This is a blog (web log) about RAGBRAI (the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa), a week-long bicycle trip from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Burlington, Iowa. If you'd like to read about what happened, I recommend you start at the beginning by clicking here. When you get to the bottom you'll see a link that says "Newer Post." Clicking on that will take you to the next day's posting.
It'll make a lot more sense if you start at the front. Enjoy, and Happy Trails!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Day Seven: Mount Pleasant to Burlington
When we woke up at 5:00 (yes, AM) most of the people were already gone. As it turned out, the storm missed us. There wasn't even very much rain.
Today is a short day and, as with every trip I take, I'm ready for it to be over, but not quite yet.
We ate breakfast at the first town we stopped in, New London, at a mobile place we'd seen every morning. The place was called Bite Me, where we had some French Toast. Occasionally someone would ride by and yell "BITE ME!" This is Heather and Samantha eating their breakfast.
We pedaled at a leisurely pace and stopped in Lowell for some corn on the cob.
Here are some pictures along the way:
Minnesota Viking fans, apparently.
This is an old joke, recently revived because of the TV show The Office... the shirt says, "Ask us about free updog." The most common comment is, "What's updog?" and the inevitable response is, "Not much. What's up with you?" What made the shirts even funnier is that this is the seventh day Team Updog has been wearing them, so when someone asked, "What's Updog?" the rider let out a slow sigh and said, "Not much," sighed again, and added "What's up with you?" in a tired voice. I don't know about you, but I think if you don't want people to ask you, then DON'T WEAR THE SHIRTS.
In Middletown we stopped for some watermelon.
A few miles later we stopped at Beekman's Ice Cream. They have the homemade ice cream that was so delicious
Today is a short day and, as with every trip I take, I'm ready for it to be over, but not quite yet.
We ate breakfast at the first town we stopped in, New London, at a mobile place we'd seen every morning. The place was called Bite Me, where we had some French Toast. Occasionally someone would ride by and yell "BITE ME!" This is Heather and Samantha eating their breakfast.
We pedaled at a leisurely pace and stopped in Lowell for some corn on the cob.
Here are some pictures along the way:
Minnesota Viking fans, apparently.
This is an old joke, recently revived because of the TV show The Office... the shirt says, "Ask us about free updog." The most common comment is, "What's updog?" and the inevitable response is, "Not much. What's up with you?" What made the shirts even funnier is that this is the seventh day Team Updog has been wearing them, so when someone asked, "What's Updog?" the rider let out a slow sigh and said, "Not much," sighed again, and added "What's up with you?" in a tired voice. I don't know about you, but I think if you don't want people to ask you, then DON'T WEAR THE SHIRTS.
In Middletown we stopped for some watermelon.
A few miles later we stopped at Beekman's Ice Cream. They have the homemade ice cream that was so delicious
At the end of the trip, the VERY end of 450 miles of pedaling, there was a short section of road called Snake Alley in Burlington. There was an alternate route so you didn't HAVE to, but we decided to give the 21% grade a try. We made it without having to walk up, but it wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done.
Distance 45.63
Average speed 13.0
Maximum speed 42.5
Time 3:30.34
Cumulative 458.43
Climbed feet 1145
Distance 45.63
Average speed 13.0
Maximum speed 42.5
Time 3:30.34
Cumulative 458.43
Climbed feet 1145
If you enjoyed reading mark on a bike 09, you might enjoy reading about my other trips, mark on a bike 08 (a bicycle trip from San Diego to Jacksonville, FL) or mark on a bike 07 (a bicycle trip from Seattle to Montana)
Friday, July 24, 2009
Day Six: Ottumwa to Mount Pleasant
This morning we crossed the Des Moines river on South Market Street and headed out of town on North Court Street. I would've taken pictures of the very beautiful, very large, restored Victorian homes along the way, but the road was too steep to do anything but pedal.
Here are some pictures taken along the route today:
Here are three members from Team Pez:
Her shirt says, "Team Pez: Long Shaft... Big Head."
To be on the Air Force Team you have to be willing to stop and help anyone you see on the side of the road. That, and of course, be in the Air Force.
We stopped in Brighton (pop 687) at a friend's house for some ice water, where we sat on the front porch for a long time watching the bikers pass. Gene and his wife, Barb, had been there since 10:30 that morning looking for me, and had seen all kinds of interesting costumes and bikes.
