RAGBRAI XLVII: Day 7, Saturday, July 27, 2019

The last day! RAGBRAI usually travels from west to east and ends at the Mississippi River. This day was different in that there was a good chunk in which we pedaled west.  And of course there was a pretty strong wind out of the southwest so most of the 62 or so miles was into a headwind and proved to be the toughest day of riding.

Since this was the first time I've done a Day 7, I learned an important lesson.  First, most riders leave very early.  We departed at our usual 8:30 or 9:00 and usually that's about the peak of riders.  On this day, however, we were amongst the last riders since most groups get up extra early so that they can finish up earlier.  So if I ever do a Day 7 again, I'll be sure that we leave at 7:30....
I'll finish this blog with some highlights of the day.

Kevin, Susan, Lindsay, Jessica, Bryan, Me, Dad, Dick, and Brenden

Highlight #1: Mr. Pork Chop
In the picture below, I'm holding a pork chop that I bought at the Mr. Pork Chop stand.  Mr. Pork Chop is the most famous vendor on RAGBRAI, having sold pork chops since the 1980s.  The original Mr. Pork Chop, Paul Bernhard of Bancroft, died in 2016 and his son took it over. Usually there are massively long lines, but one of the benefits of a late start was that there were no lines at all.

I'm really not sure why I didn't get my picture taken with the iconic pink Mr. Pork Chop bus in the background...

Here's a random picture of the bus that I found on the internet.

Highlight #2: Joan's House
Jessica's grandmother, Joan, lived right on the route and her house was right on the Mississippi River, just outside of Montrose.  More importantly, she made pies!

Bryan and I on Joan's dock

Brenden, Bryan, and I standing knee deep in the Mississippi River.

Using the dock to help me trudge through the mud.

Still trudging through the mud.

After I got hosed off, it was time for the pie of the day...Joan's homemade blueberry!

Delicious!

Highlight #3: River Road

Most of RAGBRAI is fields and small towns, but occasionally there are some parts of the ride that don't look very much like Iowa.  The ride along River Road was very cool with lots of tree canopy and the river to the left (though I didn't get a good pic of it while riding.)  River Road was also very hilly, adding one last challenge to the day.

Where are the corn fields?  Also don't ride and take pics!

One last group picture in Rand Park, on the outskirts of Keokuk, after conquering River Road.  The locals said it was all down hill from here...and it was!

Highlight #4: Keokuk's monuments
The first monument is dedicated to the town's namesake, Chief Keokuk, a Sauk chief who lived in the early 1800s and was generally conciliatory toward the United States, as opposed to fellow Sauk chief, Black Hawk.  There's a reason there was a Black Hawk war and not a Keokuk War. Chief Keokuk never lived in Keokuk, but Iowa place names often aren't named for Indians from that particular area, such as Cherokee or Pocahontas.

At the base of the Chief Keokuk monument, shortly before finishing the ride.

The second monument was dedicated to Major General Samuel Curtis. He moved to Keokuk in the 1850s and was elected mayor, became Iowa's first Republican member of Congress elected in 1856 (the Republican party began in 1854), and became a major general for the Union army known for his victories at Pea Ridge, Arkansas in 1862 and the Battle of Westport (in what is now Kansas City) in 1864.

This monument was particularly important to me because I wrote a few pages about it in my article published in the Annals of Iowa called "Memorializing Soldiers or Celebrating Westward Expansion: Civil War Commemmoration in Keokuk and Sioux City, 1868-1938."  To read the bit about General Curtis, see pp. 312-313.

General Curtis astride his horse and I astride my bicycle, shortly after finishing the ride.

Highlight #5: The Tire Dip!
To quote myself from an Instagram post: "We did it, Sis!" Officially it was 427 miles across the state, but my bike had 460 miles. It was immense feeling of satisfaction!

Doing the traditional tire dip to officially wrap up RAGBRAI!

Highlight #6: Fish Fry at Kent and Jean Dobson's (Jessica's Parents)

We had spent the previous night at the Dobson's where they grilled up burgers and had a huge spread for our group, another RAGBRAI group, and their relatives.  It was some great hospitality!

The final night the menu was a fish fry and I more than indulged myself (as usual).  I love fish fries! And without having to pedal the next day, I wasn't concerned with consuming massive amounts of fried food.

Thanks Kent and Jean for hosting!

Kent, I'll eat it as long as you keep frying it!

Highlight #7: Beer of the Day: Miller Lite
What a great way to wrap up RAGBRAI with a cold (or perhaps warm--that's the beauty of Miller Lite, it tastes good warm as well) Miller Lite.  Then amazingly, Mom, Dad, Lindsay, I packed up in the pickup, departed Keokuk at 8 PM and crisscrossed the state arriving in Okoboji at about 2 AM.

