Ragbrai - Day 2 Atlantic to Carroll

Today was much, much better. Temperature in the 80’s, overcast with a light breeze until about noon. The hills were fun and rolling. The humidity was much less. It reminded me of last year’s ride. Our first stop were the twin towns of Elkhorn and Kimballtown – the 2 towns of Danish heritage. I toured the Danish Mill in Elkhorn. We then met at the Little Mermaid fountain (in Hans Christian Anderson park) that is said to be a replica of the original in Copenhagen. From there, we headed up through some of the most beautiful farmland of Iowa where the hills are rolling and the crops are lush.

The last 20 miles of the trip were through Carroll County, my home area. We started in Manning where the highlight was having State Fair winning pie in the Senior Center. I tried the peach which was out of this world. Outside Manning, they celebrated their German heritage with their rendition of their Hofbrau Haus. We then went on to Templeton. When I was in high school, Templeton was known as the party town, but its real claim to fame is that it is the home of Templeton Rye, the Prohibition banned whiskey. The making and selling of Templeton Rye during the time of Prohibition was a way for the farmers of Carroll County to supplement their income during the Great Depression. In 2001, Templeton Rye was introduced as a brand of whiskey and is distilled in Templeton and is the largest employer. Rumor has it that this Templeton rye is not quite the real recipe and that the “real recipe” whiskey is still made secretly in Carroll County.

From there we biked on to Dedham and Willey. Both towns are known for being on top of big hills with beautiful Catholic churches, ball fields, and beer gardens. In Willey, they were taking people on tours through St. Mary’s Church. It was hot and the church was air conditioned, so I went on the tour. It is a remarkable small town church. We then got to bike the infamous Dedham-Willey blacktop which is composed of 13 hills leading to Carroll.

Susannah and Valerie got into Carroll a little behind the rest of us and weren’t sure where to go. Susannah wandered for a while and there was no cell phone service. She finally stopped at Holy Spirit Church at the supper and asked if anyone knew where the Comito’s lived. She was given directions.

So that it is it for day 2 – my nephew says that Lance Armstrong is in Carroll and will be taking off at 8:30 tomorrow morning.