Country Views: Camera Nerd

Escape Route; Black hawk Park w/Josh Paxton

 I was out for a ride yesterday and it was a ride for a specific purpose. I was helping a friend to get some imagery for a project he is working on. While this was happening it struck me that a LOT of cyclists are photographers and several are downright "camera nerds". 

Note: I say that out of love and respect for you if you, are in fact, a camera nerd. No putdown intended. 

I happen to know a few of these folks and a few of them have helped me out with imagery in the past. People like Steve Fuller, Wally Kilburg, George Keslin, Jason Boucher, and Jon Duke. All cyclists, all definitely camera nerds. 

I know Erik Mathy who takes 'camera nerdery' to the next level. It's amazing stuff, in my opinion, and when I spent time with Erik in 2022 at the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame days, I was constantly amazed by his talents. 

Well, on Tuesday I spent time with another camera freak, Josh Paxton. He is setting up something that is an image-heavy online thing and he wanted a section on cycling to be a prominent part of that project, so he talked me into being a 'model' for a day. We decided to head out to start the ride from Black Hawk Park.

Ford Road near Black Hawk Park

I've always liked this barn. The owner keeps it in pretty good shape.

We left the park and immediately were on Ford Road going North. It isn't all that long of a stretch, but it is picturesque in several spots. This is generally enhanced by good morning light and Fall colors, both of which were happening on this day.

Josh coming up on the intersection of Ford Road and Mt. Vernon Road. He forgot his helmet, so don't "@" me!

Ford Road looking North from the intersection with Mt. Vernon Road.

The thing about these camera nerds is that they stop. A lot! "Hey! Can I get you to ride toward me here?", or "Stand still here and act natural.", as the photographer sticks a $10,000.00 camera rig three inches from your face. "Yeah, no problem! I always have a camera pointed RIGHT AT MY HEAD!" I'm used to it, ya know? Ha ha! 

Josh riding up out of the Ford Road Access.

It was a glorious Fall morning.

We explored a bit of the Ford Road Access to the Washington Access fire road. We didn't go all the way to the Washington Access trail, but I was surprised to find that this trail had been cleared and was very rideable. It wasn't always so. I was out this way a couple of times, once in 2008 and another time six years later, and the Ford Road Access trail was impassable by bike and nearly so on foot. It's good to see it back in ship-shape again. 

I had forgotten that there is a pretty steep climb up from the flood plain to the road on the Ford Road Access. Josh had me ride down it a bit so he could photograph me climbing up. (This modeling gig! I tell ya! What these photogs put us through! Ha ha!) 

After a couple hours we were finished. It was great to get out early and ride some, despite all the stops and sessioning. Good to see Ford Road again and that the access trail is open. I need to get out that way again soon.

Trans Iowa Stories:"I'll Kill Ya!"

The third, and final, Trans Iowa v8 header art concept that was used on the site. Courtesy of Jeff Kerkove.

 "Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject by going back to earlier Sunday posts on this blog. Thanks and enjoy!

The events of the next Trans Iowa in the line of this story were all etched into my memory as if it were the first time I'd done it. In a way, it was the first time. I hadn't done all of the work to put on the event in five years. Now, I was on my own. Back in 2014 as I recapped Trans Iowa's history for this blog, I wrote the following, which should serve as a good recap of where I left off in the telling of the events surrounding version seven of Trans Iowa:

 "It was over. Trans Iowa V7 was done, but I had a "Dirt Rag" story to write, sponsors to thank, and some emotionally charged situations going on that seemed to put the endurance factor of Trans Iowa v7 on much longer than I imagined. There was the tension between David and I, my buddy MG was ticked off, and I had just about reached my limits in terms of being able to take any more. There was only one thing that fueled my desire to do another Trans Iowa- that was my complete and utter determination to put on a flawless Trans Iowa. Before the event was even done, I had silently vowed to myself that I would take Trans Iowa on and dominate the logistical and promotional parts of the event and show how it really could be done. I knew it could be way better."

It was also true that I had said after Trans Iowa v3 that I'd never do the event again alone. However; I never dreamed I'd end up in the situation I did at the time of v7. That pretty much lit a fire within me and I can say honestly I haven't been that motivated to do anything since. 

