Dawgs on Wheels - 2012

RAGBRAI 2012 was most definitely the DAWG days of summer!  Temperatures hovering around 100 at the beginning of the week made it one of the most challenging years ever, and demanded a good balance between hydration and "other" forms of drinking!  Nevertheless, the spirit of RAGBRAI is not easily deflated, and riders still seemed to enjoy themselves along the way.  Here's a brief recap of the week for those of you who missed it, or those of you wanting to relive a little of it.  I've included the high temperatures recorded by one rider on the RAGBRAI forum.  They are unofficial, but don't sound that far off.  (To quote Team Spin... "It's not the heat, it's the stupidity!)

Meet the Team, from L to R - Gary "Half Dawg" Bishop, Gwen "Water Legs" Bishop, Jesse "Quadzilla" Donnenwerth, Leslie "Blondie" Gannon, Mark "Top Dawg" Gannon, and Chris "Papa Giorgio" Jamal Rodriguez Enrique Lensing

Day 1 - Sioux Center to Cherokee - 54.4 miles, 102 degrees

The Dawgs with Tag & Joanie

It's always a little disappointing to start the ride without the official Missouri River dip, but still exciting to get on the road the first day!  Our first stop was at Tag's in Alton - an awesome first stop! Tag and Joanie couldn't have been nicer, and their stop was super organized, super friendly, and super fun.  But beware the JELL-O shots - they packed a punch!  Thanks, Tag & Joanie, for a great time!


Next stop was the Dugout Lounge in Granville.  They had live entertainment in the beer garden (sorry I can't remember the name to give credit!), and the Vodka-Lemonades were mighty refreshing (can't drink Bloodys all day)!  Another great stop, only dampened by Mark's first flat tire of the week as we were leaving the party.


A quick stop in Marcus at a cousin's home provided some welcome relief from the heat and a chance to rehydrate before the last stretch into Cherokee.  Thanks, Bob & Cindy Gannon, for your wonderful hospitality!

Gannons and Delaware Blue Hens

Jobie's in Cherokee was a welcome sight, and a great stop, bordering the beer garden and main stage for the evening's entertainment.  We met some new friends there before heading out to the Grainery Lodge, a barn converted to lodging about 7 miles out of town.  About 30 people stayed there for the night, and were treated to live music by Jason Walsmith of the Nadas. 


Day 2 - Cherokee to Lake View - 62 miles, 109 degrees
The best laid plans of mice and men... we had the best intentions of starting early and getting 40 miles or so in before stopping to indulge.  And start early we did, but then stopped at Jake's in Aurelia, and dawggone it, it's just hard to leave a good party!  We kicked off the day with a Bloody Mary with Team Draught, Team Gnarley, Team Spin, Team Good Beer, and the Regulators.  And then another.  And maybe another.


We finally pulled ourselves away.  After a quick refueling stop in Hanover Village (awesome pork burgers!), it was on to Lobo's in Schaller, where we got a little waylaid again.  The beer garden provided plenty of shade, and a sprinkler to cool off under.  (Note to self:  Never. Ever. EVER! get bike shorts wet with 30 miles to go on the second day! I'll spare the details)


By the time we got to Sac City, it felt like someone had turned the thermostat up about 20 degrees.  So we stopped into our Dawghouse, Viking Bay, to cool off before hitting the final leg into Lake View.


Our Dawghouse, Glacier Bay, pulled out all the stops, with live entertainment, a rotating menu and a 4 am breakfast the next morning.  And co-owner Mike Busch was gracious enough to let us spend the night in their home (complete with cool rock quarry!).  Thank you, Mike, Emily and Triton, for letting us invade!


Day 3 - Lake View to Webster City - 81.2 miles, 105 degrees
SAGBRAI.  We made it as far as the meeting town (Farnhamville) before calling Papa Giorgio to come pick us up.  Lame.  We weren't even that disappointed when we headed into an American Legion for a TNT, only to find bananas and water, but PLENTY of AC!

Matt & Paul "Mr. Pork Chop" Bernhard

Backtrack to Lohrville for a second...we made our daily stop at Mr. Pork Chop, where I had the pleasure and honor of meeting THE Mr. Pork Chop (no offense, Matt.  We love you too, but your dad is the real ladies' man in the family!  What a sweetie!


