On the Road Again

If you are not from the Midwest you believe the Midwest is flat. We have many ways to disprove this theory. I have always used the Ask-a-Midwesterner method as she will explain, in a very informed but patient tone, the Midwest is made up of gently rolling hills. Thus far I have not had great success with that technique.

The second method comes once a year (at least it has for the last forty of them) in July. We just call it RAGBAI. Which stands for the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa.

Basically 10,000 people, seeking to prove Iowa is not flat, dip the rear wheel of a bicycle in the Missouri River then ride the approximately 430 miles across Iowa during the heat of July. Unless, of course, it is cold and rainy. In which case they ride the approximately 430 miles across Iowa into a cold rainy headwind. After a week of eating Church Lady Pie, chasing down a school bus painted like a giant pig from which they serve pork chops on the fly, and lining up for a Kybo, the cyclists dip the front wheel of their bikes in the Mississippi. This madness was originated 40 years ago by two Des Moines Register columnists Donald Kaul and John Karras. More about them later.

Why am I telling you this?

Simply this, HRH has always wanted to ride Ragbrai. She is sweet but you will also recall she tends to try to ride luggage carts across hotel parking lots while wearing flip flops. Consequently we don't encourage her to do these things solo. This explains why Cadiva and I have agreed to join her as day riders. Day-riding is taking individual fits of madness instead of a week-long decent into all that is is Ragbrai. To be more precise, HRH is going to don spandex bicycle shorts and a helmet to ride a bicycle. Cadiva and I will ride in a car with only limited access to pie and pork chops, and agree to sleep in a TENT on AIR MATTRESSES ... OUTSIDE. And did I mention the limited access to pie?

Today we worked on learning to set up the tent...note to self ... the long end of the poles for up and the hooks go down...and tried to fit a bike rack on the Girl Trip Chariot (which you will recall is called a car because it has a wheel in each corner and is steered by one inside...see the Girl Trip Rules.)

We will discuss at length the preparations and activities coming up this week and next. But I have to take the cans down to the curb so this is all for tonight.