2012 PIGS Rally – Cresco, Iowa

Thursday, August 9, 2012–Pre Rally Day 0

This rally actually began for us on Thursday evening with a quick trip to the Blue Heron Bike Shop in Onalaska after an evening call from shop owner, Kevin. He did the impossible for us again by completing repairs at record speed—the tandem was ready to roll. This now meant we could fulfill our plan of biking from home to the PIGS Rally in Cresco, Iowa. This day was also our 32^nd wedding anniversary and as a gift, I finally received silver. No, it did not fit around my neck but to all who understand bike parts, it was a very substantial gift: A Phil Wood hub for the tandem’s rear wheel and boy is it sweet! We thanked Kevin and drove home to pack our panniers for our self-supported trip to Iowa.

Friday, August 10, 2012–Day 1
Home to Cresco, Iowa: 58.53 miles
Tandem Pedal Time: 4 hours 41 minutes, average speed 12.4

We left home this Friday morning at 7:30 a.m. surrounded by birds singing and puffy white clouds dancing across the blue sky. We were bound for Cresco, Iowa to attend our 5^th PIGS (Paired Iowans Going Somewhere) Tandem Rally. The van would be staying home using only pedal-power to make this trip.

We biked on country roads to Lanesboro, MN where we picked up the Root River bike trail followed by the Harmony-Preston trail that took us south into Harmony for a quick lunch stop at “The Crunchie Side”. The food here was great and the staff made us feel like old friends. After licking our plates clean, we were sent on our way with wishes for a safe journey.

The next cue on our route sheet instructed us to find Hwy 139 to continue south towards Iowa. This roadway was unfamiliar territory but we found it to be lightly travelled with rolling hills and paved shoulders once we left Minnesota. Just over the border we began to see signs for Cresco and watched for the Prairie Farmer Recreational Trail that would lead us directly into Cresco and to the Super 8 motel—host accommodations for this rally.

Liz was at the desk of the Motel when we arrived early for check in. She had our room ready on the ground floor to allow our bike to join us in our room. We removed our 50-pound luggage from the bike and returned to the lobby to await the arrival of Dwight and Pat Beavers, the PIGS 2012 Rally organizers. As registration commenced, it was evident that this was going to be another charged PIGS Rally—what a lively group! Robert and Faith Ericsson were in the crowd as were Quinten and Glorie Ann Robley whom we haven’t seen for a few years.

Friday, August 10, 2012–Day 1

Ice Cream Ride: 10.07 miles
Tandem Pedal Time: 1 hour 8 minutes, average speed 8.8

The Ice Cream ride was scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and all 23 teams were ready to ride through the town of Cresco in search of our ice cream treat. While enjoying our treat, Dwight entertained us with his famed banana song. A small group of riders then gathered at the Teluwut Grill House & Pub to visit and have a drink. Keith Wherry, volunteer and Cresco bike shop owner, escorted us through town towing his hand-made trailer behind his bike. When it came time to head back to the Motel, I was invited for a spin in his chariot. Faith was charged with taking photos but she just wasn’t quick enough for the fast legs of Keith Wherry. We all followed Keith back to our Motel, huddled close in the dark of the night.

Saturday, August 11, 2012–Day 2

Long Route to Decorah: 59.77 miles
Tandem Pedal Time: 4 hours 48 minutes, average speed 12.4

After breakfast in the Motel lobby, the teams met to ride. We headed south of town at 8:30 a.m. 50% of today’s riding was on trails and 50% was on the hilly roads of Iowa. We travelled as far southeast as Decorah where lunch was served at the Elks Lodge—the sandwiches were very good.

Our trip to Decorah included an unplanned surprise: Ward Bugweg agreed to take us on a private bicycle tour of his town. Ward and his wife, Jackie, were scheduled as guest speakers at our evening banquet. We learned that they just got back from bicycling around the world—a trip that took them 3 years. We felt honored to have Ward as our guide. He took us to some of the geological sights found in Decorah and we even had the chance to go caving.

Ward and Jackie parted from us at the town of Calmar and we continued our journey back to Cresco on the Prairie Farmer Recreational Trail, making it back to the Motel just in time to ready ourselves for the 5:30 p.m. social—a mile walk for us.

The Prairie Farmer Rec. Trail was named for a radio show once broadcast throughout the Midwest. The trail occupies the right-of-way of the former Milwaukee Railroad, which ran between Calmar to Cresco through these parts.

