Perry looked so quiet and unsuspecting when we finally reached Highway 141 on the Raccoon River Valley Nature Trail. It was the "meeting town" for Tuesday's ride, a place where Ragbrai bicycle riders and their support vehicles would meet if necessary or unnecessary for whatever reason; resupply, swap bikes, pick up or drop riders, beer or just for the support drivers to get a mid-day taste of the shenanigans. But the signs became apparent even before crossing that road. An old school bus converted into some team's Ragbrai mother ship was to our left heading east toward Boone. A few blocks later we spotted the first contingent of the Iowa State Patrol and we knew we were there. They were in the process of rolling up the streets, shutting down the vendors and moving bikers on toward the overnight of Boone, IA. I only needed to stop to pick up Aleve, something in the 400 lb of gear I forgot to pack, my old war wound never seems to heal or was it for my knees?
A state trooper asked me if I was looking for the route. "No, Aleve," I replied.
"There's a Fareway (grocery store) right over there, he said as he pointed to the store."
"Thank you!"
He was probably sick of the mass of cycling humanity he has been dealing with since Saturday. I forgot to wear my credentials: Central Iowa resident, 20 time Ragbrai rider, BRR rider for about as many years, Commuter of the Year and someone who knows when the Perry Perk Coffee Shop closes (now The Farm Store and Bakery). "Thank you, sir."
Since our bicycles are equipped with kickstands we parked in a parking spot instead of leaning against the building. No bother to lock them as the loaded panniers which not only generate gravity but give the bicycles a "not fun to ride" appearance. No homeless, who carry more weight on their bicycles, around either. Aleve was found by asking two employees. In Perry's Fareway it is across from the cheese. No generic so name brand was picked. 24 should be enough 2 and a half days. Picked up a couple of cold drinks for us as well.
The cashier hit me up with THE QUESTION, you know the one, "would you like to round up the total for..." This time I snorted.
"Would you like to round up for The Ragbrai Drinking Team?" LOL,
"I am a card carrying member of The Ragbrai Drinking Team! I should be given free drinks!"
"No, The Ragbrai Dream Team."
Oh, "no, not today." That was my 2nd sign of mental breakdown or was it corn pollen clogging my ears? I had 3 episodes, the first of which is best explained at the beginning of this adventure.
BRIEF HISTORY OF MY RAGBRAI EXPERIENCE
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| Miss Wadena, Team Mystery Machine's bus. |
My first Ragbrai was in 1991, Winterset to the Amana Colonies. Three days. Mary dropped me and my Trek 7000 MTB plus a backpack and a small tent off in Winterset. I immediately found my bike mentor and friend, Rob Prunty, at the Europa Cycles tent. I helped wrench a little bit until the shop closed down and Rob and Paul were free to do the Ragbrai nightlife. Highlights that night was the encounter of a sheriff outside his patrol car on his radio asking for a description of the person of interest. Rob interrupted this important communication by saying "he had a tool on him this long," gesturing that the suspect has a phallus on him 2 feet long! The cop laughed, we all laughed. We found a party at a park shelter that had a cooler full of jungle juice.
The next day I entered the route proper. I recall topping a short climb and seeing hundreds of bikers. An emotional experience for me. I finally found my people! My bike built for offroad adventures had Specialized Fat Boy slicks for road work. I had to have a jersey although Russ, the owner of Europa Cycles said I'd be better off buying bike shorts. Brought a Sony Walkman cassette player, loaded with New Order bootlegs, with earphones. Dumb but I was only into biking for a maybe 3 years.
How Mary and her sister found me 3 days later at the Amanas I'll never know. Just find the main campground and the Europa Cycles tent... Years before the internet was widely available and smartphones.
But the seed was planted. In 1992 we took our Gary Fisher Gemini tandem and pulled a Burley trailer with our gear starting at Glenwood, IA, at met up with Europa Cycles again. We watched cops force group of old professional looking men, doctors or lawyers, dump their beers. Later we saw a photographer, expensive professional looking camera hanging from his neck, handcuffed and blood running down his forehead being hauled of to jail by 2 police officers. Russ told us that beer drinking was to be in the trailer only because this town is not friendly. We already witnessed that. But not all was bleak. We spotted a large van that read "Quadrabong." This was before the Quad, a 2 tandem cycle with a dangerous cooler between the riders and a roof. Think of the Flintstones but with dirty 90's hippies. Years later I got to ride on it for a beer run.
Skipped 93 because of the flood and the birth of our second child.
1994 tandem again.
1995 I enlisted a driver and used my truck. No more schelping our gear on route.
The Team Mystery Machine Years followed. School bus painted aqua green with a Scooby Do, Dr. Seuss and Grateful Dead motif painted on for livery. This mode finished the decade and took us to 2005. We'd bring the tandem and singles. But, alas, all good things come to an end. The team drifted into "bagging" and did not need the bus. Reliability of the bus was declining, and Mary and I started beating the bus to the overnight towns consistently. One year a brake line burst near the engine manifold and started a fire. Colin shouted to me to open the cooler and find a liquid to douse the flames. Beer, beer, beer, ginger ale, Yes grab the ginger ale!
