Words to live by. It's always "5 o'clock somewhere!"
Stop number 4. Iguana's Mexican Restaurant. Lana trying to keep her eyes open for the picture.
Stop number 2. Sassy and Ellen's Beach Bar. Amstel Brite. Even Lana imbibed.
October 16, 2011
Aruba Beach Bar Crawl - Saturday
Words to live by. It's always "5 o'clock somewhere!"
Stop number 4. Iguana's Mexican Restaurant. Lana trying to keep her eyes open for the picture.
Stop number 2. Sassy and Ellen's Beach Bar. Amstel Brite. Even Lana imbibed.
OhWoods do Aruba
It’s day 2 of our Aruba adventure. The weather is perfect, the condo is beautiful, the pools are awesome and the food and drinks are expensive!
We begin our adventure on Friday morning from the Atlanta airport. Jeff, in typical Jeff fashion, was going to put TSA to the test and see if he could sneak a plastic bottle of milk through security so he could drink it on the other side. A not-so-pleasant TSA agent spotted it, looked at Chris, and demanded to know who did it. Chris, with a roll of her eyes, looked toward Jeff, who gave Miss Friendly permission to throw it away. Always an adventure when you have Jeff with you.
Of course, our first stop in Aruba was the grocery store. The taxi driver was kind enough to make the stop for us on our way to the resort. Jeff’s job there was to sit in the van and guard our “stuff.” Kevin, Chris, and Lana hurried into the store where they quickly split up and went to get their assigned items. Obviously, Kevin was in charge of the beer. His goal was to find some good “local” beers. What he found was not much selection and little bottles. Good news was, there was also Miller Lite available, bad news was that our good old American beers are imports and $50 a case. Oh well, we are on vacation!
Kevin learned that Ling and Sons grocery store operates a little differently that our Fareway. A nice young man wheeled out our cart and loaded our groceries into the back of the car. When Kevin went to get into the car, he stuck out his hand and said “we work for tips here.” Kevin will make sure Jeff is the one standing there from now on.
We miss you Dave and Michele
July 24, 2009
RAGBRAI day 3
DAY 3: RAGBRAI: Day three took us from Indianola to Chariton—which brought us a variety of “Only on RAGBRAI” experiences in addition to the expected challenges that the terrain of Iowa sets forth to its riders. We left town in a fog (LITERALLY) and rode through the fog for 13 miles. The fact that there was no rain was a welcome phenomenon, and the riders were able to stay “somewhat comfortable” with the absence of sunshine for the morning commute. The first couple of pass through towns on the route were uneventful…and unidentifiable…as our riders rode right past them! By far, the favorite pass through town was Milo—fictional birthplace of Radar O’Reily on MASH! Hot Lips, Radar, and Klinger were in full form (and costume)—and greeted riders when rolling into town.
There were no incidences in the back room last night. Kevin is .making Jeff wear his heart monitor to bed as he doesn’t want to ride all day & spend his nights awake worrying. about the breathing or the lack there of.
Town Square in Milo hosted Karaoke, massages, and pig kissing (photo to come)—with exceptional breakfast cuisine. Our riders spent some quality time soaking in the sun and enjoying the frivolity of the entire RAGBRAI experience. After Milo, our riders stopped in Lacona and rested on a hill…only to prepare for challenging hills to come in the near future. A local restaurant, called Rudy’s—boasted homemade tacos…which we passed on-- in honor of our Quad Cities Rudy’s establishment.
The “town” called Oakley afforded our riders “the quote of the day”—which came from a fellow RAGBRAI rider--directed to an elderly (80-something) couple sitting in lawn chairs on a grassy area in the middle of nowhere—“Where is Oakley?” The woman replied, “You are in it,” she replied. Needless to say, it was a non-eventful stop with only stray dogs and flies interacting with our riders.