We sagged the rest of the way to Stanhope (10 miles south of Webster City), where we spent the night with my sister, Marcia "Honah" and brother-in-law Harold "Mayor for Life" Hove.  We stuffed ourselves on Marcia's cooking and went to bed early for a fresh start the next day.


Day 4 - Webster City to Marshalltown - 77.1 miles, 109 degrees
Hometown tour day!!  To give Papa G a chance to experience the ride, I took over driving for the first few legs.  I drove to my hometown, Jewell (a Gem in a Friendly Setting) to meet with a cousin.  Ran into a few old friends there at Axis Lanes, our Dawghouse and a Jewell landmark.

Back in Kamrar, Mark and the rest of the team started the day at Pickles Pub, where they served the "Big Gulp" of Bloody Marys - 24 ounce Hair of the Dawgs, as well as an AMAZING breakfast pizza!


I drove on to Story City to set up a beer stop at my brothers' house for our team and Team Draught.  Thanks, Joe, Tom, and Bella, for letting us stop!  By the time I finished cleaning up there, I just could not talk myself onto my bike, so took a sag to Marshalltown.  After checking in and cleaning up, we headed downtown to wait for the team.  What a relief to see them roll in.  It was HOT, HOT, HOT that day!    


Day 5 - Marshalltown to Cedar Rapids - 84.8 miles, 96 degrees
On a normal day, 96 degrees is hot...but this day, it was not!  It's all relative, so with the 13 degree swing and an awesome tailwind, the 91 miles we ultimately logged that day felt WAY better than the 62 we put in Monday!


Mark's rear tire "reared" it's ugly head again, with 2 flats on the short trip into Garwin.  A Bloody Mary, a beer and a pizza later at the Garwin Bull, all was well and we were ready to roll on again.


We didn't stay long, but stopped at our next two Dawghouses, Czech Point in Clutier and the Hitchin' Post in Garrison (the HOTD Margaritas there tasted mighty fine!).  In Vinton we couldn't help stopping at Mickey's Bar - not a Dawghouse, but the place was FULL of Hair of the Dawg jerseys, courtesy of Team Draught, Team Gnarley, and others.  One of the most fun stops of the week, despite being thrown into a baby pool and soaking my *%$!*$ bike shorts again.  Thanks, James Roller!!!  

The exposure's a little wonky, but here are some of the folks "representing" in Vinton.

The rest of the ride into Cedar Rapids was uneventful, but scenic.  Happy for Cedar Rapids, after all of their planning for their debut after the 2008 floods, that it had turned out to be such a great day.  We opted out of Counting Crows (I wish those concerts were earlier) for a shower and evening at home in Iowa City with friends Barb & Jan (of 2010 Sagging/Supporting fame), and their team the "Master Race."  Thank you, Barbie & Jan, for a lovely meal and end to our day!


Day 6 - Cedar Rapids to Anamosa - 42.2 miles, 86 degrees

J.B. & Company on the Wapsi River

Refreshed from a night at home, we met up with the Bishops at the Chrome Horse, followed by a stop at Parlor City, where Hair of the Dawg was a favorite on the Bloody Mary bar.  The ride out of New Bo started with a cruel and unexpected climb, but we were lucky enough to find Cheese, our favorite Fat Tire friend, at the top of the hill.  We stopped for a quick one with him before moving onto Scorz, our Dawghouse in Mount Vernon.  We thought we had given the Rollers enough of a head start to avoid their "Shot Friday."  Turns out we should have had another with Cheese.  But Scorz was a great party, and it was a short day.


Rumors of off-route parties led us astray, so after a quick stop at Shelly's in Springville, we turned into the NW headwinds into Waubeek, where F.B. & Company had picnic tables and outdoor entertainment set up by the river.  A great, relaxing way to end the day.  Papa G fetched us there to take the Bishops in to their hotel in Anamosa and us back home for one more evening with Barb, Jan and the Master Race.


Day 7 - Anamosa to Clinton - 69.4 miles

Best. Driver. EVER.