Then the year the clutch died on the first day of the ride. Since it was a Sunday the bus would not be fixing until Monday morning and would head to Ringsted, IA, which would be on Tuesday's route. Mary and I had to ride to the first town out for the next day since all the baggers were going to stay there. It rained like hell that night. Someone died in Sheldon, IA, when a tree limb fell and crushed him in his tent. We were 20 miles away in Primghar, IA, drinking with the town banker, fire chief and the town slut. Last call was at 215am, ZERO law enforcement in this town BTW, and someone said it looked like a tornado outside and like an idiot I walked up to the window, beer in hand, and watched a naked man bellyflop across the tables outside and slide into a kiddie pool that would be filled with drinks for tomorrows Ragbrai riders. Ended up sleeping on the Bar Fly bus. Mark Kloberdonz warned us not to take off our shoes as the floor was dangerous. A lot of Barflies set their tubs outside and failed to put the lids back on when the rain hit. I swear, each tub had 4" of rain inside them when the morning sun appeared. We were on our fast tandem, Cannondale RT 3000, and only had the clothes on our back and limited cash. Todd Wolfe loaned us $50 that night which got us through to Mikey's house in Ringsted.
Lessons learned. We started bagging. By now the Fisher had been converted to touring, drop bars and front and rear racks. My Trek 520 was acquired a few years. One year my Son Quin and I rode with my sister Patty and Eve Shonts in a rental truck but other than that we bagged. Our new team, Mary's Heroes, rode self contained for several years, often avoiding The Ragbrai as much as possible, just enough for a taste. Some years we created routes that totally avoided that concrete & asphalt rodeo. Too many people, sometimes ditch to ditch bikers.
Obstacle 1
The Ragbrai was too damn close to ignore this year. Unlike a few years ago when they wanted a million riders to ride from Ames to Des Moines to set a record, there was not a safety concern. RASDak left me with a longing to take our touring bicycles out on a journey without time constraints. Sleep in, make coffee and slowly start the day. Depend on ourselves and nobody else like we did in 2023 when Mary and I took these same two bikes to St. Cloud to Fargo during the week of Ragbrai. Complete freedom.
We elected to take the two touring bikes. The Fisher tandem needed slicks instead of its current knobby tires. No need for someone to drop us off and pick us up later. HOWEVER, I needed to finish swapping out the shifters on Mary's Bianchi. This project has been going on for at least 2 years. The Tiagra set had crapped out. I purchased a set of MicroShift 9 speed shifters. I really should have merely removed the shifter cables and install a set of bar end shifters but Mary did not enjoy the last bike she had with bar ends, complaints about bumping into the shifters all the time. I was able to get the rear shifter on, adjust the brakes and index the shifting. Not satisfied with how tight the shifter was on the bar, I never finished the project and let the bike sit for at least 2 years. Now push came to shove and the work needed completion. Another obstacle was that I could not remove the front shifter and remember how to tighten the other. Just threw the bike into the Honda and drove it to Ichi Bike to ask them to show me. Zach walked to the back of the bike and started counting cogs.
"Where did you get these shifters. They are 9 speed and this bike has an 8 speed cassette. It will not work properly."
I was dumbfounded. How could I make such a mistake? I lifted the rear of the bike up, turned the crank and demonstrated that it was shifting properly.
"I'll have the mechanic look at this when he is done with his current customer."
Cooper came over in a bit, was explained the situation and said that it works, he has seen wonkier set ups and showed me where to place the wrench to tighten/loosen the shifters clamp for the handlebars. I told Zach that I probably had a 9 speed wheel at home in my collection.
Armed with forgotten knowledge, we purchased Celeste colored bar-wrap for a Bianchi and went home to finish the job. Later after a test ride I looked at the big ring. "9 Speed" was printed it. Weird, why would Chad Terrill, previous owner swap an 8 speed chainring for a 9 speed. Does not make sense. Then the light bulb went off! This bike has Eric Crabb's wheels from his Trek 520. They had the generator hub and light, thus better than what came with the Bianchi. I swapped wheels with Crabby's bike, gave that bike to my son, Joe, and forgot about it. So a visit to Joe's house and a rear wheel swap, spider webs and all, the Volpe is now once again a 9 speed bike again! The 520's rear brakes will now work since the Bianchi's wheel was wider. Told Joe that if he cleaned off the cobwebs the bike is ready.
The next few days were spent in preparation. Clean the bikes, clean and lube their chains, place panniers on them and pack panniers. Placed the MSR Missing Link tent and Thermarest in the front left side pannier as a solid pieces of ballast in case I needed to bump some bike in self defense. Tools, pump, sleeping bag, off bike shoes in the right front pannier. French press camping stove, coffee, oat milk powder packets, coffee cup and 2 liter size water bottles in the left rear bag. Clothes, 2 off bike outfits and 2 biking outfits, towel and toiletries in right rear bag. Battery charger for phone somewhere in back. Two collapsible walking sticks which serve as tent poles, strapped to the rear rack.
