Dec 4 in Eastern Iowa

I just traded by 00 R11R for an 01 R11RT and got the chance to do a little riding yesterday. This is somewhat rare this time of year in my neck of the woods.

So I took off from Cedar Rapids and headed northeast on 151 to Dubuque. Wanted to get highway miles in to try to judge touring comfort. It's been pretty warm around here, so the landscape was much greener than normal, although of course the trees have defoliated and the crops are (mostly) all out. The terrain is gently rolling, mostly farmland, with numerous stands of tree and prairie interspersed. The hills get more dramatic as you approach the Mississippi. At no place does anything approach 'Scenic and Wild', but I am one of those wacky souls that really digs the Iowascape.

I stopped in Dubuque for awhile. It is, I believe, the oldest town in Iowa, settled sometime in the 1600s by French miners. It is a typical old river town that was devastated by the migration out of industry in the 60s/70s. They are attempting a comeback now, and appear somewhat successful. They have some nice architecture:

They also boast the steepest, shortest cable car ride in the world. You can see where the elite of Dubuque lived at one time...

Here's a pic of the new bike...

I found this little shop called 'The Yorkshire Rose' run by a nice lady from Leeds. We had a pleasant conversation and I picked up a few holiday items. Oh, and this...

I headed south of out Dubuque on what passes for twisties in Iowa. More like nice gentle curves. Drove down along the Mississippi to Bellevue another quaint little river town. Here's a pic taken from the lock and dam there, over the Big Muddy, toward the Galena area of Illinois...

Headed home across the winding roads of Hwys 62 and 64 from there, had a wonderful ride, about 250 miles all told. I really love my RT, it's comfortable, handles great, and really hauls @$$ compared to my roadster. The roads were mostly empty, except for a few chickens on the road at one point near Wyoming (Iowa, that is). Apologize for the lack of dramatic photos, but, hey, it's Iowa in December, there's no snow (thankfully!), and I was mostly busy riding and learning.

And it's another nice day today.... :clap

Cheers all,
Steve

Nice pictures! I happen to like Dubuque. Been there several times on business, and the folks there are very friendly and have a good time. You should go out to Dyersville and get some shots of the field of dreams.

Nice pictures. Great to see that the bike is starting for you :thumb

[QUOTE=lorazepam]Nice pictures! I happen to like Dubuque. Been there several times on business, and the folks there are very friendly and have a good time. You should go out to Dyersville and get some shots of the field of dreams.[/QUOTE]

We've been there a couple times, and I'm sure will be back again.

I grew up in Manchester, just a few miles from there...and my mom was a Dyer...

Steve

Nice ride report. I like the scenery in the middle of America. I spent quite a bit of time in Iowa & Minnesota about 10 year ago. I found the people to be some of the best in the nation.

Nice pictures & nice bike.