I just completed my registration for this summer’s RAGBRAI and I have put the check in the mail. This will be the seventh straight summer that I ride my bike across Iowa with the Superior Hawgs. My sister is thinking about coming along for the ride. She rode RAGBRAI a few times, but it’s been around 16 or so years since then. I do not anticipate that this year’s RAGBRAI will be too tough. I think it will be fairly hilly the first day, but the rest of the week shouldn’t be all that bad. Of course, the weather could change that. Last year the temperatures were very mild all week. In fact, it was pretty damn cold some mornings. And except for the storm on Sunday night, which killed one rider, it didn’t really rain all that much.
The hard part for me with last year’s RAGBRAI was that it was my first RAGBRAI without my father. After he passed away in June, I considered not going on the ride, thinking it might be too difficult. I am glad I decided to do it though. It was an unusual summer though. Not only was my dad not there, but neither were two of our friends from Texas. One of them had been injured in a waterskiing accident and the other had some other obligations. They should both be back this summer, and we should have a great time.
The photo shows my dad and me in Elvira, the final pass through town on the last day of RAGBRAI XXXII in 2004. That was my dad's last RAGBRAI.
The hard part for me with last year’s RAGBRAI was that it was my first RAGBRAI without my father. After he passed away in June, I considered not going on the ride, thinking it might be too difficult. I am glad I decided to do it though. It was an unusual summer though. Not only was my dad not there, but neither were two of our friends from Texas. One of them had been injured in a waterskiing accident and the other had some other obligations. They should both be back this summer, and we should have a great time.
5 comments:
Whenever I read your blog, I miss Iowa. Reading about RAGBRAI makes me think about the first summer we lived there and I had no idea what this nonsense was that the local news made such a big deal about. But now, I see that it is fantastic. I miss IA.
So this will be your tradition to pass on to your child someday and tell them stories of their grandpa. Gonna talk Mel into going with you?
I've lived in Iowa all my life and I've always wanted to go on RAGBRAI. Congrats to you!
You know Anna, Mel's thought about coming along, but she doesn't want to spend half of the vacation time she gets for the year on a bike riding across the state. Maybe she'll come along in a year or two though.
Brent, RAGBRAI is a lot of fun. You could always try riding just a day or two.
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