Lots of things needed attention, most of those having to do with recon of the route and cue sheets. One of the things I changed was that whatever the route was to be, that route would have a draft of cues for it well ahead of the event. In fact, they would be independently verified. The original plan was to have whomever was to verify the cues do it alone by my draft of the cues. That way any issues found would be natural, so to speak. I wouldn't be there to influence the outcome, and people would know the route was legit. However; my two volunteers that stepped up to do this, Wally and George, insisted I come along, since any issues could be sussed out easily if I was there, and it would save time and money. I acquiesced and in March of 2012, I joined them in Grinnell for the first "Checking Crew" ride. Here's what I wrote at the time leading up to the recon:

 "This year, besides having all the cues drafted far in advance, the cues will actually be double checked by a third party. This will happen this weekend when I will play tag along with the Checking Crew. My role will be to see if any clarifications are necessary and to take notes of any criticisms. By doing this extra step, it is my hope that the cues will reflect with accuracy where and when to turn out there."

I didn't really know Wally well yet, but I liked him as we got to know each other over the months going into T.I.v7 and afterward. George I knew even less. I had only met him once, at T.I.v7, and that briefly. I hadn't communicated with him outside of that. What I learned later, but didn't know that day in March of 2012, was that Wally and George had been life-long friends. They knew each other so well one could finish the other's sentences. Brothers from other mothers, for sure, and they have a rich, long history of events that they have shared over the years. But again- I hadn't learned that yet. 

So, as we tooled along in George's Ford 4X4, Bouncing down the gravel roads, we got to talking. Now, if you don't know me, I like to talk. I can spin a yarn, and I enjoy hearing them too. Well, at one point I was telling a story about something or another that I had done when George, who had been pretty quiet up to this point, piped up and said, "You know what I would have done if you'd done that to me?"

I responded and asked what that might be. 

George then snapped around, with a wild look, his eyes bulging and his face was tense, and he growled, "I'd a fu#@in killed ya!"

Pregnant pause.......for effect.....

A rider by the fire at Wally and George's Checkpoint Bravo during T.I.v8

Then Wally busted out laughing! The look on my face must have been priceless. I had no idea if George was serious or no, but his tone, and his overall countenance was very convincing! See, George had grown up in Chicago. He had that certain 'moxy', that inner city swagger thing. And Wally knew exactly where he was going with that the minute George opened up his trap. Man! Was that a funny thing right there.   

And for the rest of the day, that phrase, or variations thereof,  was repeated at various times in connection with various things, and my sides hurt from laughing so much. That recon was so much fun, and Wally and George were such great guys, not to mention such a good sounding board for my course ideas and cues, that they instantly became an indispensable resource to Trans Iowa. Not to mention, really good friends too. That was an unforgettable day. It wasn't the last one either.

The course checking was a great idea, and having the cues reviewed by two individuals with no horse in the race, (sorry for the pun), made for some raw, unfiltered critique that I was able to put to good use. Then, as if that weren't enough, I had Jeremy Fry and Steve Fuller use the revamped cues after the first vetting as they scouted the course for imagery opportunities. So, not only was T.I.v8 vetted out once, but twice by independent teams. I was out to make sure these cues were so spot-on that they could not be faulted.

Trans Iowa v8 saw Wally and George running the Checkpoint Bravo (#2) and they, once again, proved to have one of the coolest checkpoints ever seen in Trans Iowa's history. John Gorilla famously said later that there should have been a time limit on how long you could have stayed at that checkpoint! Keep in mind, this was literally about as far out in the sticks in Iowa as you could get. So, the little oasis of fun, fire, and liquor was a standout after miles and miles of nothing.  Recently, George related a little story about the Checkpoint Bravo experience:

Riders leaving Checkpoint Bravo, by Wally Kilburg

"Wally and I were at the beginning of the race and drove around checking on riders in the morning and hitting Ckeckpoint 1. (Dubbed Checkpoint Alpha that year) When we decided to head out to Ckeckpoint 2 (Bravo) we hit a store and bought some supplies and a couple of DuraFlame logs to help take the night’s chill away. We made our way out there and began setting up. The EZUP was the first thing followed by our chairs, coolers, generator/lights, music, and getting the fire pit ready. In the middle of all this we were approached by a couple of locals who lived a hundred yards or so up the road. My first thought was “I hope we don’t have any trouble!” But it turns out they just were curious about what we were doing. I don’t think they had ever seen, or had anybody setting up “camp", on their corner before.

