Carol is filing this wrap-up from Des Moines, on behalf of both of us. Linda should be nearing Green Bay soon.
This morning was a gorgeous day for bicycling, sunny but not too hot yet. It was a pretty flat ride except for a few climbs along Mississippi River bluffs, and, for about the only time this week, we had a tail wind. Whee! It was a fast 52.7 miles and 1,835 feet of climb, a leisurely spin compared with earlier days, to complete the 471-mile trip.
Linda did the ritual dipping of her bike wheels in the Mississippi; Carol skipped that because the crowds were so thick. Then the logistical nightmare began. We rode about a mile and a half farther (and a few extra hills!) to where our bags were supposed to be, only to learn the bags were back where we started. Meanwhile, Tom, Carol's husband, and friend Heather Torpy, driving Linda's vehicle, were stuck in traffic for nearly two hours trying to reach us. You can imagine how happy Tom was about that! Although Carol and Linda arrived in Le Claire, the end town, before noon, it was nearly 4 p.m. by the time the bags, bikes, vehicles and four of us converged. It all worked out, eventually!
Some last sights and sounds from the road: Every evening, the overnight town organizes entertainment. We mentioned the Styx concert in Ames for flood relief, but that caliber was extraordinary. It's usually bands of local renown, and the quality is typical of a headliner at a county fair. Audience participation is big. Generally, the crowd is festive after a day of riding, and the bands we caught were a lot of fun. Early in the ride, at the courthouse square in Jefferson, the bandleader asked the crowd to hoist their beverages of choice if they were from Iowa, then from anywhere else in the U.S., and finally from outside the U.S. There happened to be a group of Canadians near the stage. The bandleader expressed his admiration for the Canadian national anthem and invited someone in the group to come up to sing it. A guy accepted, and did a pretty good job of it. So, on a mid-summer's evening in Jefferson, Iowa, a whole crowd was swaying to "O Canada" and cheering wildly afterward. It was a classic, spontaneous RAGBRAI moment. Then last night, in the small town of Tipton, a leader of a cover band had the whole crowd singing to nearly every song. The band even did "The Unicorn Song," inviting volunteers to come on stage to lead the crowd in the accompanying gestures. I've never heard that silly song other than on St. Patrick's Day, but it was perfect for the occasion.
Several thank yous are in order: Thanks to our good friends Brian Horton and Marilyn Dillon. Brian set up the blog for us (otherwise, we never would have done it!), and Marilyn faithfully e-mailed or called nearly every day. We owe Brian a shout-out, too, to wish him well as he leaves for China next week, doing Web coverage of the Olympics for AP. And Brian and Marilyn are also due an early shout-out about their upcoming wedding anniversary, on Aug. 6. Also thanks to Tom for ferrying us to the eastern and western ends of Iowa to begin and end the ride, and a special thanks to Heather for driving out Linda's car today.
We realize we're very blessed to have been able to do this ride, to have completed it safely and to have the support of family and friends all along the way.
2007: African safari
2008: Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa
2009: Stay tuned!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
We're done!
It was a wonderful last day of riding. Reached the Mississippi River by noon. Logistics were difficult, but we're both in cars heading home now. More later!
Friday, July 25, 2008
A rebound ride
Friday's ride was great, such a relief after the struggle on Thursday. It was shorter, 64.1 miles, but still 3,051 feet of climb. What would have seemed like steep hills a week ago are just slopes now! It was a bit cooler than we would have liked early on, but not bone-chillingly so like Thursday. And most of the last half of the ride was pretty darn flat, without the head wind we've had for most of the ride.
We're at a library, so we can write a bit more, but there's a 15-minute time limit. Nothing like a deadline!
We would be remiss if we didn't write about the food on RAGBRAI, a big part of the experience. RAGBRAI is in essence a big fundraiser for all the towns along the way. The 4-H kids, Scouts, churches, fire departments, PTAs, etc., all staff booths with everything from water and Gatorade to burgers and brats. We're partial to the kids' groups, and Carol likes to sample from what's something of a competition between the church ladies of Iowa to make the best pies. There's even a team called Pie Hunters, who wear wedges of pie on their heads, with the label of what kind each is looking for: dutch apple, gooseberry, cherry, etc. We've sampled some of the Iowa specialties, such as pork chop on a stick and the half-pound pork tenderloin sandwich (split between the two of us, it was still huge). (For our foreign friends, Iowa is the No. 1 pork producer in the U.S., so pigs are a big deal.)
Linda overheard a group of thin, young male riders say they were going to have at least one big dessert each day. One of them replied: "But we had four ice creams yesterday." The reply: "Ice cream is just fluff. It doesn't count." Oh, to have the metabolism of a 20-year-old again!
We're at a library, so we can write a bit more, but there's a 15-minute time limit. Nothing like a deadline!
