Conrad, Iowa – Trying to knock down a 100-mile day on this tour but by the 80-mile mark I’m just not feeling it.
Trying to knock down a 100-mile day on this tour but by the 80-mile mark I’m just not feeling it.
Started early, leaving Ogden, IA at 6:10 a.m. It was a gorgeous pink sunrise after a storm that must have dropped 5-inches of rain easy. Fell in love with quiet Ogden while drifting into the community and saw the Standard Station.
What perfect preservation of a step back in time. The milky white exterior, simple red piping by the roofline and two pumps standing guard on the small island. I imagined leaning out the window of our wood panel station wagon and watching the numbers on the gas meter click away as my younger sister reveled in the aroma of the toxic gasoline fumes. Then my dad would flip that flat metal off switch back and return the hose with a kathunk.
Made my way through the Farmers’ Market in Ames. Three blocks long, a petting zoo, and another head nod to history.
Through Marshalltown, IA with my eyes set on Grundy Center. I had 29 miles to go. Headed north with some headwinds and by Conrad I had enough.
It was very difficult finding a place to stay in Conrad. Nobody at the church and while there was consistent traffic at the Post Office nobody knew anything. Nobody knew the mayor or council member or a priest.
I stopped a man walking into Casey’s grocery and he pointed me to another church about three blocks to the north. While pedaling Lillian Avenue I asked a woman in a golf cart for directions. It was Jamie, she had common sense and took me home.
“Honey, this gal is looking to throw her sleeping bag down for the night and I thought she could use our camper,” she said to husband Rick.
Another common-sense person. Rick did not argue; they made it just that simple.
Then the real kicker, while touring his woodworking shop I found Rick was in IT, setting up computer security and whatnot. “I’ve worked in Dane County,” he said about his tie to Wisconsin. “Also, Washington County.”
With that, we found we knew the same people in law enforcement.
Such a small world and great new friends.
Side notes on the tour:
Searched for the history center in Marshalltown, IA. What I found instead was a diner with a simple storefront and a long legacy for loose meat sandwiches.
”One wet,” said the man sitting at the counter round the turn. “Wet” I understood meant extra grease. The waiter wrote the order on a white paper napkin.
The sandwich came with mustard and a pickle. Cheese was extra. A spoon was required.
The fist-sized serving came double wrapped in paper. Grease had already soaked through the first layer of paper and the bun. A steady stream of customers came through the door, like church let out. Nobody looked at a menu. The place was legend.
-Both Nebraska and Iowa have kernels of corn littering the shoulder of the highway. It’s fun to see when one rogue seed takes hold in a slim crack in the pavement.
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This year’s tour is intended to highlight previous Winter Olympics as we head into the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, Italy.
Local speed skater Jordan Stolz is expected to compete in four events and if you would like to be part of Team Jordan feel free to pledge your support by using the QR code below courtesy the Dan Jansen Foundation.
Jansen’s foundation is a 501c3 and he’s agreed to donate 100% of all support noted to Jordan Stolz. Be part of Team Stolz today.