We had a very friendly chat with them explaining what was going on. They were amazed that a bicycle race would be coming through this area with it being in the middle of nowhere. But they did think it was pretty cool and hoped we and the riders would have a good time. They were extremely nice and friendly and even offered to share their dinner with us and told us to stop by and warm up if we got cold. We thanked them for the offers and understanding that we meant no harm while invading their little corner of Iowa. I’m not 100% sure but I think one of them stopped over when we had a flurry of riders come through."

George went on to share with me the following about the riders getting too comfortable there at Checkpoint Bravo: 

"As a side note, you may remember that we had to chase several riders out of the checkpoint so they would continue the race. Some got very comfortable taking over our chairs and warming up by the fire as we handed out Cue sheets and offered encouragement. A few of the riders never left. I think it was close to 1AM by the time they were all picked up. LOL! Even MG who ran Ckeckpoint 3, (The secret Checkpoint "Charlie" that year, along with Jeremy Fry) if I recall correctly, hung around until the last possible moment. Good times!"

The other thing that came out of this version of Trans Iowa was Wally's imagery, and his desire to step into being a photographer for his main vocation. I cannot say whether Trans Iowa helped push him over the edge to do that with his life, but I am sure it was an influence. However that played out, I do know that because of Wally and George, Trans Iowa's imagery for posterity was enriched greatly. It all started with that ride to verify cues for v8.  

Next: Here I Am Again On My Own 

Trans Iowa Stories:"I'll Kill Ya!"

The third, and final, Trans Iowa v8 header art concept that was used on the site. Courtesy of Jeff Kerkove.

 "Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject by going back to earlier Sunday posts on this blog. Thanks and enjoy!

The events of the next Trans Iowa in the line of this story were all etched into my memory as if it were the first time I'd done it. In a way, it was the first time. I hadn't done all of the work to put on the event in five years. Now, I was on my own. Back in 2014 as I recapped Trans Iowa's history for this blog, I wrote the following, which should serve as a good recap of where I left off in the telling of the events surrounding version seven of Trans Iowa:

 "It was over. Trans Iowa V7 was done, but I had a "Dirt Rag" story to write, sponsors to thank, and some emotionally charged situations going on that seemed to put the endurance factor of Trans Iowa v7 on much longer than I imagined. There was the tension between David and I, my buddy MG was ticked off, and I had just about reached my limits in terms of being able to take any more. There was only one thing that fueled my desire to do another Trans Iowa- that was my complete and utter determination to put on a flawless Trans Iowa. Before the event was even done, I had silently vowed to myself that I would take Trans Iowa on and dominate the logistical and promotional parts of the event and show how it really could be done. I knew it could be way better."

It was also true that I had said after Trans Iowa v3 that I'd never do the event again alone. However; I never dreamed I'd end up in the situation I did at the time of v7. That pretty much lit a fire within me and I can say honestly I haven't been that motivated to do anything since. 

Lots of things needed attention, most of those having to do with recon of the route and cue sheets. One of the things I changed was that whatever the route was to be, that route would have a draft of cues for it well ahead of the event. In fact, they would be independently verified. The original plan was to have whomever was to verify the cues do it alone by my draft of the cues. That way any issues found would be natural, so to speak. I wouldn't be there to influence the outcome, and people would know the route was legit. However; my two volunteers that stepped up to do this, Wally and George, insisted I come along, since any issues could be sussed out easily if I was there, and it would save time and money. I acquiesced and in March of 2012, I joined them in Grinnell for the first "Checking Crew" ride. Here's what I wrote at the time leading up to the recon:

 "This year, besides having all the cues drafted far in advance, the cues will actually be double checked by a third party. This will happen this weekend when I will play tag along with the Checking Crew. My role will be to see if any clarifications are necessary and to take notes of any criticisms. By doing this extra step, it is my hope that the cues will reflect with accuracy where and when to turn out there."

I didn't really know Wally well yet, but I liked him as we got to know each other over the months going into T.I.v7 and afterward. George I knew even less. I had only met him once, at T.I.v7, and that briefly. I hadn't communicated with him outside of that. What I learned later, but didn't know that day in March of 2012, was that Wally and George had been life-long friends. They knew each other so well one could finish the other's sentences. Brothers from other mothers, for sure, and they have a rich, long history of events that they have shared over the years. But again- I hadn't learned that yet. 