We would be remiss if we didn't write about the food on RAGBRAI, a big part of the experience. RAGBRAI is in essence a big fundraiser for all the towns along the way. The 4-H kids, Scouts, churches, fire departments, PTAs, etc., all staff booths with everything from water and Gatorade to burgers and brats. We're partial to the kids' groups, and Carol likes to sample from what's something of a competition between the church ladies of Iowa to make the best pies. There's even a team called Pie Hunters, who wear wedges of pie on their heads, with the label of what kind each is looking for: dutch apple, gooseberry, cherry, etc. We've sampled some of the Iowa specialties, such as pork chop on a stick and the half-pound pork tenderloin sandwich (split between the two of us, it was still huge). (For our foreign friends, Iowa is the No. 1 pork producer in the U.S., so pigs are a big deal.)
Linda overheard a group of thin, young male riders say they were going to have at least one big dessert each day. One of them replied: "But we had four ice creams yesterday." The reply: "Ice cream is just fluff. It doesn't count." Oh, to have the metabolism of a 20-year-old again!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
A tough day
We might also say miserable without being too melodramatic. It was the third hilliest, with 3,123 feet of climb, and third longest, 76.2 miles. With sore legs and other body parts after four days of riding, it would have been tough anyway. But we were also treated to spitting rain for the first third of the ride and again at lunch. Plus we had a head wind, of course. And it probably didn't get above 70 degrees, so it was just plain cold.
Poor Linda had it worse by far. She had no rain jacket until she was able to buy one at the next-to-LAST stop of the day, so she really froze.
We tried to push through ahead of the rain so didn't stop for lunch until 50 miles in, but then there were no food vendors to be found. So we stopped at the next one, which ran out of sandwiches, extending the wait, in the cold and rain, to half an hour for a very mediocre barbecue sandwich. A few miles down the road later, you guessed it, there were lots of vendors.
Oh well. Best thing about this day's ride is that it's done. And the motel has a pool and hot tub, good for aching muscles. We're not near a library, though, so it's time for the whining and pecking to end!
Poor Linda had it worse by far. She had no rain jacket until she was able to buy one at the next-to-LAST stop of the day, so she really froze.
We tried to push through ahead of the rain so didn't stop for lunch until 50 miles in, but then there were no food vendors to be found. So we stopped at the next one, which ran out of sandwiches, extending the wait, in the cold and rain, to half an hour for a very mediocre barbecue sandwich. A few miles down the road later, you guessed it, there were lots of vendors.
Oh well. Best thing about this day's ride is that it's done. And the motel has a pool and hot tub, good for aching muscles. We're not near a library, though, so it's time for the whining and pecking to end!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Another good ride
Today's stats: 77.9 miles. 2,869 feet of climb. So it was a long way and enough hills to remind us why our legs hurt. But got it done in about 8 hours, starting soon after 6 a.m., and finishing soon after 2, with breakfast and lunch, so we sped along.
It was a gorgeous Iowa morning, sunny but cool. Tourism Department couldn't have ordered a better one, but what seemed like a gentle breeze at first picked up steam into a persistent head wind all day. That got old!
We're at a laundromat now. Not enough bike shorts for the week. Aren't near a library, so are pecking on a phone. Hope to write more tomorrow.
It was a gorgeous Iowa morning, sunny but cool. Tourism Department couldn't have ordered a better one, but what seemed like a gentle breeze at first picked up steam into a persistent head wind all day. That got old!
We're at a laundromat now. Not enough bike shorts for the week. Aren't near a library, so are pecking on a phone. Hope to write more tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
A beautiful ride to Ames
There are three four-letter words that bikers complain about: wind, heat, hill. The ride today had almost none of the above. It was a gorgeous day for a bike ride.
By way of comparison: Monday's ride was 82.9 miles with 5,239 feet of climb. Today: A mere 56.8 miles and 1,377 feet of climb. There was one big, long hill heading into Boone, but that's several dozen fewer than we climbed on Monday. And again, neither of us walked. Woo-hoo! The terrain was flat, the temperature was cool and there was little wind, though it picked up as we rode. We were heading into a head wind for most of the last 20-mile stretch, but got a break when the route turned about five miles from Ames.
It was cool when we started, soon after 6:30, with the sun climbing in the sky and mist rising above the dewy corn fields and road-side grass. We were in Ames by soon after noon.
We're writing this early, because our room isn't ready, but we were able to access an office center at a hotel. The last few posts were from town libraries, which stayed open late in honor of RAGBRAI. If you get short posts in coming days, it will be because we couldn't get to a motel computer or library and Carol had to peck out a message on her phone.