LAUNCH
LITTLE ITALY TO BOONE
72 MILES
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| New to us in Dallas Center, IA, at the trailhead. |
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| Heartland Cardtrol convenience store in Minburn, IA. Always a good stop but watch out for the dragon flies! |
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| Secret rocket base in Minburn. |
Tuesday morning. Libby wakes me up at 4 am to go out. I start coffee and the finishing touches on the bikes. We putt Libby in the truck and take her to the pet resort. Once home, change clothes and take off.
We ride a half mile and enter the trail by Mullets that turns into the Bill Riley Trail, then Walnut Creek Trail, Clive Greenbelt and Raccoon Trail. Because of overnight rain we are concerned about trail flooding. Several underpasses are muddy, slimy and underwater. Thank you Jason Boten for your daily commute reports. Lots of tree debris on the trails, too, leaves and small branches from the storm. Back it up a little bit, before we got to Gray's Lake I discovered that I left the wristbands at home! Turn around, bright eyes...
CONFUSION
It has been a long long time since we ridden this way. Walmart maybe once of twice in recent years. With construction on I-35/80 severing the Greenbelt, it just been easier to pack the bikes in the car and drive to Waukee and ride the RRVT from there. Google Maps had a good detour listed, cut up by the swimming pool and get on the University Ave side path and take that to Great Southern Bank and then return to the Greenbelt. But suddenly I found myself lost. Discount Tire? Looks like a generic intersection in a neighborhood I never been in. Reminded me of Cedar Rapids. Wait a minute, hold up, something ain't right. I did not recognize the location.
"When did they do this to the trail?" I asked Mary.
"The trail closed we are on the detour."
"I've ridden this trail a thousand times and I do not recognize this place. Where did we turn off the trail?"
Mary pointed, "Over there, the underpass is flooded and the TRAIL CLOSED gate is blocking the way. We need to cross the street and take the detour."
Bill Konkol from my church was there on a hybrid. We say hello and shake hands before I continue expressing my confusion and agree to cross the intersection. Slowly the brain fog lifted and I recognized that we were at 86th/22nd St and University Ave. A major intersection that I readily rendered into a small urban intersection in the middle of suburbia. As many times as I have ridden under this road I have driven over it as much. It looked old and out of place. I have ridden on the Discount Tire side a few times. It was not expected today and threw me out of sync. Should have looked ahead instead of looking at Mary. I was relieved to be on the Greenbelt proper.
Waukee, IA, along Hickman Rd, is a soulless excursion. Got to be careful here because the wife of Bike World's owner was once hit by a car crossing 156th. Just a endless supply of vehicles driving up what is basically the main road of that village. We comment on the urban sprawl. There used to be nothing out here. The farm that grew pumpkins, Coca-Cola all filled in with businesses ect. I'd hate to live out here. Eventually we hit the RRVNT trailhead painted in Git n Go colors and head toward Perry in a strong headwind. It took forever. Stopped in Dallas Center for the restroom. Stopped in Minburn at the garage/convenience store for a drink and snack. Then fought the wind to Perry on the last leg.
PERRY TO BOONE
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| The invitation to this event added 20 extra miles to our day. Originally, we were planning to ride north to Boone. But wayward distractions are often the best. Thank you Stacy and Thirsty Pigs. |
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| I took this photo for Facebook's Bicycle Ride & Seek group. Pie was one of this month's 12 items to get a photo of your bike next to. Natalie Bellcock, pictured, was gracious to allow me to photograph this. |
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| I only need a soft shoulder to cry on. Outside Ogden. |
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| Tell me that you were on The Ragbrai without saying that you were on The Ragbrai. |
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| Obligatory stop at Mr Pork Chop. I recall one Ragbrai when the route went past his house. I did not make a purchase. $13 for a pork chop seemed excessive. |
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| Packing at night. Boone, IA. |
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| Tasty. Small and easy to pack. Held up decently in my handlebar bag. I really miss the original PowerBars (I just Googled them to see if I spelled it properly and discovered that the new and improved ORIGINAL are available). Say what you will about them but they came in a variety of flavors and survived in jersey pockets and heat much better than Cliff Bars and ProBars. |
The route from Perry to Boone is partly of the BRR ride route, Perry to Rippey, IA. Familiar turf but the tundra looks so different in July than it does in February when we do the BRR ride. At a farmstead that serves as a break on BRR, the Thirsty Pigs set up a party there. Stacy Bellcock invited us. We met Stacy, Natalie and Chris, Stacy's brother there. Great to see them. It has been a while. RASDak training took us out of the party ride scene. I regret not taking more photos. Also ran into Josh C, owner of the Triangle Tap and his son Tim, We rode together a bit. He left the stop before we did and looking down the road I asked Mary if that guy in front of us was on a tallbike. Nope, that's Josh and Tim. I really need new glasses and more oxygen to my brain! This part of the ride was our entrance to The Ragbrai. We were definitely back of the pack, the horde long gone. Nice group of people to ride with. Not ditch to ditch bikes. We were able to order a few beers before they shut down. I had a mango NA sour and a Modelo draft. Hydrate and have a beer!
