Dubuque, Iowa and vicinity tri-state meet - 11:00 AM on May 4

[Brandon]

Sounds like a plan. A 3 p.m. departure would certainly allow me to make Joliet before dark. Even a later departure would probably allow that to happen.

Even along US-52, you should make it easily before dark.  I took the route almost 2 years ago to clinch US-52 in Illinois.  Wound up leaving Dubuque around 5 pm and got as far as I-39 before dark (about 7 pm) (took I-39 to I-80 as I already had the rest of US-52).  The bridge over the Mississippi is narrow, but getting through Savanna is easy.  You will have slower going through Dixon and Mendota, but otherwise it is all rural and open with few slowdowns from the 55 mph limit.

I'm planning on taking I-80 to I-39 to Wis-81 and Wis-11 on the way in, followed by US-61 to I-80 on the way out.

[SSOWorld]

I believe we will be able to get all of the bridges past and present within 3-4 hours so I project we return to the parked cars at about 4:00 to maybe 4:30 at the latest to allow those who want to go to go.  For those who want to explore further we can continue after that.  This is banking on us getting going by 12:30 to 1:00.  The sun sets at 8:00 around Dubuque (about 15 min earlier at the other side of Illinois, so Brandon's right - out at 5 and you're fine

For those taking US 61 or US 52 from the south - there is construction starting between US 20 and US 52's SB split that will reduce the traffic to 2 lanes and 10 foot wide lanes.  They're moving all traffic to the northbound lanes.  There's restricted movement at the intersection between 52 and 61.

http://lb.511ia.org/ialb/truckreports/event.jsf?sitKey=IACARS4-6548&view=cedarfalls_waterloo&text=m&textOnly=false&current=true

[brianreynolds]

Well, the long-anticipated trip from Hastings to Houston is an accomplished fact.  Our trip was planned to begin today (April 26) with arrival late in the day on the 27th.   However, another arrival (our granddaughter, a full seven days early) altered our schedule.

Linda and I put in a full day of work on Tuesday in an attempt to get three days work done in one day.  Mostly, we succeeded.

Meanwhile, the baby was born just after noon on Tuesday.  We left Hastings just after 5 PM EDT.  Three plus hours of hard driving, supper in Joliet, then several more hours of hard driving (almost all of it in the rain), arrive in Poplar Bluff a bit after 1 AM CDT.  From Kalamazoo, I-94, I-80, I-55, US-67.  I had planned to take the I-255 bypass east and south, but a VMS warned of severely limited lanes, so we went through St. Louis instead.   Six hours of power sleep, then back on the road.

The travel was not miserable, but certainly not fun.  The rain, the darkness, the anxiety all detracted from the experience.  Wednesday was much better.

US-67 is being incrementally upgraded to expressway (in Missouri) and freeway (in Arkansas).  When it is done, this will be my preferred route to Houston.  The chronic problems along I-40 between West Memphis and Little Rock tipped the scales for this trip.

The expressway is done to just south of Poplar Bluff.  I found the road to be as good as could be expected, very efficient travel, in spite of rain and intermittent sleet and fog.

The Holiday Inn at Poplar Bluff is a conference-convention-meeting kind of facility.  Breakfast is not part of the program.  Just as well.  We paused for a brief few minutes at Sonic in northern Arkansas.  Breakfast burritos make for a good on-the-run morning meal.

The Walnut Ridge — Hoxie by-pass is interesting, a short segment of completed freeway that connects with the two-lane at both ends.  The future roadway and ramps are plain to see at both ends.  It reminds me of traveling US-66 back in the mid-"˜60s, when only intermittent segments of Interstate highway were completed.

The direct route would have been through Texarkana, then US-59 south to Houston.  I persuaded my wife that the alternate route (I-30, US-271, US-69, US-79, I-45) would be almost as good.  This allowed me to pick up four Texas counties.  It appears that a new four-lane divided (freeway?) US-271 by-pass of Mt. Pleasant is being constructed.

