I decided to take the Great River Road Iowa today. The Iowa route on my map had those dots beside the road that indicated it was a scenic ride. The Illinois side did not.
The weather didn’t look good again today as I left La Crosse Wisconsin. It rained periodically throughout the day.
However, as I entered Iowa and rode down the Great River road, it just didn’t seem to matter. The Mississippi River views were awesome.
The rolling hills of Iowa crops were too. I kick myself for not taking pictures of it. I also enjoyed riding through the quaint towns along the river.
Guttenburg
One of the towns I stopped at was Guttenburg.
According to Wikipedia, French explorers gave the area the name of Prairie La Porte in 1673. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 transferred ownership to the United States. Who knew the Louisiana Purchase went this far north?!
Economic revival began in 1845 with the influx of hundreds of German immigrants under the auspices of the Western Settlement Society of Cincinnati and continued with the development of the lead mining industry along Miners Creek. By 1850 the town was sizable and nearly all German. The city takes its name from Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of movable type. Many of the buildings today were built pre-Civil War.
While wandering the town I ran into what appeared to be a tour group of some sort consisting of older folks. We of course struck up a conversation. They were fascinated that I was actually taking a motorcycle to Argentina. One wanted to know where my girlfriend was. Me too! ha ha ha. I asked if she was volunteering. That started the jokes and laughter. It was all fun.
I enjoy these interactions. As a solo rider you talk to yourself lots ha ha. Or my conversations consist of writing you, like right now!
The weather was improving. But I decided to spend another night in a motel. Tomorrow it is St. Louis and back to camping. Good weather is on its way. If you can trust the forecasts!!
Route for August 20, 2016