Back on the road we saw the signs for the "optional Gravel Route" appeared and I wondered how they were. No time, wrong tires, clean bike sans the slime picked up getting out of the metro. Keep pushing into the wind. The north stretches were the worst. Going east was much better. The wind was so strong on my completely non-aerodynamic bike that I passed time by reading the numbers that the road pavers etched into the concrete. Eventually, Ogden, IA, emerged in the distance and I stopped to take a photo of the "Welcome to Ogden" sign, the soft shoulder sign and finally crossed Highway 30 and stopped at the Casey's to refuel with a Monster and a MNT Dew. One thing about this trip is that I did not eat much.
The final stretch to Boone was marked by a "big hill." When we got within range, the people living near it were outside watching us and there were signs that read "ENJOY OUR BIG HILL" and posted distances to the top. First there was a nice downhill then a flat stretch and then more signs indicating that THE HILL was about to begin and that it was a mile to the top. RASDak hills prepared us for this but we were on fast light weight road bikes then. Now we were on heavy and loaded touring bikes but RASDak had trained us well. Shift early, shift often is my motto. I was on the last quarter mile when I saw the beer cans stashed in the guard rail. I almost fell off my bike laughing and used that moment to get off the bike to photograph it. Coors and Sierras Nevada's Hazy IPA I have consumed before. Since I already in my very lowest gear, no need to downshift. I admit that to get rolling again I had to swerve into the opposite lane but I checked both ways before attempting this endeavor. Once on top Boone was near.
What I hate most about The Ragbrai and RASDak is that the campgrounds are always on the other side of town. Now on my 70th mile I was done. There bars to the left and convenience stores but the proper thing to do was to get to the campground, set up the tent and take a shower. All of this would be found at DMACC (Des Moines Area Community College) which served as Ragbrai HQ. I was impressed with the size of the campus. We landed, put up our tent and found the showers, $10 each but worth it. They were hot, too. Much hotter than the showers on RASDak. The Ragbrai 1, RASDak 27.
Our son Quin, the paramedic, had worked the 1st Aide Station from 7am to 7pm but we were too late to see him. We did text when I asked him where food was. Food trucks by the music. Could not hear music. Google indicated that Mc Donald's was the only place open withing walking distance. Quin told us to walk and extra block or two to the food trucks. But I was in the mood for sitting down at a table and guzzling free ice cold water refills while I scribbled a few notes about the ride. Up to this point in this write up I have not looked at them. The place was busy but we could eat inside. Drunken bikers. Along with food I purchased a bag of ice so I could make Mary an iced vanilla latte in the morning.
This was the very first time we have ever camped on official Ragbrai campgrounds unless you count the two times tenting with Europa and once with Bike World in some Cedar Rapids suburbs, Marion IIRC. I do remember this about that night. Hot as hell on the route. Routed us to "enjoy" CR suburbs. Cop stopped us at an intersection to let vehicular traffic through. We were riding the Fisher tandem pulling a Burley with all out possessions and a ghetto blaster cranking out Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden and I hated that song and the entire grunge scene ever since.
BUT...that pain and suffering paid off that night. I woke up in the middle of the night to people talking in a nearby tent. If you are not an adult, skip this paragraph. Some woman says, "Brian, you have a really big dick. Isn't his dick huge," she asked another woman apparently in the same tent. I think at that point I plugged earphones on and listened to music. Mary slept through this. In the morning I wondered if it was all a dream. But when I woke up I looked around and saw a young man standing near a tent that could have been in the tent of fun. "Is your name Brian," I queried. He blushed and nodded an affirmation. Still not satisfied, I asked Heather who worked for Bike World at the time if she heard that disturbance, too. She said yes.
Back to 2026. I was impressed with the official campground. Clean restrooms if you could get inside the building, the doors locked at 11 pm or 12 am and reopened at 5am. Hot showers. Those water bottle refilling stations. Electrical outlets to charge phones and what not. Some people slept inside like our RASDak friend Tim Fairchild. Food and drink, breakfast sandwiches ect, COFFEE, too! There was one row of kybos/porta-potties but they were trashed. I attempted to use one but had a coughing/dry heaving seizure so I stood in line for 5 minutes to wait for the doors to open. That is the only negative I can state.