We never really stopped for lunch or supper.  We were playing beat-the-clock trying to get to the hospital before visiting hours expired at 9 PM.  My diverted route didn't help.  Neither did a major detour around a major collision.  We arrived at 8:45 PM.  The hospital staff allowed us to stay until nearly 10 PM.  Very nice of them.

As scheduled now, I will be leaving Houston Wednesday morning, Linda will be staying for another week or so.  I will be visiting and having supper with my niece in Sherman on Thursday evening.  This gives me most of the day on Wednesday and Thursday to explore central and western Texas.  I will probably pass through the town of West, site of the recent tragedy.

From Sherman, I will put in a few hours after supper, angling toward Tulsa.  Friday I will be picking up counties in Kansas and Missouri, maybe Illinois.  Saturday I will be in Dubuque.  I look forward to seeing everyone there.

Brian Reynolds
Hastings Michigan

[hbelkins]

I'm starting to get a bit concerned about the weather for this meet. I keep hearing talk about a cut-off low that might bring snow as far south as Kentucky and Tennessee next weekend. (Of course everybody in Louisville, S. Ind., is freaking out about snow on Derby Day). While that's not likely, snow over northern Illinois is being mentioned as much more of a possibility.

[SSOWorld]

Not according to the National Weather Service.  The only snow nearby Dubuque is well off to the west and north - on Thursday - and it will melt off by then (There is uncertainty and they're the only ones that actually admit it).  There is still a concern of a chance of rain.  I'm watching the forecast already.

[SSOWorld]

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.49488409061171&lon=-90.66123962402344 <-- Dubuque forecast from NWS.

Snow will be mostly west of I-35 according to the National Weather Service, and will have finished falling by then.  There is still a chance of rain for Saturday and it will be in the upper 50s.

[Brandon]

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.49488409061171&lon=-90.66123962402344 <-- Dubuque forecast from NWS.

Snow will be mostly west of I-35 according to the National Weather Service, and will have finished falling by then.  There is still a chance of rain for Saturday and it will be in the upper 50s.

Can't be any wetter than the Port Huron-Sarnia meet last August.

[hbelkins]

Or the Columbus meet a few years ago that I missed because I got sick and then overslept.

Speaking of wet, looks like I'm going to have to change my planned route. IL 100 is closed due to flooding in Pike County, so it looks like I will end up having to drive US 67 all the way from Alton to I-72 after doing an "in-and-out" of one county.

There's an outside chance I will make it all the way to Dubuque on Friday night, but the inexpensive hotel rooms are filling up. I may have to stay at the Hampton.

[Brandon]

Regardless, I'll have four umbrellas this time, including one large golf umbrella.  Thus, should it rain, I'll have something.

[jpi]

Have fun guys! I will be there in spirit! Helping wife and friend with a yard sale on Saturday then OT at work on Sunday.

[Duke87]

Wishes likewise. I would've been there but I had a softball game tonight that I had to be in New York for (we lost 20-8).

[SSOWorld]

Results that i took.  I took less photos so as it was appropriate for me to drive and lead the convoy.  The other participants will have many more should they choose to share.

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjEXM2kv

Attendees:

Dubuque/Tri-State Road Meet by ssoworld, on Flickr

Attendees: From Left: H.B. Elkins (hbelkins), David Feryance, Michael Saldivar, Chris Lokken (catofdar), Scott Onson (SSOWorld - organizer), Sam Scholtens, A.J. Bertin, Brandon Gorte (Brandon), Jeff Morrison, Michael Koerner (mgk920), and Kristophere' Owens (Solarcatcher on YouTube).  Chris Tarr (GeekJedi) also was in attendance, but had to leave mid-meet due to work obligations.

