Another reason Jen and I started this blog now is because we have just departed on our next adventure—the 37th Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. What better way to see the world than on a bike? And what better place in the world is there to see on a bike than America’s heartland, and Jen’s and my homeland, Iowa?
I wrote the first blog entry on my own because Jen was already in a car on the way to our Iowa meeting point in Iowa. Now that we’re together, Jen is accusing me of being a control freak and wanting to write the whole blog, so I think we’re going to need to move on to a more conversational format (if for no other reason than she will only call me a control freak once for every two times she would otherwise.
R: I got us signed up with a Grinnell College alumni RAGBRAI team (the first year they’ve had one) when I convinced Jen to do the ride with me back in February. So on Friday we each departed our separate homes to meet up in Grinnell. I fortunately got to leave significantly later than Jen as my drive was fewer than half the miles. I had also convinced my Grinnell friend Matt to do the ride with us, so I had human company on my drive whereas Jen’s company was a book on tape.
Matt enjoying a quiet Grinnell evening at our host’s home as we wait for Jen’s arrival. J: I’m not sure what possessed me to agree to sign up for RAGBRAI – maybe it was the allure of the pancake breakfasts and homemade rhubarb pie that both Janelle and Rebecca promised me would be available each day. Or maybe it was because I thought it would force me to get in shape so that I could ride my bike 442 miles. The second thing didn’t happen, so I’m still holding out hope for the first. Either way, I loaded up the car and headed out of Denver at 7am and arrived in Grinnell a little over 11 hours later.
R: Janelle and I rode RAGBRAI 35 in 2007 and she and her husband had intended to join us this year until she got pregnant. Oh well-maybe next time! (Still no baby, BTW, for anyone who’s counting.) Matt and I drug Jen on a brief walking tour of the Grinnell campus on our way to dinner at Jimbo’s, my favorite pizza place in Grinnell.
Jen and Rebecca about to enjoy their Wrigley Pizza. Rebecca was bummed that they no longer serve the Berkeley Nachos. 
At Jimbo’s we ran into Team Evil Eye loading up on carbs. Who knew multiple RAGBRAI teams depart from Grinnell? I guess it’s a nice central Iowa location.
J: I had forgotten about the dangers of living in a small town after living in Denver for the past 9 years. As we were walking back to the house from the restaurant we were bombarded (by fireflies), nearly ambushed (by people walking out of bushes), attacked (by a child’s toy in the sidewalk) and blinded (by the lack of streetlights). We had to navigate our way around town using the stars—and fortunately the cloud cover had dispersed enough by this point to allow that.
R: The morning when we left home seemed really far away by bed time. I guess that means we’re already removed enough from the real world to begin enjoying vacation. Saturday, we’ll be off to the ride’s start in Council Bluffs!
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