As much as we didn't want the week to end, 70 miles seemed like a lot for the last day, so we attempted an early start.  Kevin "Captain Dork" Hochstetdler joined up with us for the day.  We were all sad to say goodbye to Christopher "Papa Giorgio" Jamal Rodriguez Enrique Lensing, so we made him promise to come back next year.  He left us in Anamosa to catch up with his ride back to NW Iowa, while we started off on our last 70 miles.


Hale Tap & Supper Club was our last Dawghouse.  We caught up to Team Draught there for one last Bloody Mary together.  The rest of the day was stop and go, stopping in nearly every town to draw it out a bit.  The "10 Miles to Go" sign marked the beginning of my tears (I'm always a sap the last day) that lasted on and off the rest of the way in, replaced by laughter when we spotted Captain Dork, Bud Light in hand and a cop 10 feet away, waiting for us on a corner just blocks from the river.  We were late enough that there was no line for the dip, and early enough to get home before dark.  Sigh.  It goes so fast, but it'll be here again before you know it.

Mississippi Dips!

Before ending, I want to extend sincerest thanks to our Dawghouses for supporting us;  our hosts, Mike & Emily and Harold & Marcia, for their Iowa hospitality; my brothers for lending their house; and Teams Draught, Gnarley, Spin, the Regulators, Good Beer and all the others we had fun with along the way.  Thank you also to State & Local law enforcement who looked after us throughout the week, and the vendors who kept us nourished and hydrated along the route.  We're proud to share this great Iowa event with y'all, and proud to be Iowans and a part of this "nothing like it anywhere" experience.  See you next year!

Dawgs on Wheels - Day 7

Day 7 - Coralville to Davenport, 65.6 miles, 2363 feet of climb


389 miles down, only 65 to go.  Damn.  Even just writing this blawg, the week has gone too fast.  Those who have never done it will never understand it, but I'm getting goosebumps thinking about the week that lies ahead.  Here's what we have lined up for the final day:


Blackstone, 503 Westbury Drive in Iowa City
I know I covered Blackstone in Day 6's blawg, but inadvertently.  I'm sure many riders will make their way to or overnight in Iowa City, but it's technically a Day 7 stop.  And I have learned some new things about Blackstone's promotion since yesterday's writing.  So, starting 6AM on Saturday, Blackstone will have Hair of the Dawg Bloody Marys in complimentary water bottles (nice!), Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuits, Breakfast Burritos, free bottled water and a New Belgium Fat Tire Bike giveaway (I saw the bike today and it is a SWEET ride).  Additionally, Blackstone is hosting a RAGBRAI party on Friday, July 29.  Any table with a RAGBRAI wristband will receive one free appetizer or flatbread.


Herb & Lou's, 105 N. Downey in West Branch
Known for their amazing pizza, Herb & Lou's will be serving Breakfast Pizza, a Breakfast Buffet and Fruit.  But I think it's worth the stop just for their cookies.  Hands down the best chocolate chip (chunk) cookies I've ever had, and I'm not a huge chocolate chip fan.  The cookie itself tastes like good, buttery toffee, and is filled with huge chunks of dark chocolate.  I picked some up today when I was there delivering banners.  But I digress.  This is your second-to-last chance to have a tasty Hair of the Dawg Bloody Mary before packing it home.  


Dew Drop Inn, 602 5th St. in Durant
Almost 30 miles to the next Dawghouse, the Dew Drop Inn.  They will have their grill fired up for lunch specials, and Hair of the Dawg Bloody Mary, Margaritas and Mojitos on hand (last chance for our revolutionary Mojito).


The Lampliter Inn, 143 S. Grove in Walcott
The Last Dawg to Die... this "Best Bar in Scott County" is our last stop.  It's a little off the beaten path, but look for their HUGE banners for directions when you get to town.  Try their famous Homemade Pizza or their incredible Deep Fried Pork Choooooooooooop Sandwich.  Cool down with a Hair of the Dawg Margarita on their covered deck or under their outside water mister.  Heck... you might have so much fun in their beer garden or playing volleyball you might not want to go on to Davenport.  And rumor is that support vehicles will have pretty easy access to riders that prefer to be picked up in Walcott.  But the best reason of all to stop...drum roll... enter your name in a drawing for a Hair of the Dawg Bike Jersey!  Winner will be notified by e-mail the week following RAGBRAI.


