Kansas rider heading to Iowa

[pirate X]

Hey guys, planning a little ride through Iowa in a couple of weeks and wondering what was worth checking out. My trips aren't usually driven by a set schedule and if I see a sign for the areas/states/worlds largest something or other I'm usually following the signs. The places I am plannig on hitting, unless I hear different, are the coverd bridges and JPcycles.

Is there anything else thats worth seeing or that I should look for?

How about places to eat or stay? (mom and pop type of places)

Thanks for any help
Trevis

[VTX1800Fast2005]

Stone City General Store is near J&P in Stone City... it has great food and usually some bikers on the weekends.

In Cedar Rapids Iowa there is a bar called the Chrome Horse... I like it... it's a popular place on the weekend especially Friday evening ... lots of bikes to look at free live music... good food ... good people watching...

Downtown Anamosa the city where J&P is located has a motorcycle measume, lots of old Harley's... J&P is ok to see however I would travel 100s of miles to see it... it's sort of like going to a Harley Store...

If I think of more things I write them down.

[VTX1800Fast2005]

Downtown Anamosa the city where J&P is located has a motorcycle museum, lots of old Harley's... J&P is ok to see however I would NOT travel 100s of miles to see it... it's sort of like going to a Harley Store...

Iowa is pretty flat with some rolling hills... however NE Iowa is extreamly scenic. I would say that since you are already going to travel to Anamosa I'd continue on and travel the river road (Mississippi River)... go due east out of Anamosa till you get to the Mississippi River and then head north on the "Great River Road" all the way up to LaCrosse Wisconsin... this will be nothing like Kansas and I'm certain you will enjoy the scenery and the little river towns... it's all very biker friendly.

[VTX1800Fast2005]

Iron Horse Social Club (http://www.thehorserally.com/homepage.html)
314 Main St..
Savannah , IL 61074
(815) 273-2600
great place on the Mississippi ... check out the web page.

[Jon Roberts]

You will be on gravel to see the Bridges of Madison County, IMO a bit overated. The Loess Hills in western IA are worth seeing. Once you get to Anamosa you should keep heading NE up to Decorah, then east to Prairie DuChien/McGregor and head south on the Great River Road to at least Davenport before heading west back to KS. NE IA is wonderful.

Jon

[pirate X]

Thanks for the quick input guys.

I was looking for a reason to run up into Wisconsin and Great River Road might be the perfect excuse.

Are there any bridges on paved roads, how much gravle are we talking about? My wife will be on her bike and she's not to crazy about rock roads.

Now about J&P, I have been to the shop in Sturgis during bike week, lots of parts, guys installing stuff, pretty good selection (for being in the building behind the main shop). If nearly all of the stuff in the store is geared toward HD I'm not too interested. Will this be a place we could pull into and get a new seat put on my wifes yamaha if she wants one?

[VTX1800Fast2005]

If nearly all of the stuff in the store is geared toward HD I'm not too interested. Will this be a place we could pull into and get a new seat put on my wifes yamaha if she wants one?

J&P folks at Anomosa are really nice.. however the shop is mostly geared to HD... probally won't be able to get a seat added to a Yamaha... however call ahead to be certain....

The Great River Road is fantastic on a bike... I'd go up on one side and back on the other side of the Mississippi... as I said I'd recommend all the way up to LaCrosse WI.

[Jon Roberts]

There is one bridge in St. Charles, edge of town (paved) that they have moved to that spot (exit 52 on I 35) but all the other bridges are on gravel. Some I think about a mile but the better ones are several miles of gravel, try Googling the Madison County Chamber, they probably have plenty of info on them.

The Great River Road is well worth the time & effort especially once you get north of Davenport. We have had a VTX rally the last two summers in LaCrosse, WI, the roads in WI are simply fantastic. Even the roads around Decorah should not be missed if you have the time. I would HIGHLY recommend that you go to Viola, WI and tour the S & S motorcycle engine factory/museum. We did that in July during the rally and it should not be missed plus the scenery around that area is gorgeous. It's about 45 minutes south and east of LaCrosse. You could easily spend 3 days in that area and barely scratch the surface of great roads. LOTS of twisties and very little traffic.
Jon

[extreme vtx]

I wouldn't waste my time at j&P. Way overated and not cheap. I only go there when i have no other choice.

[Jon Roberts]

I have to agree with the above post, I've been there twice--once for maybe 10 minutes by myself and once with my wife during their annual open house. The open house was fun but once was enough, very crowded. If you are thinking about buying stuff you can do better from your computer chair and DLP---this forum sponsor.

[pirate X]

Thanks for the input about J&P. I might just skip it and keep on riding, especially if the roads are as nice as you guys make them sound. Of coures being from Ks. it doesn't take much to out do our roads.