MY NOTES OF THIS DAY OF THINGS NOT MENTIONED
Back of the pack
closed Perry down
closed Thirsty Pigs down
Ogden was closed when we got there but the Casey's was rocking
last shower at the campground
ate poorly/light
breakfast sandwich and Coca-Cola at home
Gatorade in Waukee
Monster and Mnt Dew in Minburn some chips, too
one or two mini MACROBARS
a Cliff Bar (not in notes)
slice of pizza from Casey's in Ogden and a Monster and part of a MNT Dew
Quarter Pounder meal at Mc D's in Boone
DAY 2 BOONE TO MARSHALLTOWN FRIENDS EMERGE
68 MILES
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| The only map I had. Screenshot from The Ragbrai webpage. Of note is how the last 16.8miles looks all downhill... |
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| And a book! The Ragbrai must be carrying all their gear. The fence in the background was where the barking dogs stood their ground and barked. |
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| Mary doing her best Madchester or Amy Reynolds impression. |
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| This is a "clean" kennel for dogs and other pets. Grooming services provided, too. |
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| Neighbor placed this tub of beads by the curb. We grabbed a few handfuls, washed, dried and disinfected them before packing them for the trip. |
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| Nice! Johnny Brooks has a 73 Super Beetle convertible that he restored. Porsche Guards Red but with nicer wheels. Had only two options; radio and interior light dimmer. |
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| Of note, how sparsely packed the riders are. |
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| Another shot of the route. |
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| Obligatory 520 photo with my 520. |
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| I-35. How many times have we driven underneath this overpass? Four times this year including the Friday before The Ragbrai. Twice more in September for me. |
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| Nevada, IA, on the Lincoln Highway |
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| Forgot to edit thumb out of shot. |
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| Marti! |
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| Dan Moody! |
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| Old Swill Light. Really was not bad. I had two. |
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| When purchasing this round, I saw Dan talking to the barkeep. I though he was ordering shots. No. He was asking if they had anything other than light beer. "I don't want people to know that I'm drinking light beer," he said. They do now! All 20 people that will read this. |
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| Chris James is on the route. We stopped at Milford Township. Someone said there was a coffee guy with a dog in goggles at the church building. Had to be Chris! He used to be the Director of Operations where I work until Covid led to our furlough and eventual layoff. He wisely took all the Covid stimulus money and invested it into the stock market then withdrew it and placed it into his hobby, roasting coffee beans. From this he was able to start Coffalo Coffee and his coffee is available at local stores and at the Des Moines Farmers Market. |
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| Chris and Bugsy. Big apology to their friend who was riding with them. I forgot your name. |
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| Bugsy ready to roll! |
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| Flags at every event. From my research, this began with WWI. |
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| Nice old Trek! Of other old bikes I saw out on the route was a Centurion. |
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| The old head-badge of Trek. I was not able to determine what model or vintage this bike is. Sometimes the model number is on the chainstay. Not on this one. |
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| I don't know what goes on in State Center, IA. I don't want to know either. |
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| This is the view from inside a cornfield. |
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| Our campsite in Marshalltown at the official Ragbrai campground. The tent is a MSR Missing Link that has been on two week self contained backpacking adventures in the Sangre Cristo range of the Rookies in New Mexico. Philmont for those in the know. Quite the lean in this photo but that would be corrected. It uses hiking sticks as tent poles. The worst thing about tents is when poles break. These hiking sticks as very inexpensive and easily replaceable. I once considered hockey sticks. Our stuff is spread out to prevent people from tripping over the lines. |
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| Kwick Star was located across the street so we indulged. Not photoed was the the Mago Margaritas that Mary picked out. I found those a little spicy, Mary said they would be better over ice. The White Russians, were delish! |
Woke up at 4am because that's when I always wake up because of work and that I am a senior citizen. Bikers were already rolling to Marshalltown. I need a restroom and a water fountain. Kybos were not for me but I got inside DMACC at 5am. Filled bottles and talked to Tim Fairchild. He was already dressed. I asked him why he was up so early. Same reasons. "What am I going to do here anyway?" Good point. Then he added, "RASDak gets up earlier." True. Then I told him of my dream of weeklong rides not depending on getting out early. Enjoy the mornings.
There's a local dog, actually two, losing their biscuits barking at a Ragbrai dog. A rider was walking her medium sized dog on DMACC campus and the local dogs were at the fence letting them know that they were not having it. Eventually, the woman and her black dog returned to a tent near ours. Her husband/BF/partner put the dog on a trailer and pulled it with a single speed fatbike. The dog stood up whenever we saw them on the route. She herself also rode a single speed fatbike. Other people brought their dogs on their bikes, some on trailers others in basket like contraptions on back of their bikes. I have no desire to haul our dog, Libby, on the bicycle. 68 lb of fluff and barks and an independent mind that may want to explore on her own. Plus the heat. The road temperature can be very high.
One last visit inside DMACC for water bottle filling. Saw Tim again and we decided to have breakfast--sausage egg and cheese croissant and a Gatorade. Soft and tasty. A few bits of an apple, too, for good measure. Nice ride out of town. The route was not the ditch to ditch horde of years past. Plenty of room to maneuver. Stopped on an overpass and took the photo of the barn,
A good start to the day. Stopped a large agricultural business for coffee and a restroom and gave out beads. "You look underdressed," I'd say as I gave them out. I did not make any demands for them. I merely wanted to lighten my load a few grams at a time.
Back on bike. North then east then south. On the south stretch the Ames Moose Lodge planted flags all of the side of the road to attract money err riders. One of their signs I used for the "520" photo. After passing the Loyal Order of the Moose, the route turned east again. A misunderstood local in a silver Chevy sedan entered the road northbound from Riverside. Window down, middle finger flexing, he shouted "FOOK YOU RAGBRAI!!!" at everyone and no one in particular. Poor guy. It happens, I suppose, but that was the first time I witnessed such a fit.