So that's it.  Just 14 miles to go.  Slow down, take it all in, and savor it.  We'll be blawging along the way next week, so be sure to check in if you get the chance along the road, or read it to relive the week after you trudge back into the real world.  It's a great cure for the RAGBRAI hangover, along with a little Hair of the Dawg, of course!  ;o)


Tailwinds.

Dawgs on Wheels - Day 4

Day 4 - Boone to Altoona - 56.1 miles, 1147 feet of climb

This is the day we are looking forward to the most - short, flat and FUN!!  We will be camping at my sister’s place south and west of Boone the night before, and the county road she lives on just happens to lead straight down to Woodward and the trailhead of Iowa’s newest biking attraction, the High Trestle Trail.  Rumor has it that up to 6,000 riders are expected to go off route that day... and I say if you can’t beat ‘em...join ‘em!  

From the trailhead in Woodward, it’s a mere 3 miles to the bridge that crosses the Des Moines River.  If you haven’t seen it yet, have your camera ready.  It will take your breath away.  After your photo ops, it’s just another 3 miles to the Flat Tire Lounge, just steps off the trail.

Flat Tire Lounge, on the High Trestle Trail in Madrid

I read about Flat Tire the week of its opening and made it my mission to get Hair of the Dawg in there.  It just looked like our kind of place.  So we paid a visit and hit it off with Scott, Mandy and all the other owners.  This bar, a converted quonset hut, is bicyclists’ heaven.  Look up when you go in... up on a balcony there are two mannequins sporting team jerseys that change each day (or more often when an organized ride is going by).  If you’ve sent one of yours to them (there’s still time!) and it happens to be on one of the mannequins when you stop in, you’ll get a discount on your beer!

The Radish of Des Moines will be catering Breakfast Burritos and Biscuits & Gravy in the morning, and for lunch - pork chops on a stick, cold sandwiches and wraps and pasta bar.  Though you can get almost any of our mixes there, Flat Tire will have a $4 Bloody Mary special, and $3 Screwdrivers.  A DJ will be spinning tunes all day to pump up the Flat Tire!

The Crossroads Tavern, Kelley Corner (between Luther and Slater)

Once you get to Slater, it’s worth backtracking on the official route five miles north to the Crossroads Tavern on the Kelley Corner.  What the heck... it's a short day!  The Crossroads, a former gas station/convenience store, sits on a huge corner lot with plenty of room for bikes, sand volleyball and dancing to some DJ tunes.  You can fill up there on a breakfast burrito and a Hair of the Dawg Bloody Mary.

Elkhart Pub, 127 E. Main St. in Elkhart

In the growing town of Elkhart, you’ll want to go “where everybody knows your name.”  That’s just the kind of feel the Elkhart Pub has.  In fact, we had a little trouble getting out of there when we were scouting the route, we were having such great conversations with the other patrons.  We’ll see Gallagher there again, and you can get a $3 beer, $1 soda or a Hair of the Dawg Margarita in their beer garden.

Cory’s Irish Pub, 110 1st St. SE in Bondurant

This bedroom community to the Des Moines metro area has doubled its population in the last ten years.  One of its newer additions is Cory’s Irish Pub.  The pub features Cory’s Irish Cream - their own secret recipe.  Cory’s will be offering steak sandwiches and grinders, Hair of the Dawg Margaritas and Mojitos, and live music.

Every year I start feeling sad about Day 4, because a week of nothin' but Bicycles, Bloodies and Beer is too quickly coming to an end.  So I'm off to find a box of tissues, and will be back tomorrow with Day 5's lineup!

Dawgs on Wheels 2011 - Day 3

Day 3 - Carroll to Boone - 70.9 miles, 1787 feet of climb


Whew!  Finally a break from the hills...even quite a bit of descent out of Carroll!  So riders shouldn't have any problem making it 19 miles to the first Dawghouse in Lanesboro.


The Real McCoy, 206 E. Main St. in Lanesboro
On June 28 last year, firefighters were dispatched to The Real McCoy to find it engulfed in flames, and declared it a total loss.  But lucky for us, owner Dean McCoy resurrected the bar, reopening on Valentine's Day this year.  Riders might think they've found the State Fair when they take a gander at the menu.  I mean, where else would you find Pancake n' Sausage on a Stick??  The Real McCoy will also be serving up Breakfast Burritos, Vodka-Lemonades and, of course, Hair of the Dawg Bloody Marys.