So, as we tooled along in George's Ford 4X4, Bouncing down the gravel roads, we got to talking. Now, if you don't know me, I like to talk. I can spin a yarn, and I enjoy hearing them too. Well, at one point I was telling a story about something or another that I had done when George, who had been pretty quiet up to this point, piped up and said, "You know what I would have done if you'd done that to me?"

I responded and asked what that might be. 

George then snapped around, with a wild look, his eyes bulging and his face was tense, and he growled, "I'd a fu#@in killed ya!"

Pregnant pause.......for effect.....

A rider by the fire at Wally and George's Checkpoint Bravo during T.I.v8

Then Wally busted out laughing! The look on my face must have been priceless. I had no idea if George was serious or no, but his tone, and his overall countenance was very convincing! See, George had grown up in Chicago. He had that certain 'moxy', that inner city swagger thing. And Wally knew exactly where he was going with that the minute George opened up his trap. Man! Was that a funny thing right there.   

And for the rest of the day, that phrase, or variations thereof,  was repeated at various times in connection with various things, and my sides hurt from laughing so much. That recon was so much fun, and Wally and George were such great guys, not to mention such a good sounding board for my course ideas and cues, that they instantly became an indispensable resource to Trans Iowa. Not to mention, really good friends too. That was an unforgettable day. It wasn't the last one either.

The course checking was a great idea, and having the cues reviewed by two individuals with no horse in the race, (sorry for the pun), made for some raw, unfiltered critique that I was able to put to good use. Then, as if that weren't enough, I had Jeremy Fry and Steve Fuller use the revamped cues after the first vetting as they scouted the course for imagery opportunities. So, not only was T.I.v8 vetted out once, but twice by independent teams. I was out to make sure these cues were so spot-on that they could not be faulted.

Trans Iowa v8 saw Wally and George running the Checkpoint Bravo (#2) and they, once again, proved to have one of the coolest checkpoints ever seen in Trans Iowa's history. John Gorilla famously said later that there should have been a time limit on how long you could have stayed at that checkpoint! Keep in mind, this was literally about as far out in the sticks in Iowa as you could get. So, the little oasis of fun, fire, and liquor was a standout after miles and miles of nothing.  Recently, George related a little story about the Checkpoint Bravo experience:

Riders leaving Checkpoint Bravo, by Wally Kilburg

"Wally and I were at the beginning of the race and drove around checking on riders in the morning and hitting Ckeckpoint 1. (Dubbed Checkpoint Alpha that year) When we decided to head out to Ckeckpoint 2 (Bravo) we hit a store and bought some supplies and a couple of DuraFlame logs to help take the night’s chill away. We made our way out there and began setting up. The EZUP was the first thing followed by our chairs, coolers, generator/lights, music, and getting the fire pit ready. In the middle of all this we were approached by a couple of locals who lived a hundred yards or so up the road. My first thought was “I hope we don’t have any trouble!” But it turns out they just were curious about what we were doing. I don’t think they had ever seen, or had anybody setting up “camp", on their corner before.

We had a very friendly chat with them explaining what was going on. They were amazed that a bicycle race would be coming through this area with it being in the middle of nowhere. But they did think it was pretty cool and hoped we and the riders would have a good time. They were extremely nice and friendly and even offered to share their dinner with us and told us to stop by and warm up if we got cold. We thanked them for the offers and understanding that we meant no harm while invading their little corner of Iowa. I’m not 100% sure but I think one of them stopped over when we had a flurry of riders come through."

George went on to share with me the following about the riders getting too comfortable there at Checkpoint Bravo: 

"As a side note, you may remember that we had to chase several riders out of the checkpoint so they would continue the race. Some got very comfortable taking over our chairs and warming up by the fire as we handed out Cue sheets and offered encouragement. A few of the riders never left. I think it was close to 1AM by the time they were all picked up. LOL! Even MG who ran Ckeckpoint 3, (The secret Checkpoint "Charlie" that year, along with Jeremy Fry) if I recall correctly, hung around until the last possible moment. Good times!"

The other thing that came out of this version of Trans Iowa was Wally's imagery, and his desire to step into being a photographer for his main vocation. I cannot say whether Trans Iowa helped push him over the edge to do that with his life, but I am sure it was an influence. However that played out, I do know that because of Wally and George, Trans Iowa's imagery for posterity was enriched greatly. It all started with that ride to verify cues for v8.  

Next: Here I Am Again On My Own 

Trans Iowa Stories: A Fire In The Belly

T.I.v7- Passing some finishers as we searched for two lost riders Easter morning 2011.