Turning on Riverside Rd families were standing on the side of the road, children handing out bananas and water bottles. Someone shouted "HARD BOILED EGGS!" Then the collective downshift as the road gave way to a steep hill before we reached Milford Township. All sorts of fundraising here. More beads given out. I had a hotdog and a Coca-Cola. It was here that we met Chris James, his friend, She Who's Name I Cannot Remember, and his dog Bugsy. They were doing just one day of the ride. I saw him later on Saturday at the Des Moines Farmers Market selling his coffee at his Coffalo Coffee Co stall.
Nevada was the next town. We were now on the Lincoln Highway, one of the first transcontinental roads purposely built for automobiles. For more information click Lincoln Highway. We really did not do much here. The "shitty kybo" incident happened here, however. When Mary went to use a porta-potty, a woman exited it and said that there was feces on the the floor. She covered it up with toilet paper and warned us that there was "shit" on the floor. Cannot cover up excrement with a bidet, can you??
Leaving town we met Marti June who was preparing to exit The Ragbrai. We exchanged pleasantries only to stop and take a photo of a statue of President Abraham Lincoln and historical marker commemorating the Lincoln Highway.
Colo, a town named after the rail baron's dog, was next. One thing I would do is comment on peoples touring bikes. If the racks were full I'd say "You are carrying too much stuff." If the racks were empty, "Your bike looks naked." I encountered a black bike with panniers on the rear and told my Dad Joke or Progressive "young homeowner turning into their parents" comment. Looked at the rider and it was Dan Moody, head River Rat himself and veteran of many Ragbrais. FULL STOP!!
We pulled over and stopped to talk. "Do you think they have a bar in this town?" he asked.
"Of course they do. I think I was here with Anders Olson and Eric Crabb many years ago."
We found it. The Starlite Lounge. This would be the only establishment we would visit on The Ragbrai, but as far as company, Dan, it was priceless. Not crowded. Walked in and ordered and found a seats in back by the pool table. Good to catch up. A woman with a eBike walked in and plugged it in. Then to our amazement, Matt Phippen, the BIC, Trailmaster and Ride Director himself walked up to us and asked how we were doing! WOW! Never experience that before. Sure, I'd see Kasey Abbot, head volunteer for RASDak daily but he had only 200 riders to deal with and rides whenever he can. But the person in charge of an event that has thousands of participants stopping in a bar in Colo, IA, was a surprise. We could not stay for long. As slow as I was riding the need to move was ever present. I bought Dan a second beer and we said good bye.
"Did you do that dance the doctor told you that you shouldn't do? But you're only young. You should do that dance twice over."--Soft Cell
State Center Time for food. I saw a sign for grilled cheese sandwich miles and miles ago that seemed appealing. I barely was eating. This may be the first Ragbrai that I lost weight. I don't know what goes on in State Center but it was a little disconcerting. Upside down pineapples, the American flag with itemized freedom requirements... Riders set that pineapple on its head. Funny joke that few understand. Parked the bikes by the fruit and walked down the main drag. I found the grilled cheese place and was pleasantly surprised that Chris Ambrose, friend of my children, former neighbor and Boy Scout of the same troop my sons were in, called my name. He was working but I was glad to see him. I had a plain grilled cheese, Starbucks Cold Brew can and and a water or soda. Found a table in the shade and consumed before rolling on.
The unincorporated town Of Lamoille (LaMoille) was next, half way between State Center and Marshalltown. This town was named after Lamoille, Vermont. When we entered, railroad tracks need to be crossed. The road was a bit rough and water was flowing down the pavement. I could handle that as most riders could but the hill was another story. Downshift until there are no more gears and suffer through. I saw several people walking their bikes up the hill. At least it was shaded my huge trees that grew in front of peoples homes. I thought of that joke about a guy selling a bike. A potential buyer looked at the price and ask the sell how low can he go on this bicycle. "4 mph but any lower I'd probably fall over." I looked at my computer, 2.8 mph. I did not walk it. I wobbled a bit but remained clicked in and upward bound. On top of the hill families and children were cheering us on, offering water and such but I moved on and rode out of range of the sprinkler set in the street to cool us off. It was the biggest event to hit this town since the city council decided to dissolve the local government.
I don't recall much more about the remaining 6 miles to Marshalltown except that I over heard someone saying that he was glad they saved the steep hills for the last 16 miles. On top of maybe the last one, I stopped at a stand set up for the Baxter schools sports team or cheerleaders. I wanted an ice cold yellow Gatorade and got one. So cold that there was ice in the bottle! No kybos so I did what many Ragbrai riders do, walk into a cornfield and relieve their bladders.
Marshalltown finally appeared in the distance. Like every overnight on every ride I have ever done, the campground is on the other side of town. This is my only complaint. Bust arse all day and get the long tour of the city/town before being able to plant the bike and rest for the night. Should have taken the bike trail when we saw it but our reaction time was bad and we did not study the info to know where the main campground was located. Sure enough, it was at the YMCA-YWCA, a place connected to the trail system and a place where we have started rides many times with the Iowa Valley Bicycle Club. We have ridden on those trails many times. Ragbrai HQ was here as well. The early people set up around the around the Y buildings, close to the luggage semi-truck trailers. We were lucky and claimed a spot west of there on a clover field that was not crowded and within walking distance of a Kwik Star convenience store. Kickstands down, camping gear unloaded, tent set up, walk to the Y for a $10 pasta dinner and a $10 shower inside. Eat first, then shower. Fed and clean!