Highlight #8: Riding an Entire RAGBRAI
It's pretty awesome to know that I rode an entire RAGBRAI, sitting on a bicycle for 7 or 8 hours a day for an entire week.  Even as we drove from Keokuk to Okoboji, I knew that I wanted to do more RAGBRAIs.  That flame was diminished in October with the split between two rides, and I don't know what my (or RAGBRAI's) status will be for 2020.  

One reason I want to do another RAGBRAI is that I realized in doing this blog and looking at pictures that my goal was for this RAGBRAI was to complete the ride so I didn't spend as much time in some the towns as I normally would have.  One of the things that makes RAGBRAI unique is all that it going on in the small towns.  I didn't do too much of that because I was much more focused on riding.  When I do a RAGBRAI again, I want to capture more of what make RAGBRAI what it is.

RAGBRAI XLVII: Day 6, Friday, July 26, 2019

Day 6

Oh, is that a spot along the road near the route? Perfect! Let's stop there to unload and air up and get ready for the ride. Today was college jersey day, so you can see some us sporting Iowa or Iowa State (BOOOOOO!) jerseys.  Here are some random thoughts about Day 6, which is unfortunately very short on pictures.

Geographically, this was one of RAGBRAI's most unique routes because when we arrived at Burlington, we had hit the Mississippi River, something that had always taken place on Day 7.  Whether true or not, I'm going to report that I've heard that the Mississippi River towns don't receive as big of an economic impact because fewer riders stay there since many are eager to get back home.  So this was an interesting little experiment by RAGBRAI to make a Mississippi River town an overnight town rather than the ending town.

I do know that this was the fifth consecutive day of great weather which made up for the soggy start on the first day.

We may have also had a lot of problems with flat tires within the group, particularly Lindsay again and Bryan.  But that could have been Day 5 as well. 

Riding through Geode State Park was pretty cool.

I also remember Bryan and I really zipping along a flat stretch as we neared Burlington.

Brenden, my first cousin once removed and Mary and Dick's grandson, joined us halfway through the ride.

That's all I have for commentary...so this is going to be a really short blog post.  

Dick, Bryan, Jessica, Susan, Kevin, Lindsay, Dad, Me

If you're not going to wear a Hawkeye jersey, Bryan, it is more than acceptable to wear a sleeveless Little Caesar's jersey...

Mom and Mary, our support drivers, enjoying the crossover town of Salem.

Pie of the Day

Apple

Beer of the Day

Brigade Ale made by Firetrucker Brewery in Ankeny

RAGBRAI XLVII: Day 5, Thursday, July 25, 2019

RAGBRAI Update

If you read my post from yesterday about Seattle, you know that I haven’t been very prompt in posting to my blog.  In fact, I should have finished this last August, but I procrastinated. Then in mid-October, the RAGBRAI staff quit over the handling of the Carson King incident and formed a competing ride, called Iowa's Ride. To be frank, it destroyed some of my enthusiasm for RAGBRAI and bicycling, and at that point I no longer had a desire to ride a bicycle across the state. I was grateful, however, that I had done the previous year's ride because at the time I feared there wouldn't be a RAGBRAI. RAGBRAI, however, is too big of a brand and if only one of the two rides will survive, it will definitely be RAGBRAI

As of now, I plan on doing a day of the Iowa’s Ride and a few days of RAGBRAI since they both pass through northwest Iowa (unless COVID-19 cancels them), but I still lack the motivation to pedal several hundred miles in a week.  (Although looking at the pictures, composing this post, and some warmer weather is definitely getting me more excited to at least get out and ride.)

Day 5
Day 5 spanned from Centerville to Fairfield. We were joined today by Bryan and Jessica's friends, Kevin and Susan from Kansas City. One of the interesting things about RAGBRAI is that things that normally wouldn't be important in rural Iowa are suddenly very important. Since we sometimes stay slightly off the route, like we did in Centerville, we usually need an empty lot in which to unload our bikes and pump up tires. So in this case, an abandoned building with an empty lot did the trick. Mom or Mary even got some nice pics of us taking off for the day.

Dad, Kevin, Susan, Bryan, Jessica, Lindsay, Dick, Me

Dad, Mom, Lindsay and Me

Starting Day 5: Action shot #1!

Action shot #2

Action shot #3

I guess there is an exception to Lindsay and Jess's morning runs...they don't do them if they're going to pedal 75 miles in a day.

Providing more evidence that on RAGBRAI the strangest places become valuable, here are Susan, Kevein, Lindsay, Bryan, and Aunt Jean finding some shade from a trailer.

In the picture above Bryan is wearing an old school RAGBRAI jersey that once belonged to Mark Johnson, my aunt Jean's long-time boyfriend.  Mark and Jean met because of their love of bicycling and they both loved RAGBRAI. Mark rode in sixteen RAGBRAI's until being diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and then he passed away in October 2017.  It was great that Mark's memory is kept alive in our RAGBRAI crew.