Leaving Brighton was hard. We turned into a stong, hot headwind for about 20 miles. Normally, 20 miles isn't a big deal, but the combination of already having pedaled 40 miles, plus the hills and the wind and the heat, made it really difficult. We stopped a lot, and drank a lot, and ate a lot.
This guy looks like we felt. One of his shoes is off, the other is still on.
Just as we crested one particularly difficult hill past Germanville, there was a tent set up where they were selling ice cream sandwiches. The sandwich part was made of homemade chocolate chip cookies.
By the time we arrived in Mount Pleasant (pop 8751) we were REALLY tired. This is our last night of camping before our last day of riding, and our charter company had free BBQ for everyone. Unfortunately, they stopped serving at 7:00 and we didn't arrive until after that. We set up camp and walked to the shower where, because we were later than most people, there was no hot water left. Nor were there any towels, "but you can stand in front of the big fan in there," I was told by the guy who took my $5.00.
When I finished I sat outside and waited for Heather. And waited. Eventually, a young woman pulled up on a bike and went in. I asked her if she'd see if Heather Bingham was still inside. She came out a minute later and said, "She is sooooo close to being done," then pedaled off. So I waited. Finally, I stood in the doorway and called for her. No response. I called several more times, and the janitor, who had already locked up the men's, came down to lock the women's. He called out, then went inside. No one was there, and there's only one door. That was just weird.
I walked back to the campsite where I found Heather and Samantha. She had sent someone into the men's to look for me and he came out saying there was no Mark Bingham there. Go figure.
We ate, and when it was time to climb into the tents we noticed that everyone was going into the church gym we were camped beside. As it turned out, there was the possibility that a severe storm would be blowing through, with winds between 50-90 mph, so we carried all of our sleeping gear inside. Everyone slept around the outside wall of the gym.
Distance 78.10
Average speed 11.6
Maximum speed 30.0
Time 6:42.02
Cumulative 412.79
Climbed feet 3388
Here are some pictures taken along the route today:
What a bonehead!
There were a lot of interesting team names, most of which I don't even mention.
This guy skated the entire distance across the state, INCLUDING the 100-mile route yesterday.
We had a tailwind to Hedrick, a crosswind through Martinsburg, Pekin, Packwood, and Pleasant Plain to Brighton.
Here are three members from Team Pez:
Her shirt says, "Team Pez: Long Shaft... Big Head."The one below says, "Our dispensers are always fully loaded."
And this one says, "Tilt back your head and take it."
More pictures:
And this one says, "Tilt back your head and take it."
More pictures:
Team NumbNutz....
One says, "Sexy," and the other says, "Tasty." I particularly like the first picture of the "sexy" guy scratching his butt. I'm not sure, but I think Mr. Sexy might be picking his nose in the second one.
One says, "Sexy," and the other says, "Tasty." I particularly like the first picture of the "sexy" guy scratching his butt. I'm not sure, but I think Mr. Sexy might be picking his nose in the second one.
To be on the Air Force Team you have to be willing to stop and help anyone you see on the side of the road. That, and of course, be in the Air Force.
We stopped in Brighton (pop 687) at a friend's house for some ice water, where we sat on the front porch for a long time watching the bikers pass. Gene and his wife, Barb, had been there since 10:30 that morning looking for me, and had seen all kinds of interesting costumes and bikes.
Leaving Brighton was hard. We turned into a stong, hot headwind for about 20 miles. Normally, 20 miles isn't a big deal, but the combination of already having pedaled 40 miles, plus the hills and the wind and the heat, made it really difficult. We stopped a lot, and drank a lot, and ate a lot.
This guy looks like we felt. One of his shoes is off, the other is still on.
Just as we crested one particularly difficult hill past Germanville, there was a tent set up where they were selling ice cream sandwiches. The sandwich part was made of homemade chocolate chip cookies.
By the time we arrived in Mount Pleasant (pop 8751) we were REALLY tired. This is our last night of camping before our last day of riding, and our charter company had free BBQ for everyone. Unfortunately, they stopped serving at 7:00 and we didn't arrive until after that. We set up camp and walked to the shower where, because we were later than most people, there was no hot water left. Nor were there any towels, "but you can stand in front of the big fan in there," I was told by the guy who took my $5.00.
When I finished I sat outside and waited for Heather. And waited. Eventually, a young woman pulled up on a bike and went in. I asked her if she'd see if Heather Bingham was still inside. She came out a minute later and said, "She is sooooo close to being done," then pedaled off. So I waited. Finally, I stood in the doorway and called for her. No response. I called several more times, and the janitor, who had already locked up the men's, came down to lock the women's. He called out, then went inside. No one was there, and there's only one door. That was just weird.
