Colorful Palatte

MINBURN, IOWA - On one of my early morning rides on the Raccoon River Valley Trail this past week, I was greeted with a gorgeous sky in the west as the rising sun in the east illuminated a small thunderstorm off on the horizon.  Such a gorgeous time of the year on the trail with the lush, green corridor sprinkled with colors from the native prairie wildflowers along the trail, the songbirds along the way and even the sky!

Iowa Monsoon

GRANGER, IOWA - Recent analysis by the State Climatologist shows that we just went through one if the wettest, if not THE wettest spring, on record in Iowa.  It's June 10th and the crops are at least two weeks behind where they should be in a "typical" year.  There are wet spots and ponds all over the place.  Quite a 180 degree difference from a year ago.
     I took this picture during one of the many storms we have experienced this spring.  It's actually quite powerful and beautiful at the same time.  This line of storms actually produced several reports of funnel clouds and radar indicated tornadoes in Polk and Story Counties.

RRVT North Loop Grand Opening

PERRY, IOWA - Last Saturday was a big day of celebration here in Dallas County as the north loop of the Raccoon River Valley Trail is now officially complete, with the last stretch of concrete being poured between Dawson and Herndon just a couple of weeks ago.  A grand opening celebration was held in downtown Perry with a number of dignitaries, media and scores of cyclists who rode in for the event.  It was really exciting to see the enthusiasm about the trail and what the future holds for the communities along the trail system, and the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association did an outstanding job (as always) of organizing the event which also coincided with National Trails Day.

Even with rain threatening, there was a big crowd in Perry.

A number of vendors had booths and displays in Perry's Caboose Park.

Cyclists picking up their card for the Poker Ride in Dallas Center.

Trout Run Trail

DECORAH, IOWA - Over the Memorial Day weekend, we had the chance to visit northeast Iowa and stay in the charming community of Decorah.  If you enjoy anything outdoors, the Decorah area has just about anything you could ask for - cycling, paddling, fishing, hiking, camping, etc.  The "driftless" area of Northeast Iowa is incredibly scenic and offers many areas to explore.
     On the top of my list to check out was the Trout Run Trail, a ten mile looped trail recently completed around and through the City of Decorah.  The trail takes you along the Upper Iowa River in Decorah, through some commercial/residential areas, and eventually out of town along Trout Run Creek, past the fish hatchery and the infamous eagle nest, and then through some absolutely stunning scenery south of Decorah before bringing you back into town where you cross a new bridge over Highway 9 and up to a cut where limestone was blasted away to blaze a path for the trail as you roll back down into Decorah proper.
     I had a chance to ride the loop twice while I was there - both times going in a clockwise fashion around the loop.  Again, I will let the photos speak for themselves!

View from the top of one of the hills looking Northwest toward Decorah

Peering into Trout Run Valley from one of the switchbacks

A foggy view down one of the long grades.

Gateway to the Trail on the southeast edge of Decorah

Limestone cut just before you roll back into Decorah

This is dairy country.