Dad, Jean, and Mark on a rainy BRASL (Bike Ride Around Spirit Lake)

Thursday night's accommodations

Every RAGBRAI host should have a pool in the backyard...Me, Kevin, Bryan, and Dad enjoying a beer.

In the picture above, we're relaxing in the pool of Lindsay and Jessica's college friend, Allison, who lived in Danville, IA.  It was a little bit of a drive from Fairfield to Danville, but as you can imagine, the beers and pool were well worth the drive. Thanks for your hospitality, Allison!

Pie of the Day

Strawberry Rhubarb

Beer of the Day

New this year RAGBRAI had an official beer appropriately, or perhaps optimistically, called "Tailwind."  It is (was?) made by Big Grove Brewery in Iowa City and Solon. It tasted exactly like a RAGBRAI beer should taste...light and easy to drink.

I am not consuming Tailwind in this pic. But I didn't have many pictures from this day so I figured I'd include one of me stretching and drinking.

Drinking "Tailwind," the official RABRAI beer, while wearing my official RAGBRAI jersey on RAGBRAI jersey day.

Seattle, Washington

This is over EIGHTEEN MONTHS late, but you know what they say. During the quarantine or whatever, I really have no excuse for not finishing this. And you have no excuse for not reading this. Or at least looking at the pictures.

In 2014, a horde of Hawkeye fans traveled to Washington, DC to witness the Hawkeyes' first visit to the University of Maryland.  Then in 2016, the horde visited New York City to witness the Hawkeyes' first trip to Rutgers University.  Since we had such a great time, we decided to make the trip to a college football game along with site seeing in a major city a biennial event.  For 2018, we decided on Seattle to see the University of Washington.

Here's the crew:

Me (Des Moines, IA)

Garv and Lindsay (my brother-in-law and sister; Des Moines, IA)

Mom and Dad (Remsen, IA)

Ron and Jeanne (Garv's aunt and uncle but they're like family; Okoboji, IA)

Brandee (Ron and Jeanne's daughter; Las Vegas, NV)

Jean (Dad's sister; Des Moines, IA)
Bryan and Jessica Humphrey (friends; Kansas City, KS)

Mary and Dick (my aunt and uncle, mom’s sister; Idaho Falls, ID)

Pam (my cousin, Mary and Dick's daughter; Seatttle, WA)

Jude (Pam's son; Seattle, WA)

Nick (Garv, Lindsay, and my friend; Des Moines, IA)

Brett (Nick’s son; Des Moines, IA)

Tim (Nick’s dad; Waterloo, IA)

Dave (Nick, Garv, and my friend; Des Moines, IA)

Traveling to Seattle: Thursday, September 27, 2018

The Des Moines and northwest Iowa crew flew out of Minneapolis because flights from MSP-SEA were significantly cheaper than DSM-SEA. The Des Moines crew arrived at the airport at about 7:45 pm and the northwest Iowa bunch almost drove onto the runway and through about six parking garages before finally finding us. Regardless, we were all plenty early which gave us a little time to get the vacation started at the airport before our 9:50 pm departure.

The guys

Jean, Janeene, and Jeanne enjoying Miller Lites

We landed in Seattle at about midnight Pacific time, ubered to our hotel, and greeted Bryan, Jessica, and Brandee who had arrived before us. Then it was lights out because 2 AM body clock time is late for this crew.

Site seeing in Seattle: Friday, September 28, 2018

Right across the street from our hotel was Peet's, a coffee shop that isn't Starbucks, so most of the group got their start there every morning. Seattle is know for coffee, after all.

Garv explaining the weekend's plans to Ron and Jeanne.

Here's our hotel.

After coffee, we made our way to the waterfront with pitstop at a popular breakfast place called Biscuit Bitch. At the waterfront, Mary, Dick, and Pam joined us.

Here's a picture of a biscuit covered in a lot of stuff.

The crew eating biscuits.  So far, you'd think Seattle was know for biscuits, too.

 Then it was time for the Seattle 101 walking tour, guided by Jake, of Seattle Free Walking Tours. He was an excellent tour guide and we learned about Seattle's climate, geography, American Indian History, founding as logging town, Great Seattle Fire of 1889, role in the Klondike Gold Rush, importance as a port, and Starbucks.

Pioneer Square Totem Pole. Coast Salish Indians did not make totem poles.  The original that this replica is based on was originally stolen in Alaska, burned by an arsonist in the 1938, and a new one built in the 1940. See link for more information.

Don't get hit in the head by a thrown fish.