 "Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject by going back to earlier Sunday posts on this blog. Thanks and enjoy!

Trans Iowa v7 wasn't even over yet and I had already committed to running a Trans Iowa again. "This couldn't be the way Trans Iowa would be run again", I was thinking.

I was, as I wrote in my last edition of these stories, very angry. I typically do not get really angry, I'm just not wired that way, but if I reach a point of frustration where 'that line gets crossed', well, then I am all about making some changes and that forcefully. Now, I had no intentions of violence toward David, although the source of my feelings was my perception at the time that he had let me down for no good reason. My anger wasn't aimed at anyone in particular. No- this was on me, and the next Trans Iowa was going to be the one that defined me. 

I somehow had realized at this point, innately I think, that Trans Iowa was Guitar Ted and Guitar Ted was Trans Iowa. The two were intertwined and regardless of who was helping me, and regardless of how I might try to deflect attention toward anyone helping, the public was already fixated on me being Trans Iowa. It just was how it came to be. Of course, I knew better, and I still hold to the narrative that I am a bit part player in the whole thing, but I am in the minority. However; at that time, bouncing around in David's Honda Element near the end of T.I.v7, all I knew was that people were looking to me to see what would happen next. And I was bound and determined to make that next experience the best one possible.

Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey on his way in after an incredible ride overcoming adversity in T.I.v7. Shot taken through a muddy wind shield!

The fire was lit. But first I had to get over what had just happened. There was the issue with David which eventually was resolved mid-Summer of 2011. Then there was the friendship with MG, which was on its way to being mended by late Summer as well. So, then I was able to turn my attention to Trans Iowa once again. There was no more distraction from putting on a mountain bike festival, or website work stress. The two sites I was running had been stabilized and the gravel site was running smoothly. Now it was time to make some plans.

We didn't have number plates for T.I.v7. We had "prayer flags"

I had a few people stepping up to help, but this version of Trans Iowa largely was resting on my shoulders. Route recon was, for the first time since Trans Iowa v3, all my baby. So, I was of the mind that I had to get cranking on that sooner than later. Maps were purchased, online resources were tapped, and I spent many nights digging into the possibilities.

One of those seriously considered possibilities was moving the event from Grinnell. I asked a few trusted folks about the possibility of moving Trans Iowa to somewhere West or South of Des Moines. Winterset, Iowa was a consideration, and the thought was we'd circumnavigate Des Moines, like Gravel Worlds does with Lincoln, Nebraska. However; after I considered the difficulties in setting up relationships, finding suitable venues, and making sure none of that cost me money, I quickly realized how well I had it in Grinnell. The event stayed put as a result.

I was on my own with those and other decisions this time, and the feeling of not having David Pals support and wisdom was felt sharply.  But that is not to say that I had no support. No- I had a lot of people and organizations looking to help in any way that they could. Grinnell was going to host again. That was a given, and Rob Versteegh, of Oakley, was onboard to provide access to "The Barn" and prizing for the winners. (Although the barn part fell through in the end) The volunteer list would once again include Wally and George, who had such a cool checkpoint set up that was so popular with the riders that I would have been a fool not to accept them again for T.I.v8. Plus, I had become fond of them rather quickly.

The group of cyclists from the Chicago area who called themselves the "Slender Fungus" were onboard as well to help in any way that they could. That and they promised to bring several riders to the next Trans Iowa. Support from other Trans Iowa stalwarts, such as Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey and Tim Ek were valuable motivations for me. I had more incentives than ever to move ahead with my plans.

Those plans included adding a covered bridge crossing to the route, going South, since we hadn't been that way before, and to have the most perfect cue sheets in Trans Iowa history. None of those things were easy, by the way, and one of those things didn't happen. The route finding was arduous. Not just in terms of research, but in the physical activity of route finding as well. One such story about the recon shows this in both ways.

One of the major hurdles to making any big loop course in Iowa is rivers. They impose a certain way of making routes that dictates what happens for an entire course. This is due to limited options to cross these rivers in many cases. The South Skunk River was a constant reminder of this, which for T.I.v8 happened to be the easier of my obstacles to overcome. The Des Moines River, however; was a beast to get around.

Tim Ek (R) and Charlie Farrow at CP#2 during T.I.v7. Tim was a major help to me back in this era of T.I.

