Miles: 691
Not much to choose from for breakfast, and we really needed an early start so we reluctantly decided to eat at the Hampton in order to be on the move by 7:00. We began by riding through Le Claire on the MS River, and the home to the American Pickers. We didn't stop this time at the store/shop, but as we rode through Le Claire for at least the third time we once again noticed what a nice little town it is. We rode though the outskirts of Clinton rather than going through downtown and 95 miles later we veered off of US 52 and rode through the Mines of Spain as we moved toward our target of the Julien Dubuque Monument. Dubuque was believed to be the first European in Iowa and partnered with the Meskwaki Indian tribe to mine lead. It all started in the 1780s and lasted until 1914. Dubuque is believed to buried at this site and thus there is a monument. We took some pics of the monument that overlooks the river and was in a nicely kept park. We wound our way through Dubuque and were soon riding through the Iowa countryside mostly on two-lane roads. We stopped in Charles City along the Cedar River by the Main Street Bridge built in 1910. No rain for this day, and the riding was very pleasant. We were now riding in Minnesota with our sights on Mankato where we were stopping for a pint at Mankato Brewing, and a Subway sandwich. The taproom wasn't all that great but we needed to stop and eat. We continued in MN and made another stop at August Schell Brewing Co in New Ulm. We knew that these breweries were close to one another but also felt we had to stop at August Schell. This brewery dates back to 1860 when August Schell moved from Cincinnati to New Ulm to start the brewery. It has remained in family control to this very day. It very much felt like a German Biergarten as we enjoyed a Pilsner and sat underneath an umbrella. One would not have known they were in New Ulm rather than somewhere in Germany. We still had 285 miles to ride so we didn't stay long and got moving. We hit Aberdeen around 9:30, but after stopping for dinner, and washing the bikes it was 11:00 by the time we reached the hotel. Dinner was very unremarkable as really the only place that was open, other than fast food was the One Legged Pheasant Brewery where we had a pint and a frozen pizza. Not much of an ending but it was a good ride and we had several good stops along the way.