J: That’s sleeping in!
R: After dropping our stuff off at the charter bus and Penske trucks, Matt ditched us for the Lion’s Club pancake breakfast while Jen and I dropped our cars off at long-term parking. Jen and I made due with sweet rolls and fancy coffees from Saint’s Rest (we have to give a shout out to Paul and Janelle’s old bathroom - Saint’s Rest had the same walls) next to the bike store, but I think Jen was disappointed that she was denied her pancakes.
J: I’ll admit it, I was a little sad to miss out on the pancakes and sausage this morning. But, I think I’ll have several more opportunities this week. And my sweet roll was really good. After we loaded the busses, took roll call and got the standard safety speeches, we were finally off! And we got to see one of the most quintessential Iowa events – the antique tractor parade!
R: Granted, the tractors slowed us down, but as Grinnell is conveniently located next to I-80, and from there it’s a straight shot to Council Bluffs, we didn’t lose too much time. We frankly thought they were a little crazy thinking we wouldn’t arrive in CB until 1:00 or 2:00 with a scheduled departure of 8:00.
J: They weren’t too far off with the arrival time - we pulled into the campground at 12:00. We re-enacted the Oklahoma land run and picked the patch of land that would house our Taj Majal of tents for the night.
The land grab.
[Photo coming soon]
The Taj Mahal.
R: After exploring the bike Expo, where we bought some souvenirs (I learned on my last RAGBRAI not to wait until the end of week sales because the cute stuff is all gone) we biked over to the Bob Kerry Bridge to dip our tires in the Missouri River, as per RAGBRAI tradition. The ride was longer than I expected, but it was maybe necessary training. The bridge is pretty new and interesting looking and they had pumped water up to the bridge for tire dipping purposes. We also scuttled down to the banks for an official river dip, but on the Nebraska side, as it wasn’t really accessible on the Iowa side.
Bob Kerry Bridge
Dipping our tires on the bridge
Dipping our tires in the river
Nebraska-born Jen in Nebraska with Iowa-born Rebecca in Iowa.
J: The Bob Kerry Bridge is the second suspension bridge that I’ve been on this year. And, my fear of heights still has not subsided. I was doing okay until Matt got a flat in the middle of the bridge and we had to stop and I could feel the bridge swaying. I only freaked out a little bit…. On the bright side, a very nice man taught Matt how to change a flat.
R: I admit, I am the cause of Jen being on both suspension bridges this year. Sorry, Jen.
J: Apology accepted…unless you drag me onto a 3rd bridge.
R: Matt and Jen ditched me to go take naps back at camp and I met up with my brother where we made a valiant attempt to go see my grandparents’ old house on Commercial Street. I knew Council Bluffs got its name for a reason, but I’m pretty sure most of the bluffs are located all in the area of grandma’s old house. Once we hit the first giant hill, we decided we still had too far to go, and we gave up. The condo by Lake Manawa would have been a lot easier to access!
Aaron at the base of the hill at Pearl and 5th.
Waiting for the train to get back to the campsite.
J: It’s now dinner time and we’re about to head over to Ribfest (for ….well….ribs) and the Barenaked Ladies concert later tonight.
At the Expo. This just made us giggle.
Great descriptions! I love the conversational format! We are thinking about you, and hoping your ride is going well today. I hope it's not too hot. Say "hi" to Aaron for me.
ReplyDeleteKathy
Keep up the good work!
Marinna