A group picture after the walking tour

After the walking tour, we walked to the Chihuly Glass and Garden which features the blown glass of Dale Chihuly. Before visiting, I was of the mindset that blown glass would be ho-hum. I was wrong. It was incredible. Here are some pics, which don't do it justice:

Chihuly Glass and Garden is right by the Space Needle. None of us went up to the top of it, but I did take some obligatory pictures of it.

The original plans for Friday were to go to a Mariners game, but the weather was so nice that we called an audible and took a ferry to Bainbridge Island, across Puget Sound from Seattle. Before the ferry ride, however, we stopped for happy hour at the Owl N' Thistle, which was a place recommended to us on the walking tour. Also, according to the walking tour guide, Seattle is known for its happy hours (coffee, biscuits, the Space Needle, and happy hours if you're keeping track of what Seattle is known for) as a way to keep commuters in the city a while longer before driving to the suburbs. Though not commuters, we took advantage of the food and drink deals.

Ron enjoying a locally brewed, Rainier beer, which he first tried when stationed in Washington when he was in the army.

After an enjoyable ride on the ferry with the commuters returning home, we walked along Bainbridge's main street. It was a very quiet and affluent community. We found a wine bar with a great name, Eleven, and enjoyed a few bottles and then went to a highly recommended restaurant.

Yes, we are from Iowa.

The girls on the ferry.

Ignore the old guy photo-bombing.

After a great meal, of which I don't have pictures, we took the ferry home. But I do have a great pic that could be part of Grey's Anatomy B roll and some pics of the crew sleeping on benches

Bee is out.

Dad catching some Zs. That's the sign of a great day.

Game Day! Saturday, September 29, 2018

Since the game was a 5 PM local start, we had plenty of time to enjoy the morning.

I think I went for a smoothie, but don't have photographic proof.  Here some other things I have photographic proof of: 

Lindsay and Jess went for a run.  Which is something that happens every morning that they're together. You don't even need proof, it's just guaranteed. Death, taxes, and their runs.

Some of us checked out the Seattle Public Library in honor of Mom.

There's more action here than in northwest Iowa.

Ron was able to have coffee with his cousin who lives in the Seattle area.

One of the reasons for attending different games is the opportunity to experience a unique game day atmosphere.  For this game, we took the city bus to a restaurant called Ivar’s that offered an all you can eat seafood buffet AND boat ride to the game. It could not have been a more perfect arrangment.  We ate seafood for a couple of hours. Yes, hours. Or at least I ate seafood for hours. 

The group before we gorge ourselves at the seafood buffet.

Some of the delicious seafood.

 Arriving on a boat to the game is highly recommended!

The girls on the boat

The Hawkeye fans on the boat!

The first glimpse of the stadium? Or a picture of a random guy taking a picture?

 As for the game, Washington crushed BYU 35-7.  It's always better when the home team wins, but a more competitive game would have been fun.

The guys

The girls.  This is where the action was.  They almost got in a brawl.  Seriously.  Ask them.

Here come the Huskies.

The band

Family Brunch, Tea, and Happy Hour: Sunday, September 30, 2018

On Sunday, we had brunch at my cousin Pam's, who lives in Seattle. After brunch we walked around her neighborhood and talked about the exploding price of real estate. Thanks, Pam, for hosting!  

Brunch.  I may have eaten half of this salmon.  Don't tell my mom or sister.

This house was worth $6,000 in 1990.  Today it's worth $32,983,084. Or something like that. All prices estimates.

After leaving Pam's, we walked around the International District.  The two most notable things we did there were have a tea tasting and visit the Panama Hotel, a museum dedicated to the personal histories of those affected by Japanese-American Internment.

In this single hour, I consumed more tea than I had in the entire rest of my life.  The owner also tried to sell my mom some $100 tea or something.

The most important thing to remember about Japanese-American Internment is that the people who were interned were CITIZENS.

 The last event of our day was a final walk through the Pike's Market area and Sunday night happy hour.

Our dwindling group: Bryan and Jessica had departed earlier that morning.

I think that's me.  And I think those are mussels.

The first Starbucks!

And another group selfie at the end of the night!

Leaving Seattle, Monday, October 1, 2018

For our last day in Seattle, we bought some snacks, visited a museum, and ate some Poke!

Aunt Jean and Mom in an Amazon Go store. Just download an app, grab what you want and walk out! And insure Amazon has a record of your face and buying habits!

This is the only picture I could find of the Museum of History and Industry, which is unfortunate because it was a really well done museum.  Here I'm posing in front of an exhibit to the HISTORY of the beer INDUSTRY in Seattle.

Because there are no Poke food trucks in northwest Iowa.

This is someone else's Poke bowl.  I ordered something from a Thai food truck, but I was able to clean up plenty of Poke bowls. 

Urban dining

Conclusion
And the food truck meals ended the trip.  It was a great trip! And it feels great to finish this blog!  Details on the 2020 trip will be coming soon...maybe....