Background: Eagle Point Bridge Pillar by Lock and Dam 11 (Mississippi River) in Dubuque, IA

Synopsis:
A total of 12 people attended.  We started out by conversing over lunch at Shot Tower Inn (not to be confused with the Shot Tower) - a pizza/sandwich place in downtown Dubuque.  After leaving our cars in a public parking structure (the only free one in Dubuque) attached to a casino, we walked over to a railroad bridge by the Shot Tower itself (Picture of Dubuque tower itself on the Wikipedia article), which had been paralleled by the High (a.k.a. Wagon) bridge.  All that is left of it on the Iowa side are a marker on the River Walkway and a few slabs of concrete that may have been part of it.  The Illinois side leaves much more evidence, that which was not easily visible from Dubuque, or accessible from East Dubuque IL due to it being on private property (BNSF Railroad).  We did notice a railroad tunnel.  The Wagon Bridge carried US 20 over the river connecting to 4th Street prior to the present Julien Dubuque Bridge being built.  If you want an idea of what the bridge looked like - see the "Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis.  We then hurried back to form our convoy as it started raining and we forgot the umbrellas.

We then began the road tour by turning on to US 20 and crossing the Julien Dubuque Bridge into Wisconsin, we took Route 35 north into Wisconsin and followed it onto highway 35 and continued onto Badger Road - which previously carried 35, along with - briefly - US 61 and US 151 (more later).  We noticed a "No Passing Zone" sign on the bridge that had seemed to have lost grip and was pointing upward - this was on the Illinois side.  Also there were many faded and overlayed signs on Badger Road and later Eagle Point Road - which previously carried US 61 and US 151 into Iowa over the Eagle Point Bridge - which was our next two stops. (The rain stopped by this time and we only had rain a few more times while on the road only.  First we stopped at the former approach incline on the Wisconsin side.  Both this bridge and the Wagon bridge were privately owned toll bridges.  This bridge lost it's responsiblity for carrying US 61 and 151 after being deemed unsafe for trucks - the two routes followed Badger Road (Then WIS 35) to Illinois and US 20, crossing the Julien Dubuque Bridge.  Eventually, a freeway approach took on all three routes and Badger Road became a local town road as did Eagle Point road.  The two roads come together near the latter's merge with the new freeway (known as the "Sandy Hook" Interchange.  The road remained - albeit in poor shape and now only serves private housing (we thought).  Any remains of the bridge itself, were completely removed as WisDOT has a thing for "getting rid of the evidence".  We did catch a good view of the Iowa pillar though...


Eagle Point Bridge Base in IA by ssoworld, on Flickr

We crossed back into Iowa and headed north to that pillar - which was at the end of Rhomberg Ave (which carried the routes into Dubuque and through downtown prior to their relocation).  We stopped at the now gated and fenced off approach road to the former bridge.  We then crossed the railroad tracks onto the river levee by Lock and Dam 11 where we took o

If you want an idea of what the bridge looked like - see the "Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis.


Abandoned Eagle Point Bridge Approach by ssoworld, on Flickr

We concluded the meet by crossing back into Wisconsin and heading north on US 151 past the Dickeyville Rock Cut - it doen't compare in height to the Sideling Hill Cut made for I-68 in Maryland, but it's sheer size makes it impressive nonetheless.  I have no photo of it from this trip, but those that know me on Facebook have seen it as my cover photo from a different expedition.  Freeways were tough to build in the Driftless Area without making hard cuts in hills to maintain good speed.  We wrapped up the tour and returned to the parking ramp.  (needless to say I hear one car stumbled upon a road artifact I left out due to time constraints - a stub of multi-lane Kerper Blvd that was abandoned after US 61 and 151 were routed onto the City Island Viaduct.

Eight of the twelve attendees then left and the remaining four of us took a ride up the 4th Street Elevator and caught a view of Dubuque from atop the bluff - one shot shown below - after which we parted ways to end the meet


View of Dubuque, IA by ssoworld, on Flickr

Thanks to everyone who attended.  I believe we had a great time touring the historical points and we got our cut of hills with highway in them.

[hbelkins]

Photos from my trip there and back, and the meet itself, are up on Flickr.

See links at https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=2821.msg221503#msg221503