Cycling the Driftless Region | PART 4: MORE ADVENTURES ALONG THE GREAT RIVER ROAD

Part 4 of my small adventure in the Driftless Region finds me waking in DeSoto to a clear, blue sky morning. Following the Great River Road, or the Mississippi River Trail, I cycle south toward Prairie du Chien (doesn’t that mean “prairie dog”?). Along the way, however, I encounter challenging hills, headwinds, and worsening road conditions, that wear me out. I decide to grab lunch in Prairie du Chien before heading over the bridge to Marquette, Iowa, a lovely little town with a historic feel that sits beneath lush bluffs. Hungry, as always, I find all the cafes in restaurants closed for the day, and try my luck with a sloppy joe at the riverboat casino. Disappointed, I grab a giant slice of pizza at the Casey’s, which I carry back to my hotel, where it slips from my hand and falls top first onto the hotel carpet. A weight loss opportunity.
Music:
On the Bayou - Chris Shards
Epidemic Sound
No One’s buying Anymore - Go For Howell
Epidemic Sound
High Noon - Track Tribe
KZbin-AudioLibrary
Phosphorescence - Kylie Dailey
Epidemic Sound

[@dondonner1095]

Just when you need a good meal, Caseys' was probably the best after all. Keep going, we are following along.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Casey's can definitely be a life saver!

[@annettehansen6329]

I want to thank you so very much for sharing your tours with us. It has been gloomy here in Indiana and I just started watching your tour in France. It is so beautiful and you can just feel the joy that you two share riding. I hope one day that my husband and I can do this same tour one day. Thank you for getting me through the winter gloomy days.❤

[@TheBicycleTourists]

What a great letter! Putting these together is what gets me through MY winter. Hope the two of you can share great tours. Its a truly bonding experience!

[@kennethhusted4850]

Hey Roland and Julianna- Really glad I discovered your channel. I'm a lifelong bicycle enthusiast and have done some touring like you guys, mostly in my youth. Now I'm 69 y.o. and can't ride for now due to bad hips. Had my right hip replaced in June, will get the left done in coming months. Anyway, I'm getting sucked in by the beauty of your cinematography, fantastic editing, your great live and studio narration. Not to mention the riding, discussion, the challenges and how you solve them. Also, it's very enjoyable to hear the history of the area where you're riding. As a former pro musician (70's and 80's), then recording studio owner I also am blown out by the consistent great music you edit into your vids. It really creates an elevated mood! My son (composing/performing) and I (mastering help) have done some music kind of like you use for a youtuber we know (EVatrics). My compliments on the vids I've seen, still have many more to see. You're videos seem higher quality and more creative than a lot of what I watch on Y.T. Your style reminds me of a Ken Burns/PBS style documentary. Are you a filmaker by trade? I feel like I'm really travelling with you from my armchair. Keep up the excellent work!

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

+💯‼️ Couldn’t have phrased that out any better !

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Well, thank you so much, Kenneth! Before retiring, I was a creative director in advertising. I conceived and art directed many TV commercials but never actually did hands-on filming, editing, sound, voice over, etc. So it's been a huge learning curve, just the kind of thing to keep an aging brain active! I am blown away by the music available these days in stock. Some great talent out there. So once you get the hip replaced will you be able to ride again? I've heard those procedures are very successful these days. Hoping that's the case!

[@kennethhusted4850]

Hey Roland- Yes, I will ride again when I get my left hip replaced! But I'm getting an Ebike. We have a lot of hills in our area (north of Seattle) and I'm not getting any younger! It was only a few years ago that I was riding in Switzerland and Italy for a week. I posted pics of it on my IG. I just watched your video leaving Issaquah, Washington where you followed trails to a series of dead ends and fences. That's a real bummer. We do have some great trails in our state but I see we have more work to do. I will try to look into what's going on with the trails around Issaquah and into the mountains starting with our local chapter of the Cascade Bicycle club which is a very strong organization. Keep doing what you're doing, it gives me inspiration to get back on a bike!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Good to hear about the hip. Issaqua was a mess, but I’ve since spotted the error in my navigation. E-bikes, I think, are in all of our future, if we want to ride like we do. Every year it’s a bit harder.

[@marklawrence4596]

Really cool to see all the hills and bluffs in that region. I had no idea it was so beautiful along the Mississippi in Wisconsin and Iowa! Your videography is great. And as always, I enjoy you commentary as you ride and when you edit. Thanks!!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you Mark. Definitely a great area to check out, I love this part of the country.

[@ecorb6614]

Hi Roland. Love your videos. I’ve been watching for over a year. You do a great job! Please keep them coming 😊 sorry you lost your pizza 🍕😮

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hello, and thank you! I promise there are many more in the tank.

[@PumpkinVillage]

Some nice scenery and not so nice roads. Still beautiful thou. To bad about dinner. Thanks' for the video and take care, Al

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks Al. It was a weight loss opportunity.

[@TerrapinCyclist]

@@TheBicycleTourists Ouch

[@TheJoePavlik]

Sorry about the pizza. Thanks for another video!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

You are very welcome!

[@dennispiciullo8060]

It's hard to find a good meal in those small towns, I guess you should are the pizza at Casey's! Great footage though

[@TheBicycleTourists]

It IS hard. Makes me yearn for the dining in France, where no matter how small the town, there is usually good food to be had.

[@dennispiciullo8060]

Yeah, I can eat almost anything, that's not exotic, I'm a meat and potatoes guy, or a broke food guy, lol

[@TheBicycleTourists]

You can't be too picky on the road.