I had searched online using Google Earth for hours trying to find a suitable bridge to get over the mighty Des Moines, and while there are several bridges, you can imagine almost all of them carry major highways. Not suitable or practical for a gravel road event! But I did come across one old steel gable bridge near Pella, Iowa that looked promising. The Iowa DOT maps showed that it was a gravel road, and Google earth images were inconclusive. I couldn't ask anybody, because the route had to be kept top-secret. So, the only way to find out was to make a four hour round trip down just to see. That doesn't include time doing any recon, by the way. That's just travel to and from. So, just to verify one bridge would take, in reality, most of a day. This was the sort of commitment I had to make to get the course developed, and my drive to do it right got me through all objections.

So, you can imagine the gut punch I felt when I found out that a farmer on the South side of that bridge had plowed the road asunder and taken it over as part of his farm field. I stood there at the Southern end of that bridge staring at a mere quarter mile of field to where the road picked up again. A quarter of a mile! No alternative was left to me other than to scrap that part of the planned course and go back home and start looking again. Now, I did get a few tidbits of information and I did figure out some things, so it wasn't a total loss, but getting over the Des Moines River was a huge problem.

Fortunately another find via Google Earth did actually pan out. I found evidence of another bridge over the Des Moines River leading from a gravel road which DOT maps showed coming out of a small town called Agency, Iowa. The town was once a Native American trading post and the site of Chief Wapello's grave. Perfect! I loved sending Trans Iowa through historical areas, even though the riders might never know they were historical areas. Another 2+ hour trip to get down there proved exciting due to the bridge not only proving out, but in that it had been recently replaced. So, there was little fear that it would be closed come time for T.I.v8.

Red arrows show return route of T.I.v8 on a paved county road bridge.

Recon was completed when we had a freak 50+ degree Sunny day the first week of 2012. I managed to get the cues started early, and the route looked great. No covered bridge though! I had one on the radar, but the return route wasn't lining up to take it in without adding a lot of mileage which would have put us over the self-imposed limitation of 340. The other bummer was that I ended up having to route the course over a paved county road bridge for the Des Moines River which was going to put in about two plus miles of pavement. But that was on the return route, and probably in the dead of night with the lowest traffic count possible. Besides, there was no other choice I could make without scrapping everything leading up to that point.

So, I poured over the cues diligently all the rest of the Winter. I mocked up a set, and through communication with Wally Kilburg, I was able to talk he and George Keslin into coming out to help verify my route. It was another layer of 'insurance' which I had conceived of post-T.I.v7 which would independently verify my cues. Originally I wasn't even going to go along, but Wally convinced me that my presence would not affect the outcome. In fact, he motioned that if a call had to be made to clarify a cue, mark a point for reference, or reroute, that my being along would be crucial to my goals. So, I relented and went along.

Wally and George would navigate by my draft cue sheets, and we could also look for a suitable Checkpoint #2 location. So, it was set up for mid-March and we would go on that first, unforgettable recon mission. I'll tell more about that later.

The point here is that I had to make a huge sacrifice in time, mileage, and effort to get T.I.v8 cues "spot on". I did those two previous mentioned recon trips to vet the bridges existences out, another previous recon effort of the Northern parts of the course, and that big drive in January which was well over 300 miles. The constant pouring over route maps, websites, and thinking about that course took a lot of energy. Then the drawing up of the cues, going over them three times or more to find mistakes, and make sure directions were clear. Look- the point I'm trying to drive home is this: I had a drive to make T.I.v8 perfect. I was energized like never before to pull this off. No false expectations, just 'nose-to-the-grindstone' work. All due to what happened in T.I.v7.

Did it work? Was T.I.v8 perfect? Yes, and no, and "it depends on who you ask". I guess the main thing that came out of Trans Iowa v7 was that this drive, this fire in my belly, well it made the rest of the Trans Iowa organizing and production after this a lot simpler, more precise, and it led to a lot less problems. And that was a good thing after an emotionally draining time going through things that should not have happened which undid friendships and hurt me personally.

I never went through anything quite like that again because of Trans Iowa. But that isn't to say that there weren't issues and excitement that I could have done without. That happened right up through to the end.

Next: We take a break from the story about the next Trans Iowa in the story, v8, and take a look at some of the artwork that defined the event in The Look Of Trans Iowa.

Trans Iowa Stories: A Fire In The Belly

T.I.v7- Passing some finishers as we searched for two lost riders Easter morning 2011.

