Iowans will soon be able to ride the rails on what are known as “railbikes,” which resemble steel-framed go-carts that you pedal on railroad tracks with a battery-assist like electric bicycles. Mary Joy Lu is C-E-O of Rail Explorers which is launching service in Boone this month. Lu says railbike riders will start at the historic Boone Depot, pedaling across farmland into the Des Moines River valley.
The route will take riders about six-and-a-half miles from the depot where they’ll enjoy stunning views and might spot a few bald eagles fishing along the waterway.
There are two and four-seat railbikes with the costs averaging about 40-dollars per person. Groups of about 20 railbikes will be leaving the depot in a group, with guides at the front and back, but with plenty of space in between.
Rail Explorers is partnering with the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad and anyone who’s taken the Boone Dinner Train will be familiar with the stretch of track as it’s the same course.
The rides will debut on July 21st, running Thursday through Monday through perhaps mid-November. Lu says they’re looking to immediately hire about 30 railbike guides. The company has railbikes in four other locations in the U-S: Las Vegas; Newport, Rhode Island; and in Cooperstown and the Catskills in New York.
railexplorers.net
(Radio Iowa) This year’s pheasant harvest hit its highest mark in 13 years and the man who tracks bird numbers says things are already setting up for another good year. D-N-R wildlife biologist, Todd Bogenschutz (Boyg-en-shuts), says the weather has been good.
He says the spring nesting conditions were very good for the birds.
He says it was not cool enough to cause major problems. Bogenschutz says rainy days in June don’t have as much impact because the temperatures are higher.
Bogenschutz will find out more about pheasant numbers in August when the D-N-R conducts its roadside survey of birds. Those surveys usually give a good indication of what to expect during the hunting season.
Jim Field visits with Atlantic Parks & Recreation Director Bryant Rasmussen about the Sunnyside Block Party this weekend.
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(DNR) The Iowa DNR is bringing back the Iowa State Park Passport in 2022 with new prizes and opportunities to enjoy state parks.
Park visitors are encouraged to sign up for the 2022 Iowa State Park Passport and make it a family-friendly challenge to visit and track visits to more than 60 parks and forests featured on the pass.
From July 1 – October 31 2022, visitors can check in for a chance at prizes:
For passport holders who participated in 2021, last year’s passport will expire. The 2022 passport offers the opportunity to start over with all new check-ins between July 1 – October 31, 2022 for prize opportunities. Learn more and sign up at: https://explore.traveliowa.com/checkout/311/travel-iowa/1619/iowa-state-park-passport
Jim Field visits with Kate Olson about the Master Gardener Training.
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(Radio Iowa) – State, federal, and local law enforcement are combining efforts this weekend to focus on people who are driving their boats while intoxicated. Iowa D-N-R boating law administrator, Susan Stocker, says it’s part of national Operation Dry Water to highlight the hazards of boating under the influence. Stocker says officers will also be looking for other violations, including boaters who aren’t wearing life jackets. She says a life jacket is just as important as wearing a seat belt in a car. “If you’re in an accident or a car, you potentially and most likely will land on a hard surface but in the water, you’re going to land in the water, and then you’re not going to float,” she says.
There are multiple types of life jackets available and she says the biggest thing is to find one you are comfortable in. “The best life jacket is the one you’re going to wear,” Stocker says. “So there are a lot of comfortable life jackets inflatables, which are allowed for people that are 16 years and older. So they are lightweight and they’re comfortable to wear. We have a lot of what you would call type threes or ski vests which are more comfortable versus the orange horse collar that we all know and very, very uncomfortable that you know we wore as young people.”
She says kids that are 12 years and younger have to wear a life jacket when the boat is underway. 
Stocker says kids can operate a boat with proper supervision. “With an adult present, you can have your young person drive and operate a boat. If they are going to operate a boat by themselves. Without an adult, they certainly need to have a boater education certificate in order to do that,” she says. Stocker says the best thing is that if you’re going to teach your young person how to operate a boat is to be with them and be right next to them. And she says make sure you have the engine cut off switch on your arm — so if something does happen, then the engine the motor will stop automatically. Stocker says the lakes and rivers will be busy and she advises you to be courteous.
“Fourth of July weekend just like Memorial weekend everybody wants to get out there are a lot more boats that people have purchased we’ve got more on the water so be patient and obey the buoys out there because they are the speed limit,” she says.
Stocker says there are approximately 235-thousand boats registered in Iowa. She says there could be thousands more kayak and canoes, as they only have to be registered if they are 13 feet or longer.
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