I walked back to the campsite where I found Heather and Samantha. She had sent someone into the men's to look for me and he came out saying there was no Mark Bingham there. Go figure.
We ate, and when it was time to climb into the tents we noticed that everyone was going into the church gym we were camped beside. As it turned out, there was the possibility that a severe storm would be blowing through, with winds between 50-90 mph, so we carried all of our sleeping gear inside. Everyone slept around the outside wall of the gym.
Distance 78.10
Average speed 11.6
Maximum speed 30.0
Time 6:42.02
Cumulative 412.79
Climbed feet 3388
If you're interested in seeing more pictures, click on Newer Post below:
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Day Five: Chariton to Ottumwa
Shortly after leaving this morning, around Millerton, we saw an Amish family selling food on the side of the road so we pulled over and split a slice of black raspberry pie. It was so good we split another piece, and that was so good that I bought a brownie.
This morning our route took us through Millerton, Bethlehem, Confidence, Iconium (which I kept wanting to call Meconium; no, don't look it up in the dictionary), and the Honey Creek Resort. We were going to eat lunch at the resort until we found out it's actually a couple of miles off the route and they were shuttling people (or you could pedal) to the main area. Once we learned that, we decided to ride on to Moravia.
Today's route offers the "opportunity" for a person to ride 100 miles in one day, also called a century. You'll hear some people say that the reason it's called a century is that both have the number 100 in them. I personally think that the reason is that your butt feels like it's been sitting on the saddle for about a hundred years. We opted not to go the extra 22 miles today.
Here are some pictures from along the way:
This guy has a handcycle instead of a bicycle, and uses his upper body to pedal instead of his legs.
Look very closely at this guy's seat.
Right... there isn't one. He pedaled the entire distance standing up.
When you sign up for Ragbrai you get a band that goes around your wrist and another band that goes around your bike to identify you as a registered rider. This person has been in quite a few over the years.
We pedaled through Moravia (pop 713), Unionville (pop 127), Blakesville (pop 0), and on to Ottumwa for the night.
Ottumwa (pop 24,998) is the home of several famous personalities, including Tom Arnold (actor), Carol Morris (1956 Miss Universe), Edna Ferber (novelist), Steve Bales (Apollo 11 flight controller), and Radar O’Reilly (the fictitious character from the TV show M*A*S*H).
We had wanted to get into town town early enough so that we coud lay out all of our stuff to dry from last night's storm. However, just as we were rolling up to our campsite it began raining, gradually at first, then more heavily. We set up our tents and covered everything as best as we could and and hung out under the big tent until it stopped. When I looked online to see what the weather was going to do I saw that there was only one tiny spot in the entire state that was getting rained on: Ottumwa. After it stopped raining we showered and caught one of the shuttles to the grocery store. The shuttles didn't actually GO there, but the driver offered to drop us off and pick us up later even though it wasn't on the route.
Each evening, fireflies lit up the area. Tonight, as we were falling asleep, we watched a stray firefly walking along the top of our tent. It was a nice way to fall asleep.
Distance 78.08
Average speed 12.9
Maximum speed 39.0
Time 6:00.29
Cumulative 334.6
Climbed feet 3388
This morning our route took us through Millerton, Bethlehem, Confidence, Iconium (which I kept wanting to call Meconium; no, don't look it up in the dictionary), and the Honey Creek Resort. We were going to eat lunch at the resort until we found out it's actually a couple of miles off the route and they were shuttling people (or you could pedal) to the main area. Once we learned that, we decided to ride on to Moravia.
Today's route offers the "opportunity" for a person to ride 100 miles in one day, also called a century. You'll hear some people say that the reason it's called a century is that both have the number 100 in them. I personally think that the reason is that your butt feels like it's been sitting on the saddle for about a hundred years. We opted not to go the extra 22 miles today.
Here are some pictures from along the way:
There are all kinds of bicycles on Ragbrai. The majority of people ride a regular road bike, but there are also a lot of recumbents, tandems, and tandem recumbents. (recumbent = sitting down with your feet out in front of you; tandem = bicycle for two people) Among the recumbents there are Above Seat Steering, Below Seat Steering, Short Wheel Base, Medium Wheel Base, and Long Wheel Base. Here are a few I saw along the way:
This guy has a handcycle instead of a bicycle, and uses his upper body to pedal instead of his legs.
Look very closely at this guy's seat.
Right... there isn't one. He pedaled the entire distance standing up.