Twister's, 109 Pilot St. in Pilot Mound
Well, it seems to be Movie Trivia Day on RAGBRAI!  The ominous "Twister Hill" just East of town is where Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton were filmed chasing a tornado up a hill in the 1996 movie, Twister.  Locals gave the long, steep hill its nickname after the movie was made, and owner of the local tavern, Twister's, named his establishment after it as well.  You'll find some movie and Hollywood memorabilia on the walls there as you quench your thirst with a Hair of the Dawg Margarita.


The Gigglin' Goat, 628 Story St. in Boone
The Gigglin' Goat will be rocking Boone with a parking garage party featuring two bands, The $nack$ (7 to 10) or Bound2B (10 to 1) as you quench your thirst with a Hair of the Dawg Margarita.  The folks from New Belgium Brewing will be there as well, hosting their 6th anniversary party with specials on Fat Tire Beer.


Wilson's Tap and Recreation, 1008 Story St. in Boone
There's something about the name of this bar that I just love.  And riders will love the live music at Wilson's, provided by The River Bottom Boys.  Stop in at night for a Polish Sausage or Beef Burger special, or before riding out on Wednesday for Biscuits and Gravy and a Bloody Mary.


If you're so inclined to hit all of the bands in Boone that night and live it up a little, the next day's ride promises to be short, flat and FUN!!  Stay tuned...

Dawgs on Wheels 2011 - Day 2

Day 2 - Atlantic to Carroll - 65.4 miles, 4719 feet of climb


50 of Day 2's miles are straight north, which we hope means some great tailwinds out of the south to push us up all of those hills!  Not quite 15 miles into the day, we will roll into lovely Elk Horn, one of the two Danish villages we will pass through that day.


Larsen's Pub, 4206 Main St. in Elk Horn
After you've visited the historic windmill, be sure to stop at Larsen's Pub for one of their famous tenderloins - voted the best by the Iowa Pork Producers in 2007.  Thick and juicy, trimmed of nearly all its fat, it's sure to live up to riders' high expectations for good, Iowa pork.  Larsen's will also be serving frozen drinks, cold beer and, of course, Iowa's own Bloody Mary (yours truly).  We'll see Gallagher at this stop again...and don't miss the beer garden out back!


Arnold's Tavern, 201 N. Main St. in Kimballton

You can never stop too often on the hilly days.  Only 3 miles up the road from Elk Horn lies the second of the Danish villages.  Kimballton boasts an exact replica of the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, Denmark.  And if the lines were too long at Larsen's Pub, you can slake your thirst with the cold beer and Bloody Mary specials here at Arnold's!


Templeton Rye Distillery, 209 E. 3rd St. in Templeton
Although you'll see the distillery on our Dawghouse map, we're afraid you won't find Hair of the Dawg here.  There are always some hoops to jump through for RAGBRAI promotions, and this one just didn't work out in the end.  But it's more than a worthwhile stop to see where "The Good Stuff" is from, and sample a little.  And we wanted to give a shout out to our friends at Templeton (esp. Scott and Drew) to thank them for their support and trying to find a way to fit us in!


After the stop in Templeton, we will begin to see the light at the end of the hilly tunnel, with Carroll just 20 miles up the road, and a mere 1700 feet of climb on Day 3.  Before heading to the main stage for the evening's entertainment, you can rest your quads at either one of our two Carroll Dawghouses:


Kerp's Tavern, 223 E. 5th St. in Carroll
Kerp's is the first stop of the day with all of our mixes.  So if you're Bloody Mary'ed out, ask for a Margarita (Regular or Strawberry) to replenish your sodium levels or a Mojito to refresh your palette.  


B&S's 529, 529 N. Main St. in Carroll
Also boasting four varieties of Hair of the Dawg, B&S's 529 is another great stop to take a load off, or shake your booty to more Jam Time Entertainment.


And be sure to drink plenty of water before you go to bed - we have SIX Dawghouses lined up for you on Day 3!