On the way back Chris Mace was wrenching for Harper's Bikes from Muscatine, IA. We talked a bit. Have not seen him in ages but he was busy and I had to leave. Back to the tent and then to Kwik Star for adult beverages. Last night. Also picked up a box of blueberry donuts for a snack. Crossing the road there were food trucks so I indulged in a pulled pork sandwich. My appetite apparently open but I saved the donuts for the morning. I drank 3 Cutwater White Russians and one of their Mango Margaritas. Slept well.
HEADING HOME THURSDAY MARSHALLTOWN TO DES MOINES 64 MILES
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| Matt Phippen, Ragbrai Director and me. |
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Unnamed location on S62. Across the road there were men doing some sort of construction work and digging. There was a large pile of tires at their intersection. I shouted, "That's a lotta rubba!" And some replied it was for safety. I thought someone illegally dumped then in the ditch and they had to remove them for their project.
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| At the BP station in Melbourne, IA. 9 miles of county highway S62, three hills, to turn to Baxter, IA, 3 more miles to the trail. |
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| Air Tractor doing whatever Air Tractor's do. Crop dusting. Internal stores on this bird. |
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| Cujo came out and barked at me the entire time I stood there filming the crop duster. He/she came no further, just stayed at the spot. Notice the white lump by the door? That is a Great Pyrenees who only barked once when I left. When you reach this home on S62 you are done with the hills. |
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| Time to eat the donuts! Baxter Country Store. Restrooms, cold drinks, pizza and sandwiches. A favorite stop for us whenever we ride the Chichaqua Valley Nature Trail or beyond like Newton, Grinnell, Marshalltown ect. |
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| Damn, the coffee pannier is giving up the ghost. It has been part of my gear for at least 10 years. Fortunately, it made it home. |
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Did someone call for extraction?? Baxter, IA, Chichaqua Valley Trailhead.
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| Art at Station Street Bicycle Shop, Mingo, IA. |
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| Of note, the tandem is AWD. Notice that the chain is connected to the front wheel? |
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| The last photo of Kido Butai Touring Bike Edition. Mingo. They did well and impressed a lot of riders. |
Woke up about 4 am again. Found the kybos on this side of the campgrounds clean. Had to get rolling early. 530pm deadline to pick up Libby from Hotel de Doggie or pay another day. As slow as we were rolling, time was a precious commodity. No coffee, just water. One last stop at Ragbrai HQ. The Ragbrai failed to include a bike band for me. Maybe my second complaint, yes my second. We live less than a mile from their headquarters in Des Moines. They charged us $6 to mail the packet to our home. When I saw that it was missing, I emailed them and asked for one. I let Mary have the bike band for her bike. A nameplate for the bike was missing as well. I used my RASDak plate instead. The damn thing worked! People said my name all the time. So their response was that I could stop at Ragbrai HQ in Onawa, IA, the start of the ride. WTF!! I'm less than a mile away! I replied that I am a single day rider and Onawa is too far to drive for a piece of plastic. Hit send. Read the email again. "or any other overnight town that you ride to." OH... The problem then became that we arrived too late for both Boone and Marshalltown and the HQ was closed. The woman at the info table at the Y said I could always ride downtown and pick it up there. Ain't gonna happen, I am not getting on the bike until tomorrow. Well the, they will be here at 4am by the red trailer. That works. We got there at 545am. Explained the situation and said I have the emails to prove it. The person at the table opened a cash box and handed me a blue bike band. Simple. Turned around Matt Phippen is standing there! Shook his hand and told him that we had a great time and was glad we came. Mary took the photo. Twice in one Ragbrai that I met the Ride Director. I don't ever recall seeing Jim Green on the route.
Could have used a pair of gloves. Must have been a first for us. The temperature dropped into the mid-50s. Sure, we could have turned left and rode a tenth of a mile to the Kwik Star but we elected to power forward. We are now on a familiar trail. There are a few bikers that camped out along this trail, setting up near fences and baseball dugouts and picnic tables. We encounter large bike team wearing Betsy Ross flag style jerseys heading the other way into Marshalltown, having camped out somewhere, maybe Grimes Farms. A couple on road bikes without any gear pass us. I recognize her bike, green and white Cannondale. They are heading home, too, West Des Moines. I had a conversation with her the day before. Said she was worried about her bike since she hit some rough bumps and her "lady parts" were hurting. Seemed to have repaired and healed and we we quickly in their dust.
The trail out of Marshalltown leads to the US 330 Trail that terminates in Melbourne, IA. There is an underpass from the trail that takes users to the north side of Highway 330. Use you maps and find the way to Rhodes, IA, for the Heart of Iowa Trail. Yes, you may need to take county roads to Collins, IA, because the trail is not paved or complete in sections but it is a safe route.