I think one of the most amazing things I saw on the trip was this guy:
A UNICYCLE! His mode of transportation has a fixed gear, which means there are no brakes, and no shifting. Uphill, downhill, it's all the same. And yes, he made it the entire way.
I saw several Bike Fridays. In just a couple of minutes, these bicycles fold up and will fit into a regular-sized suitcase, saving the hundred or so dollars it costs to ship it on a plane.
There seem to be two types of riders at Ragbrai. The first type, like me, tools along at a leisurely pace, stopping for... oh, say, black raspberry pie for example... my head up and looking at the scenery and keeping an eye out for the unusual. The second type gets from Point A to Point B as fast as possible. Most of them ride in packs and take turns drafting, frequently traveling 20-25 mph.
Team Bad Boy is definitely the first type. It's hard to tell from these pictures, but behind one of the bikes there is a full bar. Behind another, there's a BBQ grill. I WOULD say they carry everything but the kitchen sink, but behind a third bike (not pictured) is a kitchen sink.
The State Troopers were a lot of help, especially considering how many bikers there were. They frequently had music playing through their speakers as we passed their roadblocks for the cars. This festive-looking trooper was in one of the towns.
This young woman pedaled the whole distance on this one-speed bike.
There seem to be two types of riders at Ragbrai. The first type, like me, tools along at a leisurely pace, stopping for... oh, say, black raspberry pie for example... my head up and looking at the scenery and keeping an eye out for the unusual. The second type gets from Point A to Point B as fast as possible. Most of them ride in packs and take turns drafting, frequently traveling 20-25 mph.
Team Bad Boy is definitely the first type. It's hard to tell from these pictures, but behind one of the bikes there is a full bar. Behind another, there's a BBQ grill. I WOULD say they carry everything but the kitchen sink, but behind a third bike (not pictured) is a kitchen sink.
The State Troopers were a lot of help, especially considering how many bikers there were. They frequently had music playing through their speakers as we passed their roadblocks for the cars. This festive-looking trooper was in one of the towns.
This young woman pedaled the whole distance on this one-speed bike.
When you sign up for Ragbrai you get a band that goes around your wrist and another band that goes around your bike to identify you as a registered rider. This person has been in quite a few over the years.
We pedaled through Moravia (pop 713), Unionville (pop 127), Blakesville (pop 0), and on to Ottumwa for the night.
Ottumwa (pop 24,998) is the home of several famous personalities, including Tom Arnold (actor), Carol Morris (1956 Miss Universe), Edna Ferber (novelist), Steve Bales (Apollo 11 flight controller), and Radar O’Reilly (the fictitious character from the TV show M*A*S*H).
We had wanted to get into town town early enough so that we coud lay out all of our stuff to dry from last night's storm. However, just as we were rolling up to our campsite it began raining, gradually at first, then more heavily. We set up our tents and covered everything as best as we could and and hung out under the big tent until it stopped. When I looked online to see what the weather was going to do I saw that there was only one tiny spot in the entire state that was getting rained on: Ottumwa. After it stopped raining we showered and caught one of the shuttles to the grocery store. The shuttles didn't actually GO there, but the driver offered to drop us off and pick us up later even though it wasn't on the route.
Each evening, fireflies lit up the area. Tonight, as we were falling asleep, we watched a stray firefly walking along the top of our tent. It was a nice way to fall asleep.
Distance 78.08
Average speed 12.9
Maximum speed 39.0
Time 6:00.29
Cumulative 334.6
Climbed feet 3388
If you're interested in seeing more pictures, click on Newer Post below:
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Day Four: Indianola to Chariton
When we woke up this morning everything was soaked with dew. It wasn't just damp, it was actually wetter than it had been yesterday morning after it had rained during the night. It wasn't a big deal... we just packed everything up wet; we'll let it dry this afternoon.
The morning started off foggy, but it burned off after a while. Again... Iowa is NOT flat.
This is the road out of town:
Just past Sandyville I saw this guy:
"Team Gourmet: It's All About the Food." This could be interesting.... I pedaled up and started a conversation. His name is William, and he's from Scotland. Team Gourmet really does go all out on their meals. Last night they had foie gras, caviar, new potatoes, and a very nice cabernet. There were several other items, but I can't remember all of them. They have a team bus which carries all of their gear, and they generally stay in someone's yard instead of a campground. (read: REAL bathrooms instead of portapotties) They bring a CHEF with them. Now I'm really interested. "How many people are on the team?" I asked. He said it varies from year to year, but usually about twenty five. "And how does one become a member of the team?" I asked, even more interested. He said, "You have to know someone on the team." I was silent for a full ten seconds....