 "Trans Iowa Stories" is an every Sunday post which helps tell the stories behind the event. You can check out other posts about this subject by going back to earlier Sunday posts on this blog. Thanks and enjoy!

Trans Iowa v7 wasn't even over yet and I had already committed to running a Trans Iowa again. "This couldn't be the way Trans Iowa would be run again", I was thinking.

I was, as I wrote in my last edition of these stories, very angry. I typically do not get really angry, I'm just not wired that way, but if I reach a point of frustration where 'that line gets crossed', well, then I am all about making some changes and that forcefully. Now, I had no intentions of violence toward David, although the source of my feelings was my perception at the time that he had let me down for no good reason. My anger wasn't aimed at anyone in particular. No- this was on me, and the next Trans Iowa was going to be the one that defined me. 

I somehow had realized at this point, innately I think, that Trans Iowa was Guitar Ted and Guitar Ted was Trans Iowa. The two were intertwined and regardless of who was helping me, and regardless of how I might try to deflect attention toward anyone helping, the public was already fixated on me being Trans Iowa. It just was how it came to be. Of course, I knew better, and I still hold to the narrative that I am a bit part player in the whole thing, but I am in the minority. However; at that time, bouncing around in David's Honda Element near the end of T.I.v7, all I knew was that people were looking to me to see what would happen next. And I was bound and determined to make that next experience the best one possible.

Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey on his way in after an incredible ride overcoming adversity in T.I.v7. Shot taken through a muddy wind shield!

The fire was lit. But first I had to get over what had just happened. There was the issue with David which eventually was resolved mid-Summer of 2011. Then there was the friendship with MG, which was on its way to being mended by late Summer as well. So, then I was able to turn my attention to Trans Iowa once again. There was no more distraction from putting on a mountain bike festival, or website work stress. The two sites I was running had been stabilized and the gravel site was running smoothly. Now it was time to make some plans.

We didn't have number plates for T.I.v7. We had "prayer flags"

I had a few people stepping up to help, but this version of Trans Iowa largely was resting on my shoulders. Route recon was, for the first time since Trans Iowa v3, all my baby. So, I was of the mind that I had to get cranking on that sooner than later. Maps were purchased, online resources were tapped, and I spent many nights digging into the possibilities.

One of those seriously considered possibilities was moving the event from Grinnell. I asked a few trusted folks about the possibility of moving Trans Iowa to somewhere West or South of Des Moines. Winterset, Iowa was a consideration, and the thought was we'd circumnavigate Des Moines, like Gravel Worlds does with Lincoln, Nebraska. However; after I considered the difficulties in setting up relationships, finding suitable venues, and making sure none of that cost me money, I quickly realized how well I had it in Grinnell. The event stayed put as a result.

I was on my own with those and other decisions this time, and the feeling of not having David Pals support and wisdom was felt sharply.  But that is not to say that I had no support. No- I had a lot of people and organizations looking to help in any way that they could. Grinnell was going to host again. That was a given, and Rob Versteegh, of Oakley, was onboard to provide access to "The Barn" and prizing for the winners. (Although the barn part fell through in the end) The volunteer list would once again include Wally and George, who had such a cool checkpoint set up that was so popular with the riders that I would have been a fool not to accept them again for T.I.v8. Plus, I had become fond of them rather quickly.

The group of cyclists from the Chicago area who called themselves the "Slender Fungus" were onboard as well to help in any way that they could. That and they promised to bring several riders to the next Trans Iowa. Support from other Trans Iowa stalwarts, such as Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey and Tim Ek were valuable motivations for me. I had more incentives than ever to move ahead with my plans.

Those plans included adding a covered bridge crossing to the route, going South, since we hadn't been that way before, and to have the most perfect cue sheets in Trans Iowa history. None of those things were easy, by the way, and one of those things didn't happen. The route finding was arduous. Not just in terms of research, but in the physical activity of route finding as well. One such story about the recon shows this in both ways.

One of the major hurdles to making any big loop course in Iowa is rivers. They impose a certain way of making routes that dictates what happens for an entire course. This is due to limited options to cross these rivers in many cases. The South Skunk River was a constant reminder of this, which for T.I.v8 happened to be the easier of my obstacles to overcome. The Des Moines River, however; was a beast to get around.