Seen and heard on the route: We have a boring team name (just Carol's name), because we registered late and the Register's RAGBRAI office staff didn't bother with anything cute. But team names, and equivalent costumes, are a big part of the ride. There's the Team Flamingo, for example, which wears pink feathers down the backs of their jerseys. We saw a guy with the Starship Enterprise atop his helmet, and two guys with yellow banana suits (the end was built up from their heads, tapering down to their shoulders and extending to their waists, so they really looked more like half a banana). There are lots of riders on tandems (often parents with children riding behind them), but today we saw the first bike with three riders.
Seen on a menu:
Water: $1
Gatorade: $1.50
Homemade pie, slice: $1.50
Portapotty: Priceless (And Carol would add: A clean one, even more priceless!)
About our accommodations: Yes, we're staying in hotels, and not feeling a darn bit guilty about it, either. It's the once concession we're making to age. The vast majority of riders camp in small tents at fairgrounds, parks, high school campuses, etc. Some riders make arrangements to stay in private homes. And a few lucky people fill up the hotels quickly in small-town Iowa. This is one place where the Register connection helps. Carol booked most of the rooms with the block reserved for Register staffers working on RAGBRAI.
Ames is home to Iowa State University, and the main food and entertainment stages are on the campus. So we'll head over there this evening for the benefit concert featuring Styx and benefiting Iowa's flood victims.
-- Carol and Linda
By way of comparison: Monday's ride was 82.9 miles with 5,239 feet of climb. Today: A mere 56.8 miles and 1,377 feet of climb. There was one big, long hill heading into Boone, but that's several dozen fewer than we climbed on Monday. And again, neither of us walked. Woo-hoo! The terrain was flat, the temperature was cool and there was little wind, though it picked up as we rode. We were heading into a head wind for most of the last 20-mile stretch, but got a break when the route turned about five miles from Ames.
It was cool when we started, soon after 6:30, with the sun climbing in the sky and mist rising above the dewy corn fields and road-side grass. We were in Ames by soon after noon.
We're writing this early, because our room isn't ready, but we were able to access an office center at a hotel. The last few posts were from town libraries, which stayed open late in honor of RAGBRAI. If you get short posts in coming days, it will be because we couldn't get to a motel computer or library and Carol had to peck out a message on her phone.
Seen and heard on the route: We have a boring team name (just Carol's name), because we registered late and the Register's RAGBRAI office staff didn't bother with anything cute. But team names, and equivalent costumes, are a big part of the ride. There's the Team Flamingo, for example, which wears pink feathers down the backs of their jerseys. We saw a guy with the Starship Enterprise atop his helmet, and two guys with yellow banana suits (the end was built up from their heads, tapering down to their shoulders and extending to their waists, so they really looked more like half a banana). There are lots of riders on tandems (often parents with children riding behind them), but today we saw the first bike with three riders.
Seen on a menu:
Water: $1
Gatorade: $1.50
Homemade pie, slice: $1.50
Portapotty: Priceless (And Carol would add: A clean one, even more priceless!)
About our accommodations: Yes, we're staying in hotels, and not feeling a darn bit guilty about it, either. It's the once concession we're making to age. The vast majority of riders camp in small tents at fairgrounds, parks, high school campuses, etc. Some riders make arrangements to stay in private homes. And a few lucky people fill up the hotels quickly in small-town Iowa. This is one place where the Register connection helps. Carol booked most of the rooms with the block reserved for Register staffers working on RAGBRAI.
Ames is home to Iowa State University, and the main food and entertainment stages are on the campus. So we'll head over there this evening for the benefit concert featuring Styx and benefiting Iowa's flood victims.
-- Carol and Linda
Monday, July 21, 2008
We did it!!!!!
The longest, hilliest day is done. Between the 82.9-mile route and schlepping back and forth to motels at each end, we figure we did about 90 miles today. And it really was hilly. Carol came up with a new motto for Iowa: The place where every town has a hill entering it and leaving it. It took us about 10 hours, with lots of water stops and lunch along the way. But neither of us walked a single hill. Woo-hoo!
Thank goodness we had some cloud cover for most of the day. And the views from the ridges of the Loess Hills (yes, there are officially named hills in Iowa) were pretty spectacular. But you could hardly even enjoy coasting the downhills because there was always another big hill directly ahead.
Seen and heard on the road:
From a philosopher rider who was nearing the top of a hill: "Pain is the weakness leaving your body."
From a rider pedaling up a hill while talking on a cell phone (they should be banned while riding): "Got to go. I'm on a hill. I can't talk and breathe at the same time!"
There are signs posted along the way, mostly for food, but also a few that are posted at intervals to be read in sequence, like the old Burma Shave signs. A set today (politics is always a topic of attention in Iowa):
Time for a change
Let's shift gears
Elect the guy
With the big ears!