I haven't checked a radar of anything yet but how is the weather? We are leaving next Wed. Should we plan on hitting some rain?

[race66]

If you come through Council Bluffs Iowa on a wednesday night, consider bike night at Quaker Steak and Lube. It's the only Lube west of the Mississippi.

There is typically over 800 bikes and as many as 1100. :thumbup:

[Jon Roberts]

You are asking about weather 7 days from now? These clown forecasters can barely predict what the next two hours are going to be :joke: You should always have your rain gear handy but typically at this time of year it "tends" to be dryer than the spring.

If I could only ride at one time of the year it would be right now through the 2nd week of Oct. Better temps, kidos back in school, less rain, lower humidity and much less traffic.

If you get near the Winterset or Des Moines area let me know and maybe we can meet for coffee or lunch. There are some really nice blacktop county roads starting near Osceola ( I-35) that go north and east. My only problem might be the immenent birth of our first Grandson :pepper1::pepper1::pepper1:

Jon

[VTX1800Fast2005]

Some recommendations for riding in Iowa & Wisconsin ... it is best to avoid riding at dusk, dawn or at night.... too many deer, turkeys, racoons, etc... on the roadway.

[pirate X]

Hey guys, I have heard there is a big coffe pot in Iowa, does anybody know where it is and how close can I get to it? Would we be able to get a pic with our bikes in front of it?

Race66, what time does the bike nite usually start, how long does it last? I would hate to miss out on a bike nite that big, that's a lot of bikes.

Jon R, Congrats on the grandson on the way. We are planning to ride through both Des Moines and Winterset. I was under the impression one of the bridges was in Winterset and my wife want's to eat at a place called "Toot Toot"? in Des Moines. I'm not even sure where it's at what they serve or how she heard about it.

[VTX1800Fast2005]

Water Tower Coffee Pot

Stanton, Iowa (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/ia.html)
One of the few towns with a semi-legitimate coffee claim-to-fame, Stanton is the home of "Mrs. Olson." Or, at least, was the home of an actress -- stage name Virginia Christine -- made famous as Folgers' Mrs. Olson, hawking their "mountain grown" coffee in TV commercials and on the sides of coffee cans. She'd long since departed the Iowa, but returned for the town's Centennial celebration in 1970 as parade Grand Marshal. Stanton celebrated the connection, along with its own Scandinavian coffee roots, with a 120-ft. Coffee Pot Water Tower erected in 1971.
The "Swedish-style" pot, painted with decorative hearts and flowers, holds 40,000 gallons, on top of a 90-ft. tower, pot is 35-ft. high, 20-ft. wide, spout is 10-ft. high, 6-ft. deep, the handle is 15-ft. high. If you really care. In 2000, a 96-ft. tall coffee cup water tower (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/images/ia/IASTAcup_tony.jpg) was erected to complement the coffee pot. Its capacity dwarfs the old pot, holding 150,000 gallons of water ready for percolation. It won the 2000 "Tank of the Year" award from the Steel Plate Manufacturer's Association!

[race66]

Race66, what time does the bike nite usually start, how long does it last? I would hate to miss out on a bike nite that big, that's a lot of bikes.



around 4pm to about 10pm. biggest crowd 6pm to 8pm.

yeah, it's a HUGE amount of bikes for this area. :thumbup:

[Doc Havoc]

Stone City General Store is near J&P in Stone City... it has great food and usually some bikers on the weekends.

In Cedar Rapids Iowa there is a bar called the Chrome Horse... I like it... it's a popular place on the weekend especially Friday evening ... lots of bikes to look at free live music... good food ... good people watching...

Stone City General Store is a great place... every Sunday around lunch it is packed. 1/2 with bikers and the other half church-goers! Not to worry they all get along. Right on the Wapsi river. Throw some bread over the railing outside to see monster catfish come up out of the mud. Great burgers and pork tenderloins.

J&P is nothing special. During events they have lots of stuff set-up but the rest of the time they are just a warehouse with a small show room. And as mentioned before, they are pricey. The events are fun but I won't ever buy anything there again during an event. You stand in line for 30 minutes at one booth only to get a piece of paper, then you have to go to the parts counter and stand in line another 30 minutes, only to find out they gave you the wrong part number... and then they send you back to the booth! Then they pull the wrong part.. etc. etc. The 10-15% you save on event days isn't worth the hassle.

When the place has nothing going on it is better but it is really just a Harley store with more after-market stuff.

Chrome Horse is a cool place... they have some outside tables, kinda reminds me of the bar that Home Makeover built at the end of the Wild Hogs movie.;)
"A real leather parking lot!"
Tends to draw more of a "weekend biker" crowd. Lots of "butt jewelry there". (I.e. bikes that spend most of their time making someone's butt look good instead of being ridden.) But still not a bad place, and worth a look if you are in town. Really good pizzas.

