RAGBRAI 2012, 2013, 2014

RAGBRAI  July 22 - 28, 2012    Sioux Center to Clinton

Started out on Thursday July 19 and drove the "southern route" through  Asheville, Knoxville and Louisville stopping overnight in a hotel on the western side of the Indianapolis outer belt.  A lot of road construction and traffic on the route.  Friday afternoon got to Clinton, Iowa and parked the car right next to Brancel Charters in a park.  Spent the night in the car (didn't want to set up the tent). Met Jack who was tenting next to me.  Saturday morning drove to weekly parking and took shuttle back to park and Brancel Charters for the ride to Sioux Center.  Sioux Center is not near the Missouri so they brought in water from the river.   On the bus I met Steve, Greg and Blake who were meeting Bob and Mikey and ride across Iowa with them in Mikey's truck.  I was camping with Brancel Charters.   As I was looking for my bike in the midst of hundreds of other bikes offloaded from the Brancel buses I lost the guys and didn't find them for 3 days.

In Tuesday's overnight town, Webster City,  Brancel's camp was on the Webster City Middle School grounds.  It was so hot that the middle school opened up their gym for us.

Webster City Middle School Gym - Katie who told me the gym was open because of the heat

Finally met up with Bob and the other guys on Tuesday early evening in Webster City.  I saw a message board (near the Ragbrai truck) and found a note with the address of the yard where they were camped.

Message board next to Ragbrai info truck

Wednesday morning I met Bob at the house he was camped at and road with Bob and Mikey in the truck to the meeting town in Ellsworth.  The three of us went to breakfast at the Hy-Vee a great grocery store.  After leaving Ellsworth I was taking pictures in one of the towns and got in the Ragbrai news.

Ragbrai roaming news person taking my picture

 Since this was a very hot Ragbrai (over 100 degrees almost every day) and the longest mileage day,  I asked Bob Brancel if I could ride in the bus on Thursday (Marshall Town to Cedar City - 84 miles).  Jack and I rode together and when we got to Cedar City we took the bikes to explore Cedar City.

Jack and Jill in Wells Fargo stagecoach in Cedar City

Friday afternoon the end town was Anamosa.  Didn't get to the Brancel Camp until after 6pm because there was so much to do in Anamosa.   The Anamosa State Penitentiary still in service since 1874, a maximum security prison.  There was a tour of the museum.  The Grant Wood gallery and the National Motorcycle Museum.  Tony and I had met Mike and Margaret Wilson (in their late 80s) at Wheel Through Time in Maggie Valley a few months before.  They were from Anamosa and Margaret had donated her motorcycle to the museum.

Anamosa State Penitentiary 1874

Grant Wood Farmers

Mike and Margaret Wilson

Saturday, Anamosa to Clinton and dipping the tires in the Mississippi.  Went to the dip site and it was mobbed.  Took pictures of people dipping their bikes but since I had done that when I first arrived in Clinton I just watched.

Clinton dip  site on Friday night before the bus to Sioux Center

Dip Site in Clinton at end of ride

Decided to leave after going to the dip site and went to get the car and load up my gear.  Brancel Charters had offloaded all the gear next to the parking lot.  Got really tired about an hour out so stopped and took 5 Hour Energy (it really works).  The Indianapolis Speedway was having races so the hotels were booked so I stopped past the speedway.  Sunday I drove all the way home (lots of traffic which included sitting for almost an hour.  Had to turn off the car!) arriving around midnight.

RAGBRAI  July 21 - 27, 2013    Council Bluffs to Fort Madison

Thursday drove to Cincinnati on the northern route (Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio) less traffic and road work.  As soon as I left home I noticed the clutch was very hard to shift.  Called Tony and he said I could make it to Iowa.  I was able to walk to dinner from the hotel so I didn't have to move car!  Friday drove to Fort Madison and stayed at  the YMCA for the night.  Saturday morning brought gear to Brancel Charter and left the car at weekly parking at the school.  Met Steve, Greg and Blake on the ride to Council Bluffs.  The guys went to meet Bob and Mikey and I camped with Brancel Charters.

Sunday Council Bluffs to Harlen.  Met Bob Sunday night in Harlen at the house whose yard they were camped in and arranged to drive in the truck with Bob and Mikey on Monday ... the route was 83 miles with a lot of climbing.  Dropped Mikey and Bob off in Guthrie Center the meeting town and drove the truck by myself  to Perry, left the truck for them and rode to the Brancel camp.

Tuesday Perry to Des Moines and back to the Capitol Tony and I had been to when we got the Toaster in 2011.  Met Bob and the boys not far from where Brancel set up camp.

Iowa Capitol in background

Saturday Fairfield to Fort Madison.  Spent so much time in the towns, especially West Point when I got to Fort Madison almost everyone had finished.

West Point mound of bikes

The dip site had very few people.  Brancel Charters had left the gear at the school.  Had shower and set up tent, when I went to move the car I remembered the clutch problem.  Parked by my tent and walked around deserted Fort Madison.  Waiting for a long train to pass one of the teams on the ride stopped for the train also.  I took their picture ... Wagon Train was playing from their boom box.  Left Sunday morning and drove to Charleston WV.  Monday met tony in Greensboro at hotel and Tony drove the Honda Accord home.  Got new clutch!

RAGBRAI  July 20 -26, 2014   Rock Valley to Guttenburg

Thursday drove to Cincinnati for the night.  Friday afternoon as I drove into Guttenburg I saw the Guttenburg Motel on 5th street and stopped in and made a reservation for a room on Saturday night when the ride finished.   Then set up tent at River Park walking distance to the town and Lock and Dam No.10.   Brought my gear to Brancel and parked the car in weekly parking in large field nearby. Saturday morning rode with Greg, Steve and Blake with Brancel Charters for the ride to Rock Valley the starting town.  At Rock Valley we met Bob and Mikey and set up our tents in a field near the vendors.  The next morning put our gear in the BIG rig (the new INMF sag).

RV with toy hauler

The whole trip we were in fields or RV parking because the rig was too big for regular parking places. On Sunday I met Lisa and Robert on the road among thousands of bikes.

Lisa and Jill

Lisa, Robert and Aaron

Wednesday the meeting town was Clear Lake where all the streets were painted for Ragbrai ... also my first Buca Wich.

Buca Wich

Mason City was the end city on Wednesday; Frank Lloyd Wright's Park Inn Hotel (last standing hotel and Stockman House are in Mason City.   Thursday Mason City to Waverly, home of Nestle Products.

Frank Lloyd Wright Park Inn Hotel

Stockman House

Nestle Bunnie

It started raining Thursday night and Friday morning is was raining continually.  Bob, Mikey and I got in the BIG rig and rode to the meeting town in Sumner.  It was still raining and cold.  Mikey and I stayed in the rig (Bob got out in the rain) to the end town Independence.  When we got Independence it was a beautiful day.

Saturday Independence to Guttenburg.   After going to the dip site I went to find the car in the big field and found Greg, Blake and Steve.  We waited a long time for the our big rig to get through all the traffic and give us our gear.  It was great to go to my hotel, clean up and get ready to drive to St. Paul in the morning.