Chariton, our host town for the night, was hospitable and enjoyable and allowed our riders to shop for loved-ones and relax in the confines of one of the local watering holes, Sportsman Bar. Beers served from the back of the bar-proper, and the trough in the back of the bar, kept our team happy and jolly for the evening. A local waitress seemed to take a liking to our boys…and threw in an extra ticket and performed favors for the team….what happens at RAGBRAI stays at RAGBRAI.
There were no incidences in the back room last night. Kevin is .making Jeff wear his heart monitor to bed as he doesn’t want to ride all day & spend his nights awake worrying. about the breathing or the lack there of.
Town Square in Milo hosted Karaoke, massages, and pig kissing (photo to come)—with exceptional breakfast cuisine. Our riders spent some quality time soaking in the sun and enjoying the frivolity of the entire RAGBRAI experience. After Milo, our riders stopped in Lacona and rested on a hill…only to prepare for challenging hills to come in the near future. A local restaurant, called Rudy’s—boasted homemade tacos…which we passed on-- in honor of our Quad Cities Rudy’s establishment.
The “town” called Oakley afforded our riders “the quote of the day”—which came from a fellow RAGBRAI rider--directed to an elderly (80-something) couple sitting in lawn chairs on a grassy area in the middle of nowhere—“Where is Oakley?” The woman replied, “You are in it,” she replied. Needless to say, it was a non-eventful stop with only stray dogs and flies interacting with our riders.
Chariton, our host town for the night, was hospitable and enjoyable and allowed our riders to shop for loved-ones and relax in the confines of one of the local watering holes, Sportsman Bar. Beers served from the back of the bar-proper, and the trough in the back of the bar, kept our team happy and jolly for the evening. A local waitress seemed to take a liking to our boys…and threw in an extra ticket and performed favors for the team….what happens at RAGBRAI stays at RAGBRAI.
July 21, 2009
RAGBRAI 2009
Team Tablegater is off and running (peddling) into another historical RAGBRAI experience. We've had some technical difficulty in terms of attending to this blog (as you have noticed by the lack of blogging)--but we are now in business and ready to share!
GROUND ZERO (Friday Evening)-- Had a great hook-up in the parking lot of the local Casino in Council Bluffs. It was completely a concrete paradise, but it served our needs well and we were fortunate enough to have a warm shower at our disposal. Had a nice dinner at Quaker Steak and Lube on Friday evening and hob-knobed with the locals to learn of their history and town secrets.
Saturday--before the ride took us to breakfast at Famous Dave's in town and it was a group concensus that Dave should stick to ribs rather than dabbling in the breakfast business. Cold coffee (in a "pitcher") and eggs is NOT a way to start a day! Following breakfast we sojourned over to Bass Pro Shop and roamed about the very large facility--doing a lot of window shopping but not much buying. We then went to the RAGBRAI Expo and roamed around looking for the temporary tattoo vendor to no avail. We were bored after the Expo...so we patronized the local Ruby Tuesday's and sat at the bar conversing with the bar tender and fellow RAGBRAI riders. Met one gentleman from Kalamazoo, who biked to Council Bluffs with a few other (CRAZY) people to ride a portion or RAGBRAI (WHY??) only to return home. We questioned his sanity, but he was a very nice man with bigger balls than the four of us put together!!
The Bare Naked Ladies were playing Sauturday night, however, when we found out that they were actually all MEN-- we decided to forgo the concert and head back to Quaker Steak and Lube for more fun and fravolity. Listened to a "one-man-show", who coined the phrase, "HOLD EM UP! (Encouraging patrons to proudly hold their beverages of choice in the air)-- then after a pep-talk-- demanding the waiting crowd to "SLAM EM!!!!" He seemed to be having just as much fun (if not more!) than the paying customers.
