RAGBRAI

Usually this blog is blah blah about Benjamin and his adventures and ours along with his. I'm not sure what Ben's experience was like being left alone with Jared for a few days. I know at least one day he was picked up a tad late from daycare but... hey, the kid is alive at least!! But, especially for those of you not from Iowa... I would Love to share with you what is known as RAGBRAI which I did part of this year. RAGBRAI is the "Registrar's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa" and it is no small event. I mean it. It is no little local group ride. No... some 12,000 people grab their bicycles, helmets, 30-packs of beer and whatever else... start on the West side of Iowa and follow the route to the Mississippi on the east side. It is the biggest, longest thing of its kind - ANYWHERE. Your mind cannot comprehend the quantity of people. Photos can only show single moments in time. Single....snap shots.

You have to imagine that those photos are from... SIX IN THE MORNING. And the roads aren't busy like that from just 6-7am. No No. From ......6 until ....until people quit flowing out of the overnight town around noon! And they aren't even done then, that is just when they were Supposed to leave by! It is like the worst winter runny nose Ever. The mucous of bikes just keeps flowing and flowing and who knows where it came from or where it all fits but... it doesn't seem to end.

And within this crowd:

banana bikes

tall bikes

cornfield pee-ers (I was guilty of this at one point as well...)

bikes bikes bikes bikes:


And one of the coolest parts...
People, espeically in Clear Lake are RIDICULOUSLY nice! I mean... I couldn't even count the number of residents out along the route shooting hoses at us like this one!

People stand by the roadside as if you're a famous person and cheer you on... for no reason.

It is pretty neat.

This isn't even to mention things like slip and slides and the food food food food food that is consumed at such an event. When my fellow comrades who had the cameras put pictures up, I will be sure to share them here with you because there are some things that words simply cannot describe.

We are OHIO bound this evening. See you all soon!!!