The morning started off foggy, but it burned off after a while. Again... Iowa is NOT flat.
This is the road out of town:
Just past Sandyville I saw this guy:
"Team Gourmet: It's All About the Food." This could be interesting.... I pedaled up and started a conversation. His name is William, and he's from Scotland. Team Gourmet really does go all out on their meals. Last night they had foie gras, caviar, new potatoes, and a very nice cabernet. There were several other items, but I can't remember all of them. They have a team bus which carries all of their gear, and they generally stay in someone's yard instead of a campground. (read: REAL bathrooms instead of portapotties) They bring a CHEF with them. Now I'm really interested. "How many people are on the team?" I asked. He said it varies from year to year, but usually about twenty five. "And how does one become a member of the team?" I asked, even more interested. He said, "You have to know someone on the team." I was silent for a full ten seconds....
"Hi William, my name's Mark. It's nice to meet you."
By the end of the conversation, William and I were good friends.
And here's one I took later during the day:
Mr. Pork Chop is famous. He cooked pork chops on Ragbrai for 27 years, finally retiring in 2007 and letting his son take over. Few people even know his real name, he's just known as Mr. Pork Chop. I'd heard about Mr. Pork Chop for many years and was excited to be able to eat one of the legendary chops, even if I didn't get to meet the man himself. How does a person who sells pieces of meat gain so much fame? Well, one, you do it for 27 years. He's been around a long time. Two, you have a famous call by which everyone recognizes you. Mr. Pork Chop has such a call. I found this on youtube so I could share it with you.
I was expecting a pretty good pork chop, which I received. What I wasn't expecting was to see The Man himself, holding court and calling out his famous pork chop yell. As it turns out, he was only there for one day, the day I stopped. Mr. Pork Chop only agreed to a picture if Heather would kiss him.
Here are some pictures taken throughout the day.
One thing you'll commonly see along the Ragbrai route is a riderless bike next to a corn field. Frequently, you can see a non-green color in the corn... a rider relieving himself. On two occasions, there were hand-made signs that read: "Bathroom. Turn right here. Go four rows in. Bring your own TP."
In the town of Milo (pop 839) I saw, for the first time, a bike with a sail. I don't know how many times I've wished I had one of these. The guy who designs them is a marine engineer who lives in Iowa City. Here's a picture of me sitting in the captain's seat:
And here's one I took later during the day:
Mr. Pork Chop is famous. He cooked pork chops on Ragbrai for 27 years, finally retiring in 2007 and letting his son take over. Few people even know his real name, he's just known as Mr. Pork Chop. I'd heard about Mr. Pork Chop for many years and was excited to be able to eat one of the legendary chops, even if I didn't get to meet the man himself. How does a person who sells pieces of meat gain so much fame? Well, one, you do it for 27 years. He's been around a long time. Two, you have a famous call by which everyone recognizes you. Mr. Pork Chop has such a call. I found this on youtube so I could share it with you.
I was expecting a pretty good pork chop, which I received. What I wasn't expecting was to see The Man himself, holding court and calling out his famous pork chop yell. As it turns out, he was only there for one day, the day I stopped. Mr. Pork Chop only agreed to a picture if Heather would kiss him.
Here are some pictures taken throughout the day.
One thing you'll commonly see along the Ragbrai route is a riderless bike next to a corn field. Frequently, you can see a non-green color in the corn... a rider relieving himself. On two occasions, there were hand-made signs that read: "Bathroom. Turn right here. Go four rows in. Bring your own TP."
Look closely on the right to see the gracious gentleman helping to water the poor farmer's crops. The picture below is less difficult to see.
These guys were even less concerned about modesty.
Me? I'm not going to say whether I availed myself of the corn fields, but I will say... I'm sure glad I'm a guy.
Me? I'm not going to say whether I availed myself of the corn fields, but I will say... I'm sure glad I'm a guy.
We stopped for the night in Chariton (pop 4573), and took a shower at Bingham Park. They must've heard I was coming.
Distance 46.79
Average speed 12.5
Maximum speed 35.2
Time 3:44.01
Cumulative 256.5
Feet climbed 2182
Distance 46.79
Average speed 12.5
Maximum speed 35.2
Time 3:44.01
Cumulative 256.5
Feet climbed 2182
If you're interested in seeing more pictures, click on Newer Post below:
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