The Bridges of Madison County were off the regular RAGBRAI route Wednesday, but riders found them anyway.
On the fourth day of the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, riders sought out two bridges just off the beaten path — a sample of Madison County’ssix historic covered bridgesthat are linchpins of local tourism. The bridges were made famous by the novel "The Bridges of Madison County" and the 1995 movie of the same name.
"I missed the gravel turn off. I went six miles out of my way just to see the bridge," said rider Margaret Reissenauer. "It was one of the things I was most excited about on this ride, to see the bridge from the movie."