The 330 is an easy trail, a few climbs and an overpass to cross the highway. It is not a destination trail, nothing remarkable, rather a way to get from point A to point B safely. It is part of the American Discovery Trail. Mile markers are painted on the surface. The only issue I had concerned the overpass. after crossing the highway I saw the small brown sign with an arrow pointing to the turn on the left. I passed it and never saw the trail. I took a gravel road and saw zero evidence of the trail. Got back on the paved road but the trail was not to the left, a gravel dead end. Rode back to the sign and spotted trail hidden by weeds and a very sharp turn not visible from the overpass.
Finally we reach Melbourne but need to cross the highway to go to the BP gas and convenience store since the Melbourne Pub & Pool, formerly, Clark's Bar would not be open. Here we had our last reunion. The clerk of the BP recognized us because he used to work at the BP near us, Best Trip. Now he lives in Marshalltown, bought a house and has school aged children. Small world! And then the two cyclists from West Des Moines were inside at a table re-energizing for their push to their home. They asked about the best route and we told them to take Hart Rd/S63 for 8 miles and then a left for a 3 mile stretch to Baxter, IA. Once there they can take the Chichaqua Valley Trail to Bondurant and figure out how to get to West Des Moines from there. They agreed and said that is what Google Maps told them.
We stayed for a drink and a breakfast croissant of which I only ate half. I wasn't that hungry. Now it was time to take the county highway. traffic was not bad and the 3 major hills were not as bad as I remembered. We done this many times. At the end near the turn to Baxter, I stopped to photograph an Air Tractor crop dusting a field. I watched this plane for quite a long time climbing the last hill and then some. I also made a few videos of the plane. My presence disturbed a St Bernard that stood in the yard and barked at me the entire time. When I left I rolled toward the driveway to get some momentum for the U-turn I had to make and another dog barked. Louder, deeper and the howitzer bark that only a Great Pyrenees makes. Just one bark.
F17 intersection reached and the right turn to Baxter where we stopped at the convenience store, used the restrooms, washed our hands, purchased cold drinks and a coffee and ate our donuts on the old picnic tale that we have used for years. Head to the trailhead and saw the Huey set up for the VFW. Getting on the trail required detouring because of construction
The Chichaqua Valley Trail was not in the best shape. We knew of the detour near the original Bondurant trailhead and in fact rode it once on a test ride. But Monday's rain hit area trails hard. Lots of tree debris. Holes everywhere especially by bridges, some filled some not. We pushed on. Stopped at Mingo and purchased drinks from vending machines and sat inside the shaded area. The bike shop was not open. Once in Bondurant we decided not to stop at the Casey's. we'd be home in an hour. County road to Altoona and the the Gay Lea Wilson rail to Pleasant Hill, Scott Ave to the martin Luther King Jr side path and then the left turn for the final mile. Home before 4 pm. Time enough to remove the panniers, get the bikes inside the house, shower and put on clean clothes and pick Libby up.
204 miles, three days of riding, two nights camping. Successful ride. We had a great time on Ragbrai. Perhaps we will take light weight road bikes or the fast tandem and let Ragbrai carry our gear next time.
FINAL THOUGHTS
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| Our 2 Breezio portable chargers. |
Staying in the official campgrounds worked out really well. We would do this again. We would likely take our road bikes and use Ragbrai's luggage service.
We took a pair of 40,000mAh battery packs to charge our phones since we had no place to stay and did not want to fight for electrical outlets with others who needed their phones and eBikes charged. Charged my phone twice and still has 68% on the battery pack. Found these online, Walmart. I think one could last a week but I may obtain a third for insurance.
Going into this I really had no expectations. Maybe negative ones. Since dropping out of The Ragbrai because of what I considered bullshit ect, I'd often describe the ride as that hot girlfriend from years ago that broke your heart turned into a total evil bitch and slut and you would see her from a distance and then understand that Garth Brooks song about unanswered prayers or the Bauhaus track "Crowds." We moved on and found other rides and ways to ride that were so much more enjoyable. But every time the last week of July comes around there's a pain in my heart that is only relieved by riding my bike no matter where I am that week.
Ragbrai still has that magic. Whenever people ask me where I was last week I tell I was was on Ragbrai. Their eyes light up especially if they never participated in it. Today someone told me what it was like as a young teenage girl in Ankeny, IA when the ride overnighted there back in 2001. Good memories for her. Even business people stopped and ask me about it.
Will I return? Very likely. This year taught me that I could do it without support or a team. I am dumbfounded that using Ragbrai's luggage and camping services eliminates a lot of issues I have had in the past and lack of drama just the logistics of getting there and back. Maybe bag again tandem style.
WHAT I CARRIED AND DID NOT USE
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| New tires can be tough to get on. This tool is great! Folds up to the size of 3 levers. Highly recommended especially if your hands are not as strong as they were 40 years ago. |
Not that I would not leave any of this at home but this year it was ballast.
Rain jacket, also used as a warmth layer but not on this ride
lock
tire repair, no flats and no one needed my help
pump
spare tubes, 3 on my bike (2 38s and 1 25) and Mary had 1
tire levers, 2 sets plus Tensor Tool for difficult tires, Mary 1 set
tools, no mechanical issues this year!
Allen wrenches
chain breaker
needle nose pliers
spoke wrenches
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