DAY ONE-- RAGBRAI: The three amigos mounted their bikes and headed toward Red Oak--bikes, gloves, and helmets in tow. It was a short day mileage wise (52), but the climbs (totaling 3684 feet) made it to be a challenging day. The first nine miles were flat, but the rest of the day's hills kept us on our toes and woke up our quads--demanding attention. The day started off in a very positive manner, as a gentleman rode past us, informing Kevin that he was passing on the left-- calling him "Babe." Obviously the guy either still had his beer goggles from the night before, or Kevin's shorts were inticingly tight in ALL the right places.
Pass through towns were very low key and probably low-budget--as there was no fanfare or specticality (its a word!!!! see wikapodia.com) -- but they were a welcome resting place for our riders, who were needing some respite from the hilly highways of Iowa. Having said that, we DID find inbetween towns, an Obama Lemonade stand, selling "Hope and Change Lemonade"--which had a sign that indicated that the rich were to pay more than the poor--
We had great hosts for the night and stayed behind an quaint insurance company in Red Oak (owned by some delightful hosts)--and Kevin talked shop with the propriator while the rest of Team Tablegater nodded politely and placated Kevin appropriately.
DAY TWO: RAGBRAI -- Team Tablegater left Red Oak traveling through quaint neighborhoods--including those with fellow RAGBRAIers sleeping on the quiet sidewalks in sleeping bags.
A side note: There was some dissention among the city fathers of Red Oak about even hosting an overnight event. They were concerned about the riders of RAGBRAI getting tanked up & causing problems in their fair community.
Our overnight host informed us that he talked to the police chief & there were nine counts of drunk & disorderly issued. The funny thing is that those arrested were all local talent.
Day two presented a gruling bike experience for the riders--as it presented 73 miles of unforgiving hills with 5100 feet of climb. No flat roads for the weary riders. Adding insult to injury, Mother Nature had a sick sense of humor, throwing lingering drizzles of rain throughout the day. A tired Team Tablegater spent the night under the awning of the moterhome, in the fair grounds with the rest of the campers, watching nothing but rain transpire outside the windows.
The boys are slowly getting used to the presence of Karen's undergarmets drying everywhere. That's ok...she's been a good sport about less than desirable aim in the bathroom. No worries, Chris, the mat is currenly hanging out to dry!
DAY THREE: RAGBRAI; There were some concerns in the back bedroom overnight, as Kevin thought that Jeff had "The Big One." There were some mumbling and a big body shudder-- then, no movement. Here, Kevin was concerned about Husker dying on his watch, now this! No worries though, we figured we had enough ice in the cooler to get him down the road a piece before we had to worry about anything.
As for the ride, the day presented yet another challenging ride for our Team-- full of rain, hills, and now WIND! 55 of the 77 miles were clad with wet roads of Iowa, due to the constant fall of rain that fell upon us. Who would think that a bike rider --riding the hills of Iowa-- would be COLD in JULY because of the temperature!!! Hope was not lost for a fun-filled day, however, "skillet tosses" in Macksburg and bloody marys in St Charles aided in fun and frovolity for our riders!
Steve did a marvelous job in setting up accomodations for the team in Indianola, our overnight spot, as we found hot showers, food, beer, bike storage, and next-day breakfast waiting for us--all in the back parking lot of a funeral home. Who'd of thought!??!
Our hosts were a little disappointed, however, because our application had indicated that we would have two 25 year old young lady-drivers (Kellie O and Meghan W.) --this was not the case. Kel and Meg could not join us. There are young men roaming the streets of Indianola-- as we speak-- heart broken and looking for some comfort.
GROUND ZERO (Friday Evening)-- Had a great hook-up in the parking lot of the local Casino in Council Bluffs. It was completely a concrete paradise, but it served our needs well and we were fortunate enough to have a warm shower at our disposal. Had a nice dinner at Quaker Steak and Lube on Friday evening and hob-knobed with the locals to learn of their history and town secrets.
