I'm busy doing the last minute shopping, packing and preparations for the trip to RAGBRAI's start. I've got to stare at the suggested "what to bring items" list again to make sure the family has what we need and not what we don't need for the week. Like IowaParamedic, I had to choose a room for packing and collecting everything. Went with the dining room....

I'm looking forward to saying hello in person at Emerson around high noon on Sunday. Bill, I'm counting on you to point us in the direction of finding our first great piece of authentic Iowa pie. By the way, my wife and children just drove through Nebraska this past weekend (driving a U-Haul from San Francisco to Des Moines) and stopped at a store in Sidney that really impressed them. The name escapes me at the moment, but it was a big store with hunting supplies, clothing, sporting goods, etc... . Caba____ - something or other. Lots of stuffed game and sights for the kids to see that they kept going on and on about.

BB

It's cabella's and it is definitely an impressive store. The stuffed bears and other large game make the store feel like a museum, and a huge one at that.
Think of Bass Pro on steroids.

HAHAHAHA...yes, Cabellas is indeed a nice place to stop!! They have a complete mountain inside the store, including stuffed animals that would normally inhabit such a place. And thier collection of rare and vintage firearms is a joy to behold.
I look forward to sharing the road with you and your family, Bruce, and if we can't find pie, I bet we can find some homemade ice cream!! ;)
I won't be hard to spot in Emerson.....I bet I'll be the only biker there with a tattoo of a chainring on the back of his right calf!!
See you all soon!!

Dear god this is coming fast. I havent been able to ride for the last week, thanks to me pushing myself to hard training for this thing. Im gonna be hurting the first couple of days, well untill everything goes numb :). See ya all in emerson!!!

Hey, like I always say, this thing is not a race...don't kill yourself, get out there and ride your own ride!! You will do just fine!! Have some fun, join a pace line if you want, or not, and chat with the other riders!! Eat some pie, smile, and sooner than you want, you'll be waiting for this to come around again!!

I've heard a lot of people pre-medicate for a tour. Taking Motrin or Tylenol keeps the butt pain away. Good luck everyone, hope to see you all. Anyone have a digital camera? I'm all packed and everything is in the hallway, waiting for my ride.

I had to point my wife over to this forum when I read the posts about taking over a room for packing. She was getting kinda mad at me for taking over the dining room. "Everyone does it," I told her and she bought it!

Although we did have a funny moment yesterday while going to Sam's Club for "road food" (Power bars, raisins, and Gatorade). She looked over at me at one point and said, "I think I'll take my bike along. too." This is funny because she's supposed to be driving our support vehicle. I reminded her of that and she said, "No, we can ride together when you get into town." Is that pretty common? I would think that most people would just prefer to plain old walk after a whole day in the saddle. I'd be interested to hear from the veterans.

We'll be loading up tomorrow evening for an early start on Friday. We're stopping over in Des Moines to visit some friends and then we'll head to Glenwood on Saturday. I can't wait!

People will be cycling into town until 11:00 p.m. Others use their bike for transportation. Since a lot of people want to use the shuttles into town and out of town at the same time, there are sometimes long lines. Some nights, I rode my bike into town, other times, I have walked or taken the shuttle. The deciding factor, is how far from town are you camping, and whether the town is located at the top of a hill. It's really really hard to ride back up at the end of the night with a full belly. I think you'll have fun riding around town together. Remember to bring a lock for the towns at night.

It is not uncommon to see people out riding in the evenings....and some support drivers pick out a spot, then ride out and meet thier supportees, and ride back into camp with them. (This is a practice that is frowned on by the powers that be....10,000 riders going one way, and one rider going in the opposite direction!!) It's all fun...and if you are too tired, maybe she'll give you a ride on the handlebars!! :)

So when are you going to dip your tire? Quite a ride to the river. I think I will go on Saturday, if I find time.

Mark

Well, we will be crossing the river on our way, so probably get that done enroute. Sure looking forward to that first lunch!! See ya soon!

I was wondering how that worked...the whole dipping of the tire at the beginning. I knew from folklore that this was what was done, but I could also tell from the map that Glenwood was NOT on the Missouri River.

I think I'll cheat a bit and have my wife drop me off at the Missouri on Saturday and then I'll meet her in Glenwood. I don't feel like doing 20 extra miles to get to the river. This is one of the great things that I am looking forward to!

While you are gathering "at the River", could you bottle some of that Missouri aqua and bring it back to Glenwood to pour over my tandem's rear tire?

BB (Who will be just fine and dandy with the 926 kilometers without having to ride to and from rivers for tire dipping)

Bruce, no guarantees...as I'm not driving the bus...but I'll do what I can!! See you Sunday!