We ventured 65 miles northward in Iowa today from Bennett to Dyersville. Unfortunately, the roads were not up to par on which we traveled. Most could be summarized as the following: a narrow, two-lane highway with moderate amounts of traffic, constant bumps, and a sand/gravel shoulder on which bikes cannot operate. Below is the bikeability assessment for the route.
Highway Y14 (2.25 miles outside of Bennett, IA, 7:45 AM)
1. 4
2. 2
3. 2
4. 3
5. Unpaved, sand shoulder (4 ft)
Highway Y24 Herbert Hoover Highway (intersection with 140th Street, 9:15 AM)
1. 4
2. 3
3. 1
4. 4
5. Unpaved, sand shoulder (4 ft)
County Road X75 (6684 County Road X75, 10:45 AM)
1. 2
2. 3
3. 1
4. 3
5. Unpaved, sand shoulder (4 ft)
Highway 136 (19394 Highway 136, 11:45 AM)
1. 4
2. 2
3. 2
4. 3
5. Unpaved, sand/gravel shoulder
Highway 136 (7741 Highway 136 Northbound, 2 PM)
1. 3
2. 2 (numerous bumps/drop offs in road)
3. 1
4. 3
5. Unpaved, sand shoulder (4 ft)
The above picture for Herbert Hoover Highway accurately portrays most of the roads traveled today.
Example of sand/gravel shoulder--
We are now enjoying the local pool in Dyersville. I might even try to stop by and see the Field of Dreams before we leave town!
Hi Charles - Thanks for sharing the link to your blog. I can hardly believe you are already in Iowa! You're collecting a lot of good data. I look forward to hearing more about how the data will be used.
ReplyDeleteSo, have you become a fan of long-distance biking? What is your final destination?
Take care,
Melanie
Hey Melanie,
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you. Alice and I have a couple ideas for the data, but one thing is for sure: It's going to be quite a bear to compile it all upon return.
As far as becoming a fan, I don't have much of a choice as of now, but I believe that I will most certainly enjoy a break from it when I get home. We are biking to Anacortes,Washington (very close to Seattle).
Talk to you soon,
Charles