DLO

Today was spent on the road in Iowa, with at least 10,000 other bikers on RAGBRAI, the Register Advocate Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. A newspaper started the ride in 1973, and it attracts bikers from every state and probably every country also. As well as bikers, there is every kind of bike that could be invented, as well as costumes that must have been thought of by costume shops. Halloween doesn't look as good as this. We are in Harlan tonight, after riding 59 miles over a hilly route. There is a farmhouse outside of town that we are staying in tonight, all 23 members of the team we ride with. Our tent is up in the front yard, drying out from the rain they've had here. The owners let us into the house for showers, we're all cleaned up. The humidity is around 90%, the temp today must have been about 90 or so.

Many of the riders have a team bus, as do we, that carries all the tents, bags, clothing, etc. Most are old school buses, repainted with team colors and logos. It's quite a party, with each town along the way having a celebration. All involve alcohol. Then you get back on the bike and ride. The bus provides lunch and drinks, then meets us at the end of the day with all our stuff. I will describe some of the debauchery when I have time but tonight I am in an all you can eat pizza buffet restaurant, the only way I could get wireless, and am running very short on time. They are packed and want me to clear out. Plus the battery on the laptop is running out. And I don't have a camera cord to put pics on, so feel very inadequate. Tomorrow is an 85 mile day they are calling the hilliest route in recent history. I put new tires on Big O, it's running fine although without a computer which I haven't been able to change yet. Here comes the manager, I'm out.