Tree In The Road Ride: Lodging, Camping, Route Details

I announced this ride last week HERE, so if this is news to you, please go back and check on the announcement for some pertinent details.

This post will cover options for camping and hotels along with some thoughts on the route.So, let's dig in...

Camping: There are two spots in Atlantic which are available for camping. One is called the Schildberg Recreation Area. This is on the outskirts of Atlantic, Iowa to the North of the town. There are RV spots available at a pretty reasonable rate.

The other in-town spot is called Sunnyside Campgrounds which is part of a fairgrounds complex on the Southwestern side of town. This might be better for those wishing to use a tent.

Hotels/Motel: there are two motels near Atlantic on Highway 6 and one Northeast of town along Interstate 80. The two near-town choices are the Rock Island Inn & Suites and the other is America's Best Value Inn & Suites. The motel by I-80 is the Days Inn by Wyndam Suites Atlantic. 

NOTE: I am not recommending any of these camping or motel choices. You should, and need to, do your own research and your choice is your responsibility. I am merely providing the links and references for your convenience.

Note On The Route: Blog reader Rob has ridden a loop out of Atlantic and has provided me with a GPS track which I have been researching. The route he used has been modified to eliminate a private road which was not private when Rob first made this route. I also have a few options I could inject here, but first, before I do any mods, I am going to give you some route highlights and see what the reaction is. (See the intro post, linked above, for specific route highlights and their mileage in the route as drawn up) 

So, as it was originally put out, the Tree In The Road comes early in the route. This is doing things anticlockwise. If we went round the other way, the Tree would come about 18 miles from the end of the route. HOWEVER; this would put the long section of bike path first, which is a maximum 3% railroad grade climb to Audubon, which is about halfway into the loop. Not quite, but almost. Going the other way puts all the climbing in the front end of the course and Audubon comes about six miles after halfway in. 

Additionally, I could put in more gravel at the end, but the mileage would go up. The flip side is keeping the bike path all the way to a few miles outside of Atlantic and having to ride a big chunk of that along Highway 71. The route, as written, is at 65.2 miles, so a bit more than a metric century. 

Okay, that is all I have for you this time. Give me your feedback in the comments or email me. I'll update this after I get your comments. If I don't get any comments I will assume no one cares and that I can proceed as I deem fit. (Note: You may not want me to do that!)