Tim Ek (R) and Charlie Farrow at CP#2 during T.I.v7. Tim was a major help to me back in this era of T.I.

I had searched online using Google Earth for hours trying to find a suitable bridge to get over the mighty Des Moines, and while there are several bridges, you can imagine almost all of them carry major highways. Not suitable or practical for a gravel road event! But I did come across one old steel gable bridge near Pella, Iowa that looked promising. The Iowa DOT maps showed that it was a gravel road, and Google earth images were inconclusive. I couldn't ask anybody, because the route had to be kept top-secret. So, the only way to find out was to make a four hour round trip down just to see. That doesn't include time doing any recon, by the way. That's just travel to and from. So, just to verify one bridge would take, in reality, most of a day. This was the sort of commitment I had to make to get the course developed, and my drive to do it right got me through all objections.

So, you can imagine the gut punch I felt when I found out that a farmer on the South side of that bridge had plowed the road asunder and taken it over as part of his farm field. I stood there at the Southern end of that bridge staring at a mere quarter mile of field to where the road picked up again. A quarter of a mile! No alternative was left to me other than to scrap that part of the planned course and go back home and start looking again. Now, I did get a few tidbits of information and I did figure out some things, so it wasn't a total loss, but getting over the Des Moines River was a huge problem.

Fortunately another find via Google Earth did actually pan out. I found evidence of another bridge over the Des Moines River leading from a gravel road which DOT maps showed coming out of a small town called Agency, Iowa. The town was once a Native American trading post and the site of Chief Wapello's grave. Perfect! I loved sending Trans Iowa through historical areas, even though the riders might never know they were historical areas. Another 2+ hour trip to get down there proved exciting due to the bridge not only proving out, but in that it had been recently replaced. So, there was little fear that it would be closed come time for T.I.v8.

Red arrows show return route of T.I.v8 on a paved county road bridge.

Recon was completed when we had a freak 50+ degree Sunny day the first week of 2012. I managed to get the cues started early, and the route looked great. No covered bridge though! I had one on the radar, but the return route wasn't lining up to take it in without adding a lot of mileage which would have put us over the self-imposed limitation of 340. The other bummer was that I ended up having to route the course over a paved county road bridge for the Des Moines River which was going to put in about two plus miles of pavement. But that was on the return route, and probably in the dead of night with the lowest traffic count possible. Besides, there was no other choice I could make without scrapping everything leading up to that point.

So, I poured over the cues diligently all the rest of the Winter. I mocked up a set, and through communication with Wally Kilburg, I was able to talk he and George Keslin into coming out to help verify my route. It was another layer of 'insurance' which I had conceived of post-T.I.v7 which would independently verify my cues. Originally I wasn't even going to go along, but Wally convinced me that my presence would not affect the outcome. In fact, he motioned that if a call had to be made to clarify a cue, mark a point for reference, or reroute, that my being along would be crucial to my goals. So, I relented and went along.

Wally and George would navigate by my draft cue sheets, and we could also look for a suitable Checkpoint #2 location. So, it was set up for mid-March and we would go on that first, unforgettable recon mission. I'll tell more about that later.

The point here is that I had to make a huge sacrifice in time, mileage, and effort to get T.I.v8 cues "spot on". I did those two previous mentioned recon trips to vet the bridges existences out, another previous recon effort of the Northern parts of the course, and that big drive in January which was well over 300 miles. The constant pouring over route maps, websites, and thinking about that course took a lot of energy. Then the drawing up of the cues, going over them three times or more to find mistakes, and make sure directions were clear. Look- the point I'm trying to drive home is this: I had a drive to make T.I.v8 perfect. I was energized like never before to pull this off. No false expectations, just 'nose-to-the-grindstone' work. All due to what happened in T.I.v7.

Did it work? Was T.I.v8 perfect? Yes, and no, and "it depends on who you ask". I guess the main thing that came out of Trans Iowa v7 was that this drive, this fire in my belly, well it made the rest of the Trans Iowa organizing and production after this a lot simpler, more precise, and it led to a lot less problems. And that was a good thing after an emotionally draining time going through things that should not have happened which undid friendships and hurt me personally.

I never went through anything quite like that again because of Trans Iowa. But that isn't to say that there weren't issues and excitement that I could have done without. That happened right up through to the end.

Next: We take a break from the story about the next Trans Iowa in the story, v8, and take a look at some of the artwork that defined the event in The Look Of Trans Iowa.