Day 16, Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 67 miles
Good morning! You would think that after riding through four
states yesterday (SD, MN, IA, IL) that we would be done for a
while. Oh no, not us! Today it’s back to Iowa for the Dubuque County Fair with FREE
admission before 3:00 PM. We’re up for
that. After a wonderful breakfast at the Chestnut Mountain Resort we go back
down the gravel road to get to highway US-20
and into Dubuque. We paid $5 to park our bikes in a level spot and entered the
fair for FREE!
(In case I didn’t mention it, my brother Duane and his wife Peggy got in last
night around 10:00) Here’s proof:
It’s not everyday you get an audience with the Queen let
alone a picture. Duane and I, (Photo courtesy of Cathy) and then
Cathy and Peggy with the 2008 Dubuque County Fair Queen. (This may be worth
something someday. I’ll sell you prints!)
As with most fairs, there was fun for kids, young and old!
Chainsaw wood carvings, crafts, vendors, rides, critters, etc. We saw
magician Steve Trash. I told him the best trick was that he was at both of the
last two fairs I attended, haven seen him at the
Wyandotte County Fair in Kansas City, Kansas. What are the chances?
Here’s a good one, Dan the Horn Man. He has horns attached
all over himself and plays songs. Quite good, quite entertaining!
We saw Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! Well, maybe just tigers but that was
pretty cool anyhow.
We capped our evening off with a truck and tractor pull, all included in the price of admission. (Did I mention FREE?)
At the end, we had a pleasant ride back to the lodge. I saved this picture from the morning to serve as our “Goodnight” shot.
That is the view we had from our room this morning. Open
windows, cool air. Nice to wake up to. In the mean time, it’s goodnight.
See you tomorrow when we go to Beaver Dam. That will be the last day going away
from home as our trip is nearing the end… L