Swaledale – 5.6 miles
Swaledale to Rockwell (Meeting) – 6.0 miles
Rockwell to Cartersville – 6.7 miles
Cartersville to Rockford – 10.7 miles
Rockford to Charles City – 15.4 miles
Total Mileage: 57.5 miles
Total Feet of Climb: 1,290
Weather: high 77, low 64. Light winds, 80% chance of rain
Today is Law Enforcement Appreciation day on RAGBRAI. 13 miles in, we arrived in Thornton, a first time pass-through town. They offered the usual breakfast items, donuts, a DJ and porto potties. I had breakfast at my host's home before doing much needed laundry and departing, so I just kept peddling, trying to beat the rain! Luckily, it was a light wind day and the forecasted storms were just a light rain that wasn't too bad. Whew!
On I went to Swaledale, offering breakfast burritos, cinnamon rolls, and a shady park with live music. A local landmark was their Old Cerro Gordo County Courthouse Clock, chosen as Swaledale’s Centennial logo. It was purchased by H.D. “Deed” Caspers in 1961, when the county courthouse was due for destruction the following year. It is the biggest clock for many miles around; the dial is six feet in diameter and the workings weigh over 450 pounds. It has a building of its own, constructed in 1962 over the top of the Caspers family bomb shelter. The bell that provides the hourly chimes is 30 inches across and weighs 470 pounds. The building under the clock contains many historical items of interest. Of note, In 1989, Hollywood's Zsa Zsa Gabor slapped Beverly Hills cop Paul Kramer, son of Swaledale native Paul Kramer, when he pulled her Rolls Royce over for a traffic violation. Gabor was convicted on misdemeanor charges. In 1954, 3.5 miles south of Swaledale, a Braniff DC-3 crashed during a violent thunderstorm on the Harold Markwardt farm, strewing wreckage for about 500 feet. Eleven people died and eight were injured that Sunday afternoon. Many local farmers, firefighters, and neighbors helped during this tragic accident. Today and on past RAGBRAIs, Dale Casper's "mechanical whatchamacallit" was also a site to see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWFPNvveHyk
Six short miles up the road was Rockwell, a 3 time pass through town surrounded by farms. Like most towns, they offered food vendors, a DJ, beer garden and campground with scenic creek. The town is home to the oldest cooperative grain elevator... impressive!
Seven more miles, and we reached Cartersville. In 2010, they had a water swing (think crane over a pond) which got out of hand and had to be closed down when some inebriated riders started taking off their clothes. ha-ha. Count me out. About half way through each day's ride, the Pastafari wagon sets up in a field and offers fresh, made to Ryder pasta with veggies, salmon etc for about $10!
About an hour later, riders arrived in Rockford, home to Fossil Prairie Park with remains of ancient oceans and Devonian fossils! Robert James Waller, the author of the “Bridges of Madison County”, grew up in Rockford. Also of note were the 1879 Depot, housing railroad memorabilia and items from the brick and tile kilns and plant that closed in 1977.
Not far from the final town, we passed an off the beaten path place called Doyle's carving niche, where a man uses a chainsaw to make sculptures, signs and more! Today's final leg, 15 miles, brought us to our overnight town, modern Charles City. The Cedar River provided all sorts of water activities for tired sweaty riders, including a whitewater course!
The main campground was located at the new, state of the art middle school with excellent facilities. I peddled there first to claim and re-stash my duffels for the last time before heading to my host accommodations just across the river. I wrapped them in plastic bevause of the rain forcast.
I then biked into town to check out the Main Street festivities and get my bike tuned up. The guy spent 20 minutes on it and didn't even charge me! Usually the lines at the bike repair tents are long but not today. Laugh if you will at my albatross Walmart bike, but I havent even aired the tires until today. Most days on the ride route, I see people broken down or fixing flats!
There was a huge party in the Central Park with vendors, bands and more. I I finally splurged on a $55 Ragbrai cycling jersey because tomorrow, we're all supposed to wear one. I also got some delicious Philipino food from a vendor and finally checked out the air conditioned Iowa 101 bus... a mobile museum detailing Iowa's history, culture, crops, sports, geology and more.
Below, there is also a photo of a beautiful home on the town square. AAA had a booth set up and was handing out all sorts of great swag... chapstick, sunscreen, cold towels, rash balm, and ponchos! Finally, I headed to my hosts home where they waited outside in lawn chairs and had a sign welcoming me and their other guests. Hard to believe, but it was one of the Colorado groups I met at the Algona host's home! Small world when there are over 10,000 of us. What are the odds?
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