[@cherylbigoness7441]

Love your videos! Do miss Julianna 😊always love a women’s point of view ! So sorry about your pizza! 😮 🍕

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yeah, it's hard even editing these without Julianna. Just not the same.

[@Eagle-ht1te]

I did the St. Paul to just north of Kokomo, Indiana this past May. Had a headwind the whole trip and I swear the hills were worse than the mountains of the west. Also, the gnats were almost unbearable - I was told by the locals I hit gnat season just perfect. I crossed over to Iowa at Lansing and even with the bad shoulders you experienced it appears the Prarie du Chien was the better option, the hills on the Iowa side were brutal. I guess I was lucky, the casino buffet was open when I stayed the night in Marquette, it was the best meal of the 3 week ride. You are correct though, there is something magical of riding through the towns of the midwest.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Well, I got a taste of that Mississippi Bluff Iowa hill country, and yeah, it looks like that stretch between Marquette and Lansing would be really rough. When is gnat season?

[@HackHunter1835]

What about the "5 second rule?" lol Dropped a pizza a time or two, lucky it never came out of the box. I know the feeling after a long ride and that hunger pain kicks in. You need that reward of food! On to the next one Roland.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Nope, this was a slice in an open paper basket. No hope for recovery. On to the next one, you're right!

[@Rarebond11th-ze5lw]

Yeah... we've got 10 miles of bad roads in every direction! It laughably cuts down on the tourist traffic😂

[@TheBicycleTourists]

No doubt!

[@brianmccarty3615]

Yes, the name means "dog's meadow". The bridge into Lansing is very narrow and is open grid.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Glad I didn't take that. Sounds sketchy.

[@stephenmorton8017]

Casino is really packing them in.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I bet. It was dead when I was there, but looks like they do a lot of business…

[@stephenmorton8017]

@@TheBicycleTourists sorry about the pizza! doh!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

ha!

[@billbike9573]

Hi Roland, thank you for the very nice impressions! What drone do you use? It adds valuable footage to your documentaries!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thanks! I use a DJI. I love what it brings!

[@markfeldman6509]

Tough ride and tough day. Great videography. Btw…do you have a radar sensor for your bike since you do so much in road cycling? It might be a good piece of equipment to pick up. Thanks for,sharing this experience. It is appreciated. 😊

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hey Mark, I do not have one although I've looked into it. Garmin makes it, corrrect?

[@markfeldman6509]

@@TheBicycleTourists …correct. Garmin makes a great unit and I believe it is $200+- . It’s a must have piece of equipment for you folks as you do so much riding in traffic. Your last video I could sense your concern for safety and a heads up awareness and need to be alert. You seemed uncomfortable. Treat your self for Christmas. Happy holidays. Looking forward to meeting up on Cape Cod next summer. I’m heading to Florida next week for four months. I don’t do winter any more!

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Cheers, and Merry Christmas

[@maxdugan5319]

Great video as always! What is the brand name of the mirror?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you Max! That is the Bikase Handlebar Mirror. Available everywhere, I'd guess.

[@evanlouis8853]

I enjoyed your video. Thanks for posting. Wondering if that is a microphone on your chest going to a gopro?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Thank you! Yep, I am trying out a lavalier mic to clean up the dialogue.

[@billbike9573]

@@TheBicycleTourists Is it connected via Bluetooth?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Yes, Bluetooth . You can connect to any recording device, including iPhone. So far it’s been a bit finicky though, not always recording when it should. Probably user error tbh. Made by DJI. Pricey.

[@TerrapinCyclist]

Challenging day - food and road conditions. If you were to do it again, would you ride the Iowa side earlier?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

The Iowa side through here mostly is not on the river, and zero shoulder, although it looks like a much quieter road. No, I'd probably suffer through this side.

[@annettehansen6329]

Would you share what lock or locks you use?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Ottolock Combination Bike Lock. Lightweight kevlar strap, but the combo stopped working (luckily when it was off the bike) so I didn't have a lock on this trip.

[@garryhatchett775]

Julianna not able to come on this trip?

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Nope. She's busy being a grandma this year.

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

Salut Roland, You are brave ! This pampered euro-cyclist would have decided that this road was unridable, would have shamelessly turned tail and would considered an alternative/multimodal mode of transportation (aka hitch-hiking a ride). Speaking of multimodal, that won’t surprise you, the vicinity of that rail-track got me wondering can you hitch a cab ride in the US ? (Hope you won’t mind the off-topic) Not unlike in many european countries, if I got it right, you could, until fairly recently, ask a freight train crew for a cab ride in the US, sadly this has been strictly regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration and is no longer allowed.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

Hey Claude, I suppose once you're in the predicament you just keep going. It always gets better. Most places in the US, when you're in a bind, you're only shot is to find a kind soul with a pickup truck. There are no public transportation solutions, cabs, passenger trains, etc. But, fortunately, no shortage of kind souls!

[@cyclistefroisse9267]

You just keep going, indeed, because there is no other option available. Been there, done that. No shortage of kind souls in the US, can’t think of any other western country where people spontaneously check if cyclists, for instance GDMBR riders, are OK. In the Great Bassin or NM, other road users topping up cyclists water bottles if needed or offering, again spontaneously, to store their food in their trunk, if no bear boxes are available, in places like Colorado or Montana. Ditto, US hunters inviting cyclists to share a freshly shot piece of venison roasted on a fire pit. That just doesn’t happen in Europe, AFAIK.

[@TheBicycleTourists]

I think that people are more generous the scarcer they are. In these empty places, you might be the only soul someone can count on.