May 29, 2020
Sterile Iowa(n) Falls
Today’s destination was Iowa Falls, a town of ~5,000 on the Iowa River, north of Eldora. Peggy was up for another gravel ride and after considering several options it seemed like a good choice. We’ve had a lot of rain, and though the intended route was mostly gravel, there were a number of nearby county highways in case of we encountered muddy roads. Also, the winds were predicted to be a bit stiff – 18-20 mph from the northwest – and we hoped that woodlands along the river might afford some protection on the outbound leg. Finally, I’d really enjoyed my last ride in and around Eldora and was keen to revisit the area.
It was sunny and warming by the time we reached our starting point in Eldora, with predictions for more of the same over the course of the day. Heading east out of town, we quickly crossed the Iowa River and turned north, skirting the north side of Pine Lake on a wonderful paved trail. The trail wound through the recently-opened campground populated with a few tents and campers. We turned north on county highway S56 toward Steamboat Rock into pretty strong headwinds - my helmet was almost blown off in the wake of an oncoming semi that crossed my path at a high speed. A small detour took us into what we thought was Steamboat Rock, but we somehow missed the main business district.
We continued north on S56, a gradual uphill into the wind. Traffic was fairly light until we neared US 20, one of the major east-west routes across Iowa. The river was to our left, but provided little buffer from the winds. It was a grinding stretch, head down, paying little attention to the surroundings and anticipating another huge gust with each approaching semi. We finally crossed over US 20 and turned west onto a small gravel road that took us past a farm industrial area of corn processors and grain bins. Approaching the T intersection, it looked like we might be welcomed by the American Gothic couple – I first thought they were cardboard figures, the kind that has a cutout for your face. Not so, just two statues with a pet bull fronting a curious assemblage of small buildings, outhouses and a fence festooned with flag bunting. A few hundred yards along, we met Justin who, decked out in coveralls and carrying a pitchfork, looked a bit like a younger version of the American Gothic farmer. We had a nice chat with Justin, an Iowa State alum, who informed us that there was some type of gravel ride coming through this weekend. It was nothing we had heard about, and we bade him farewell.
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The Iowa River meanders through a gently rolling landscape of timberland and open fields and our route necessarily followed a somewhat zig-zag path. The heavy rains of the last few days had left several areas of standing water in some of the low-lying fields; however, the road surfaces were dry and hard packed. With the exception of one stretch. Shortly after crossing back to the left bank we encountered the dreaded “Road Closed” sign, which was summarily ignored. We continued for a few hundred yards, rounded a corner and saw what precipitated the closure: an idle road construction project for a new drainage ditch. The roadway was rutted, muddy and/or soft in spots, but easily passable thanks to Vivien George.
We continued to battle the wind as we headed northwest towards Iowa Falls. I was clearly ready for a break and hoping the sun would finally emerge from the clouds. Coming off another set of rollers, I came to a sudden to in front of a most curious directional marker, one with “Sterile Iowan” blazed under an outline of the state. I didn’t know what it meant, but it clearly warranted a photo. Peggy zoomed past and braked in front of another sign, just ahead but pointing in the opposite direction. After some head-scratching and a few chuckles, we remounted our bikes for the last push into Iowa Falls. I immediately heard a sound of distress coming from Peggy – she had thrown her chain and was having trouble getting it back on. I took my turn, finding the chain decidedly jammed. We kept at it, and I was trying to ignore the fact that our team effort clearly violated social distancing. Not to mention our location on a lonely gravel road about 5 miles from Iowa Falls. It took about ten minutes (I’m sure it seemed much longer to Peggy) but the chain was finally freed and we were on our way.
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Our first stop in Iowa Falls was Whispering Giant #68, an Indian Head sculpture by Peter Toth that sits on a low bluff overlooking the Iowa River. The work is one of Toth's series Trail of the Whispering Giant, comprised of 74 sculptures that honor Native Americans. There is at least one sculpture in each of the fifty states. I thought we might lunch here, but the lone bench was nestled in the shade; bleachers at a nearby tennis court provided a sunny and more roomy spot.
After lunch, we stopped for water at Casey’s where I inquired as to the location of the falls, presuming that the town moniker originated from some natural feature along the Iowa River. The clerk had no idea, other that saying there was a dam down river. My subsequent research indicated that the naming of the town was a bit controversial, and that Iowa Falls was chosen “because just above Elk run the bed of the river was solid rock with a ripple or fall of two feet in about ten rods.” So, there was no natural falls of any significance. The other choice for town name was Rocksylvania. Given the two options, I’d vote for Iowa Falls – even though it’s a bit misleading.
Like many towns in Hardin County, the early settlers arrived in Iowa Falls in the 1850’s and many were Friends/Quakers. The growth of the town was due to its location as a major crossroads for rail, and later, automobile transportation - it sits at the junction of two early transcontinental highways - the north-south Jefferson Highway, and the east-west Grant Highway/US20 that runs between Boston and Seattle. The town also benefited from the generosity of a local real estate mogul, Eugene Ellsworth, whose legacy include Ellsworth College and the Metropolitan Opera House. We explored a bit of the downtown after lunch, baffled by the large number of Sterile Iowan directional signs that seemed to be pointing in every direction. Some of the signs had a blue state outline whereas others were red – I thought they might have some political meaning as our primary elections are in a few days. We left town still befuddled.
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The ride back to Eldora was a dream – the wind was at our backs and the sun had fully emerged. And to top it off, we learned the mystery of Sterile Iowan. We crossed to the right bank of the Iowa River and after a short stretch through the industrial outskirts of town turned back onto gravel. An oncoming car slowed and when we stopped for a chat I noticed the driver was wearing a Sterile Iowan hat. Turns out that Sterile Iowan is an Iowa gravel bike ride, named to both evoke and contrast Dirty Kanza, a ride of much greater history and renown held in our neighboring state. Due to the pandemic, the ride was being held over three days, on any of which the riders could complete a 50- or 100-mile loop (hence the red and blue colors). A few miles on, we ran into two Sterile Iowan participants who gave us a little more info on the ride (not a race) that had attracted about 220 riders this year, it's second year.
Our planned route followed the Sterile Iowan most of the way back to Eldora. The roads were nearly empty, and the terrain a nice mix of gentle rollers and straightaways through a varied landscape. We took advantage of the tailwind, not stopping too often, and were soon back at the cars and heading home. It was another great day on gravel, a type of local riding that is really growing on me.
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I’d like to make a final comment on the chaos that is enveloping the United States. I realize that this is not a forum for political comment, but I want to emphasize to folks that live outside the US that support for peaceful protests is widespread, even in places like Iowa. "Dominate the battlespace" is not the appropriate response. I fear for my country.
Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 652 miles (1,049 km)
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3 years ago