Quite a ride

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!