Farley, Iowa is a little town west of Dubuque on US20. US20 is one of the nicest riding roads in northern Illinois; Dubuque is always nice to visit, so we head off to Farley.US20 passes south of Rockford, and as we ride this stretch we see some fighter planes above the Rockford airport. We pull off onto IL 2, ride south a little bit and find a place to park the bike off the road. An air show is taking place at the airport, so we watch for a while and then get back on the road west.
ROCKFORD AIR SHOW
US20 is a nice road. From Elgin to Rockford, it’s a moderately curvy road, passing through many small towns. From Rockford past Freeport, it turns into a divided four lane, and is straighter and flatter, but still beats most interstates for riding pleasure. West of Freeport, it again becomes a two lane. This northwestern section of Illinois has more hills and scenery than most of the rest of Illinois, and the road is a beauty: lots of sweepers and lots of roller coasters.US20
US20
VIEWING TOWER ALONG US20
PAM AND THE VIEW NEAR THE TOWER
US20 IS A FAVORITE BIKE ROAD IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS
US20
US20
We enjoyed the ride through northern Illinois, crossed the bridge into Dubuque, and looked for some ice cream…it was HOT! Dubuque has a section near the river (the downtown section) and a section on the bluffs above the river. The bluffs presented a problem in the old days, so a funicular was built, also called the Fourth Street Elevator. It is a railway, quite steep. There is a good ice cream store at the bottom, so we headed there.MISSISSIPPI RIVER BRIDGE INTO DUBUQUE
FOURTH STREET ELEVATOR
FOURTH STREET AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ELEVATOR
We had a little time before the races in Farley, so we also stopped at the National Mississippi River Museum and bummed around for a while. Then we got back on US20 and headed west to the track.
FOURTH STREET ELEVATOR
FOURTH STREET AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ELEVATOR
We had a little time before the races in Farley, so we also stopped at the National Mississippi River Museum and bummed around for a while. Then we got back on US20 and headed west to the track.NATIONAL MISSISSIPPI RIVER MUSEUM
BIG MOTORS ON DISPLAY AT THE MUSEUM
AN OLD TUG ON DISPLAY
The track was a clay half-mile track with nice grandstands. The crowd was not too big, but not bad for a second year race at that track. The track was pretty rough, and the setting sun caused a long delay because the riders could not see turn three with the sun in their eyes.
BIG MOTORS ON DISPLAY AT THE MUSEUM
AN OLD TUG ON DISPLAY
The track was a clay half-mile track with nice grandstands. The crowd was not too big, but not bad for a second year race at that track. The track was pretty rough, and the setting sun caused a long delay because the riders could not see turn three with the sun in their eyes.BIKES AT THE TRACK
CLAY HALF-MILE
Once the racing actually got going, it was pretty good. It was nice to see the large vocal group of Rich King fans in his home state stands! He doesn’t get the respect from the fans that he likely deserves at most races, probably because he makes it look so easy.
Coolbeth took the win, followed by Carr, with King third. His fans were looking for a win, but third was pretty respectable on the rough track. Jess Roeder’s mechanical gremlins followed him to Farley: he lost his clutch after eight laps in the final. Mike Hacker took a spill in the qualifying races, but refused an ambulance ride to the hospital.
CLAY HALF-MILE
Once the racing actually got going, it was pretty good. It was nice to see the large vocal group of Rich King fans in his home state stands! He doesn’t get the respect from the fans that he likely deserves at most races, probably because he makes it look so easy.Coolbeth took the win, followed by Carr, with King third. His fans were looking for a win, but third was pretty respectable on the rough track. Jess Roeder’s mechanical gremlins followed him to Farley: he lost his clutch after eight laps in the final. Mike Hacker took a spill in the qualifying races, but refused an ambulance ride to the hospital.
GRANDSTANDS AT FARLEY
WHO SEZ POETRY IS DEAD?
Pam’s mothering instincts took over, and she insisted that we find Hacker in the pits and make sure he didn’t need any cash for the hospital. He was pretty banged up, but said he would wait to the next day to decide if a hospital visit was necessary.
We toured the pits for a while and then left to find a motel room.
WHO SEZ POETRY IS DEAD?
Pam’s mothering instincts took over, and she insisted that we find Hacker in the pits and make sure he didn’t need any cash for the hospital. He was pretty banged up, but said he would wait to the next day to decide if a hospital visit was necessary.We toured the pits for a while and then left to find a motel room.
JESS ROEDER DISCUSSES CLUTCHES
COOLBETH SWEATING AFTER HIS WIN
JB NORRIS INTERVIEWS LOCAL HERO RICH KING
JARED MEES AND NOCHOLE CHEZA MEET THE FANS
The next morning we headed east on 20 toward home. The air show was still happening in Rockford, so we took a short break and watched the planes for a half hour or so.
COOLBETH SWEATING AFTER HIS WIN
JB NORRIS INTERVIEWS LOCAL HERO RICH KING
JARED MEES AND NOCHOLE CHEZA MEET THE FANS
The next morning we headed east on 20 toward home. The air show was still happening in Rockford, so we took a short break and watched the planes for a half hour or so.US20 WEST OF DUBUQUE
US20 EAST OF GALENA
US20
ROCKFORD AIR SHOW
US20 EAST OF GALENA
US20
ROCKFORD AIR SHOW
MOCK BOMBING RUN AT THE AIR SHOW
DOGFIGHT OVER ROCKFORD!
DOGFIGHT OVER ROCKFORD!
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