The banquet was fun and Ward and Jackie’s talk was very interesting. However, Dennis and I decided we would not be seeking to follow in their footsteps. Our adventures will remain on the calmer side compared to the challenges faced by this young couple. Their adventures are posted at:

http://fromthebenchesoftheworld.blogspot.com.

As we walked back to the Motel, we decided we would join the group once more for a Sunday breakfast being served at Keith and Mary Wheery’s and then we would depart for our 60-mile trip back home. So far the weather has cooperated. We needed just one more day.

Sunday, August 12, 2012–Day 3

Cresco to Home: 58.28 miles
Tandem Pedal Time: 4 hours 49 minutes, average speed 12.0

It was agreed the night before to begin this final rally day by biking to the Wheery’s home in Cresco for breakfast. All teams were to meet at the Super 8 Motel at 7:00 a.m. and ride out together. We were in agreement until we checked the forecast for the day. We said our goodbyes in the lobby of the Motel explaining that we wanted to get as far towards home as we could before the predicted rain caught up to us. As we pulled away, it was apparent that most riders chose to leave their bikes in their vehicles and drive to the breakfast gathering then head for home.

On this closing day of the 2012 Summer Olympics, we were faced with an Olympic challenge of our own—climbing the many hills of this un-glaciated region of SE Minnesota. Home was 58 miles away and we anticipated rain during the journey. We reached Harmony, MN by 8:30 a.m. and stopped at the Village Square for breakfast. We are never alone on these journeys. We always have great friends calling to check on us. After ordering our food, Michelle and Alan called. They had planned to bike out to meet us on the Harmony-Preston Trail but the possibility of rain changed those plans. Dennis and I suggested they stay home and dry. We then continued biking down the Root River Trail with a planned stop in Lanesboro to check the weather radar. We had a small window of clear skies so made the decision to climb out of town on Hwy 250. We had to encourage each other to keep the momentum going. With 40 miles on the bike, we were thankful the traffic we encountered respected our right to be on the road. It’s funny that we would meet one driver coming out of Lanesboro—the bicycle center of MN—that did not appreciate seeing us on the road. He chose to harass us with his continued use of his horn. We can only hope that our friendly smiles as he passed made his day a bit brighter.

We managed to crawl to the top of this category #5 hill powering our 50+-year-old bodies on with the determination of a true Olympic team. We were awarded the gold that awaits every cyclist at the top of any challenging climb. We now knew we could make it the rest of the way home without needing to call for back up. We still had more hills to climb but the miles remaining were decreasing quickly. The rain did hold off until we reached home which reminds us that the best biking conditions can be found on cloudy days even when rain is in the forecast.

The PIGS rally is always an enjoyable event. The 23 teams attending were well-fed and entertained throughout the weekend making this gathering another tandem rally success thanks to the organization of Dwight and Pat Beavers and their team of volunteers.

Happy to be HOME!

Total 2012 PIGS Rally biking miles: 186

PIGS Tandem Rally–Storm Lake, IA

8-12-2011 (Friday)
Rally Day #1—Ice Cream Ride: 13.26 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 1 hour 14 minutes, average speed: 10.6

We knew our trip to Storm Lake, IA would take us close to the Winnebago Factory in Forest City so we planned on attending the 9:00 a.m. tour of the factory. We travelled in a Winnebago bus first to see Stitchcraft where all interior fabrics are chosen and used to make the cushions for each motor home. Busy seamstresses were hard at work as we toured through the plant. We then boarded the bus again to learn more about the many buildings on the property each playing a part in the manufacturing of each home. My favorite building was “Big Bertha” which houses the main production lines for the company and called thus because of its enormous size. We were impressed to learn that most parts used to fabricate these beautiful motor homes are made here in the USA. We finished the tour by picking out the motor home that might follow us home some day—a little diesel Via. But for now, our Chevy Van will have to do.


We reached our rally destination in Storm Lake around 2:00 p.m. and needed to find accommodations for our 2-night stay. The Baymont Inn & Suites had one room left so we took it and hauled all our gear up to room 230. We had some spare time so drove around town to get a feel for the area before the rally began. At the bike store, we found our registration packets neatly arranged so we checked ourselves in and claimed our route sheets, welcome letter and rally roster. We read that the Ice Cream ride was mass starting at 6:30 p.m. and would include a ride around the lake to view the many wood carvings.