Another good place is Sutliff. They used to have one of the old bridges but it washed out. Now 1/2 the bridge is still there. But here is a picture of the place. Definitely worth a ride. Been there since 1899. The whole interior is papered with real dollar bills from everyone who has visited there.
Sutliff (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4wfQRPCHhViMFbjw7EDGSg?authkey=Gv1sRgCKPVkqyxiYL6W A&feat=directlink)

Also you might want to check out Maquoketa caves. Neat stuff there.

I know Kansas grows some corn too, but be sure to stop and get some sweet corn. Best kind is the local growers selling it in front of the grocery stores in town.
Stop by Fairway or Hy Vee and buy the fixings you need to grill out. Go to a park and use one of their charcoal grills. You can cook corn and steaks on the grill. Have the best food Iowa has to offer and be on your way again.

River ride is also very nice, either side.

No matter which way you go have fun and be safe.

[pirate X]

Hey guys, thanks for all the great input.
The wife and I are really looking forward to this trip and with all the good advice we have gotten here I think we will have plenty to see and do. That water tower is right on the top of my list for road side attractions, of coures I work for a water plant (clean water) so pics of wierd water towers are always high on my list. J&P has been bumped to "if we have time and nothing better to see" possible stop and The Great River Road is something we are both looking forward to.

Now if the weather will just cooperate everything will be good.

Thanks again
Trevis

[Doc Havoc]

If you like water towers, check out Pratt, KS. It is just west of Wichita.

Not on the way for this trip you are planning but it would make a nice day trip.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6PPudXjDug75Q0fl2U_bgg?feat=directlink

Head west out of town on 54/400 and on the left side of the road is a place called Rick's great place, good food. Great place for breakfast.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yDYEej91aDVqCqX2eVApNw?feat=directlink

[pirate X]

We left home (just SW of KC) dry with the rain behind us in Topeka. We found it soon as we hit MO. and stayed in it all day. Called it quits in Newton, very short of the Cedar Rapids or Dubuque we were shooting for. Right now we aren't sure where we are heading but I will take a day of riding in the rain over a day at work anytime. Now my wife that's a different story, she has done great so far nearly ZERO gripes and the biggest one being that her new bike is completely cover in road grime. Oh well, had to happen sooner or later. Considering the weather I think she is doing great. This is her first time as a rider in the rain instead of a passenger and while the speed is a little slower than I usually ride in the rain 50 -55 is not bad.

Looking forward to another day on the bikes, just hope we find some dry roads.

[Jon Roberts]

Hang in there Pirate, the forecast is looking better8) We have had about 20 hours of rain since Wed. noon, ugh. Thinking about meeting our son from MPS in Decorah on Friday or Saturday to ride one more time this summer. Wish I knew when that Grandson was going to make his appearance, maybe if I took our DIL for a ride that would speed things up :yikes:

[ronazon]

Hey, if you get up to CR, and want to wash the bikes or grab some coffee, let me know. We are doing a little ride up to Alburnett for dinner at Mahoney's...supposed to be great food. Call my cell 319-899-4957.

Ron

[pirate X]

Made it home saturday about 7:30pm total of 980.9 Yamaha miles or 1021.6 Honda miles. Made it as far as Waterloo on Thursday, tried for Cedar Rapids but it looked like we were going to get wet again about 20 miles north and turned around. According to the news that night there was some flooding around there, but im not exactly sure where.

Sorry we couldn't meet any of you guys but by the time the sun came out we were ready to put some miles on the bikes. Friday we left waterloo at 10:30am and pulled into our hotel at Nebraska City at 9:45. long day but we were able to see the windmill in Elk Horn the bridges, had some lunch at the place in the movie and the stone tower in the park at Winterset. WOW someone should have warned me about the little road going back to that thing, narrow, steep, twisty and rough in a few spots. I actually snapped one of the bolts on my easy brackets going over one spot in there. We were also able to see the big frying pan, a matchstick museum and one other place that wasn't on the list and just slipped my mind right now.

All in all we had a great trip and are looking forward to haeading back. We can make a day trip out of seening the water towers, and I am still looking forward to the Great River Road.

Thanks for all the advice. Wish we could have met, you seem like a good bunch of guys.

Trevis

[KLM361]

Yes we had about 7 inches of rain on thursday. Alot of flooding here for thursday and friday. Glad your ride was good. Maybe we will see you next time.

[Jon Roberts]

You just have to come back. This weather is simply strange with no explanation, this week has been totally dry but nice & cool---haven't had a chance to ride this week :sad:
Jon