(From the Obama '08 campaign)
A few low-lights: Carol did a slow-motion fall. Tire twisted in dirt as she pulled to a stop off the road and couldn't get a sandal out of the clips. So, there's a boo-boo on one elbow and a little road rash on a leg. (But mostly it hurt her pride!) And there was a snafu with the luggage. But a helpful courier took care of it, so we're grateful.
We're a little sore in places we won't mention, but are looking forward to a short day with few hills (although one looks like a killer by the climb charts) and a concert in Ames Tuesday night.
Thank goodness we had some cloud cover for most of the day. And the views from the ridges of the Loess Hills (yes, there are officially named hills in Iowa) were pretty spectacular. But you could hardly even enjoy coasting the downhills because there was always another big hill directly ahead.
Seen and heard on the road:
From a philosopher rider who was nearing the top of a hill: "Pain is the weakness leaving your body."
From a rider pedaling up a hill while talking on a cell phone (they should be banned while riding): "Got to go. I'm on a hill. I can't talk and breathe at the same time!"
There are signs posted along the way, mostly for food, but also a few that are posted at intervals to be read in sequence, like the old Burma Shave signs. A set today (politics is always a topic of attention in Iowa):
Time for a change
Let's shift gears
Elect the guy
With the big ears!
(From the Obama '08 campaign)
A few low-lights: Carol did a slow-motion fall. Tire twisted in dirt as she pulled to a stop off the road and couldn't get a sandal out of the clips. So, there's a boo-boo on one elbow and a little road rash on a leg. (But mostly it hurt her pride!) And there was a snafu with the luggage. But a helpful courier took care of it, so we're grateful.
We're a little sore in places we won't mention, but are looking forward to a short day with few hills (although one looks like a killer by the climb charts) and a concert in Ames Tuesday night.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
First day is done!
It was a great first day. Hills weren't quite so bad as feared. Cool in the morning and overcast most of the way, which tamped down the heat. We made it the 58.9 miles from Missouri Valley to Harlan in about six hours, from soon after 6 a.m. to just after noon.
We managed to get separated right from the get-go, but have settled in a routine of meeting up in each town along the way. (Linda rides faster than Carol does!)
Linda dipped her bike tire in the waters of the Missouri River this morning. OK, truth be told, the water was in a kiddie pool, and the Missouri River was 13 miles away, but it makes a good tale that she'll go from the waters of the Missouri to the great Mississippi.
Best sightings of the day: A guy riding a unicycle. Even though the tire was about 3-feet high, it's hard to see how he could make it the whole way. Worse: We saw him twice, so he passed us at least once! Two people with inflated pool toys around their bellies as they rode. A couple of the recumbents had a nylon-type cloth stretched around them. A yellow one looked like a banana; the other was a black-and-white, cheetah type of print.
Next day will likely be the most difficult of the week. Today was 3,797 feet of climb. Tomorrow: 5,239 feet and 82.9 miles, both the most hilly and longest day. So, no partying tonight. But once tomorrow is under our belts, look out, Iowa!
-- Carol and Linda
We managed to get separated right from the get-go, but have settled in a routine of meeting up in each town along the way. (Linda rides faster than Carol does!)
Linda dipped her bike tire in the waters of the Missouri River this morning. OK, truth be told, the water was in a kiddie pool, and the Missouri River was 13 miles away, but it makes a good tale that she'll go from the waters of the Missouri to the great Mississippi.
Best sightings of the day: A guy riding a unicycle. Even though the tire was about 3-feet high, it's hard to see how he could make it the whole way. Worse: We saw him twice, so he passed us at least once! Two people with inflated pool toys around their bellies as they rode. A couple of the recumbents had a nylon-type cloth stretched around them. A yellow one looked like a banana; the other was a black-and-white, cheetah type of print.
Next day will likely be the most difficult of the week. Today was 3,797 feet of climb. Tomorrow: 5,239 feet and 82.9 miles, both the most hilly and longest day. So, no partying tonight. But once tomorrow is under our belts, look out, Iowa!
-- Carol and Linda
Saturday, July 19, 2008
And we're off
Arrived safely in Missouri Valley, the start town. Road work on I-80 held us up about 45 minutes. Tom, my husband, fumed. We finally exited and took a state road. Very scenic. Everyone happy.
Went to the bike expo. Probably about 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity. Hope it cools down!
We plan to be on the road by 5:30 a.m. Eeek! First day is 58.9 miles and quite a few hills. Wish us luck!
-- Carol
Went to the bike expo. Probably about 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity. Hope it cools down!
We plan to be on the road by 5:30 a.m. Eeek! First day is 58.9 miles and quite a few hills. Wish us luck!
-- Carol
Friday, July 18, 2008
Almost ready to go!
Well, we’re almost ready to go. Linda drives to
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