This pelican statue greeted us before each ride like a beacon wishing us a safe journey.

8-13-2011 (Saturday)
Rally Day #2—Windmill Ride: 66.94 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 4 hours 55 minutes, average speed: 13.5

Wow, what a beautiful day for a ride and all day to do it in! The temperature remained in the 70’s and not a single raindrop fell as we enjoyed this second day of the PIGS rally in Iowa. We fought some wind for the first half of the ride but enjoyed the tail wind as we pedaled back towards Storm Lake.



The group was meeting again at the KC lot for a 9:00 a.m. mass start. Our PIGS president, Lee Thorson, greeted us with a few last minute notes and then we were escorted out of town by Mike Wells on his motor scooter. The route was well-marked and directed us through two large wind farms. The windmills on these farms produce enough power to serve the electricity needs of over 114,000 households—awesome. However, where there are windmills, there must be wind!


Many rest stops were set up along our route where we could gobble down bananas, sweets and liquid as we continued to visit with those we haven’t seen since last biking season. At one of the rest stops we took a look under Dennis’ seat to investigate where a squeak was coming from. What we found was rather unfortunate—the hinge holding his seat together was split at the screw head causing the seat to squeak. We were able to finish out the rally but will need to order new parts from Rans when we get home.


Our lunch stop was positioned on top a slight hill at a Lions Club Shelter house. Sandwiches, fruit, veggies and sweets were served. After lunch we only had about 20 more miles to pedal before our finish. We were well-cared for on route today. Many times the scooter patrol passed us checking to make sure all was ok and Lee also circled the route checking for those needing extra care making this a very well-run event.

We finished biking around 4:00 p.m. with just enough time to wash up for the evening banquet being held at the Lake Avenue Historic Lodge downtown Storm Lake. The hall was decked out with lights, white linens and cloth napkins stitched by our Co-President, Roxy Fudge. The food was very good and plentiful—pork, chicken, salad, vegetables, treats… Entertainment followed a short business meeting and included the witty tales of our club’s own, Faith Ericsson. It was very entertaining to listen to her 1988 travels by bicycle from Mexico to Canada—not many females were brave enough to attempt such a trip in the 80’s—remember cell phones were not yet invented!


This evening was also very special for one tandem couple celebrating their 41^st wedding anniversary—of which most have been spent biking with the PIGS. We also had a few new members attending this rally for the first time which reminds us of our first tandem event where we were welcomed into the group and treated like we were lifetime members—what a great group of people.



8-14-2011 (Sunday)
Rally Day #3—Breakfast Ride: 11.05 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 51 minutes, average speed: 12.9

The group met one more time this morning at 8:00 a.m. for a short ride around the lake and to our breakfast stop at one of the many city parks. Again we could eat like pigs if we wanted to—bakery goods, bagels, fruit…


The route around the lake was picture perfect again this morning. It was sad to know it would all be ending soon and we would each scatter to our small corner of the USA but not without the memories we created from another fine event put on by a few volunteers from the PIGS Tandem Club. Thanks to Lee Thorson, Roxy Fudge, Robert and Faith Ericsson, Barb and Mike Wells and the great bike support from Geoff’s Bike and Ski—the 33 teams attending enjoyed 3 wonderful biking days in Storm Lake, Iowa.


Total rally miles: 91
Rans miles since purchase: 15,421

PIGS Tandem Rally

Rally Day #3: 5.28 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 32 minutes, average speed: 9.8

The PIGS gathered at 8:00 a.m. to bike a final 20-mile breakfast ride but Dennis and I decided to take a closer look at the High Trestle Trail Bridge. We drove back to Madrid to pick up the paved portion of the trail and biked out until construction blocked us from biking any further. We parked the bike and walked the distance across the trestle bridge. The scenery was beautiful but the temperatures were already nearing 90° making it a very hot walk. We biked back to the car and set the GPS for home. The PIGS rally was another success with 41 teams in attendance. We thank Ernie and Pat Fischer for a job well done!

Our trip was not quite over. We made a lunch stop in Clear Lake, IA—famous for the plane crash that took the lives of entertainers Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper in February of 1959. The temperature was now in the mid 90’s but we decided a walk through the cornfield would be worth it to see the site of the crash and the memorial. It was all very thought provoking and well worth the effort.