Ackley

As I set off Thursday Morning, I had a strange feeling that I was being followed. Through the misty morning light came my fellow cyclist and co-worker Sarah Schroeder! Since the beginning of this series I had toyed with the idea to bring others along on my excursions through Hardin County. Sarah's enthusiasm about riding to Ackley won me over and we made the decision to set out to Ackley together.

The morning was a cinch due to the low temps and even lower clouds that followed us all the way to Ackley. We arrived at Prairie Bridges park and headed strait for the back forty. Prairie Bridges has recently built a beautiful 9 hole disc golf coarse on their property, and Sarah and decided the new coarse would be a great place to start our tour of the city.

After tied game at +1 a piece at Prairie Bridges, we meandered over to Crazy Acres camp ground North West of Ackley. There we rounded the dirt path admiring the pond meeting a number of cute animals along the way.

Heading back towards town, the sun began to beat down on our frail frames. It felt like a god time to get inside and check out the Ackley Heritage Center. We were greeted at the door by Lee** who showed us one of the most beautiful collections of objects I have yet encountered on my travels. Lee even played us a quick tune on an antique pump organ that was a centerpiece of the collection that included beautiful furniture, an ornate baby carriage, and a German bible date from 1668.

Hunger had taken over our thoughts and we moseyed on over to Gus and Docs for a quick lunch. The diner was large and full of natural light which made the photos of the delicious food that much better.

After having our fill of Gus and Docs our tour took us to the Ackley Publishing building where Jim Dagg was waiting to show us around the press shop.  Contained in the sturdy brick building was a one-fo-a-kind collection of letterpress printing equipment, including thousands of fonts and designs just waiting to be discovered. As a train passed only feet behind the building, I took a deep breath of the still air. The smell of ink and solvents and the sounds of the hum of the antique equipment added to an overwhelming sense of nostalgia and ingenuity that is contained in this special place.

So, how do you top an experience like the one we had at Ackley Publishing? With ice cream of coarse! and what better way to finish off our trip than a quick stop at the Ackley Soda Fountain, which is also operated by the Heritage Center. We were in good hands with our very own ice cream guru, Karina Montes, serving up the sweet treats which we savored before heading back into the sun.

The addition of a second rider was probably the biggest improvement to my series to date. The ride goes so much faster and is so much more entertaining when you can do it with a trusted friend. Speaking of friends, I will be out on the road this week with 10,000 of my closest friends as I ride from Webster City to Marshalltown for this years RAGBRAI! See you on the road!