Saturday--before the ride took us to breakfast at Famous Dave's in town and it was a group concensus that Dave should stick to ribs rather than dabbling in the breakfast business. Cold coffee (in a "pitcher") and eggs is NOT a way to start a day! Following breakfast we sojourned over to Bass Pro Shop and roamed about the very large facility--doing a lot of window shopping but not much buying. We then went to the RAGBRAI Expo and roamed around looking for the temporary tattoo vendor to no avail. We were bored after the Expo...so we patronized the local Ruby Tuesday's and sat at the bar conversing with the bar tender and fellow RAGBRAI riders. Met one gentleman from Kalamazoo, who biked to Council Bluffs with a few other (CRAZY) people to ride a portion or RAGBRAI (WHY??) only to return home. We questioned his sanity, but he was a very nice man with bigger balls than the four of us put together!!
The Bare Naked Ladies were playing Sauturday night, however, when we found out that they were actually all MEN-- we decided to forgo the concert and head back to Quaker Steak and Lube for more fun and fravolity. Listened to a "one-man-show", who coined the phrase, "HOLD EM UP! (Encouraging patrons to proudly hold their beverages of choice in the air)-- then after a pep-talk-- demanding the waiting crowd to "SLAM EM!!!!" He seemed to be having just as much fun (if not more!) than the paying customers.
DAY ONE-- RAGBRAI: The three amigos mounted their bikes and headed toward Red Oak--bikes, gloves, and helmets in tow. It was a short day mileage wise (52), but the climbs (totaling 3684 feet) made it to be a challenging day. The first nine miles were flat, but the rest of the day's hills kept us on our toes and woke up our quads--demanding attention. The day started off in a very positive manner, as a gentleman rode past us, informing Kevin that he was passing on the left-- calling him "Babe." Obviously the guy either still had his beer goggles from the night before, or Kevin's shorts were inticingly tight in ALL the right places.
Pass through towns were very low key and probably low-budget--as there was no fanfare or specticality (its a word!!!! see wikapodia.com) -- but they were a welcome resting place for our riders, who were needing some respite from the hilly highways of Iowa. Having said that, we DID find inbetween towns, an Obama Lemonade stand, selling "Hope and Change Lemonade"--which had a sign that indicated that the rich were to pay more than the poor--
We had great hosts for the night and stayed behind an quaint insurance company in Red Oak (owned by some delightful hosts)--and Kevin talked shop with the propriator while the rest of Team Tablegater nodded politely and placated Kevin appropriately.
DAY TWO: RAGBRAI -- Team Tablegater left Red Oak traveling through quaint neighborhoods--including those with fellow RAGBRAIers sleeping on the quiet sidewalks in sleeping bags.
A side note: There was some dissention among the city fathers of Red Oak about even hosting an overnight event. They were concerned about the riders of RAGBRAI getting tanked up & causing problems in their fair community.
Our overnight host informed us that he talked to the police chief & there were nine counts of drunk & disorderly issued. The funny thing is that those arrested were all local talent.
Day two presented a gruling bike experience for the riders--as it presented 73 miles of unforgiving hills with 5100 feet of climb. No flat roads for the weary riders. Adding insult to injury, Mother Nature had a sick sense of humor, throwing lingering drizzles of rain throughout the day. A tired Team Tablegater spent the night under the awning of the moterhome, in the fair grounds with the rest of the campers, watching nothing but rain transpire outside the windows.
The boys are slowly getting used to the presence of Karen's undergarmets drying everywhere. That's ok...she's been a good sport about less than desirable aim in the bathroom. No worries, Chris, the mat is currenly hanging out to dry!
DAY THREE: RAGBRAI; There were some concerns in the back bedroom overnight, as Kevin thought that Jeff had "The Big One." There were some mumbling and a big body shudder-- then, no movement. Here, Kevin was concerned about Husker dying on his watch, now this! No worries though, we figured we had enough ice in the cooler to get him down the road a piece before we had to worry about anything.
As for the ride, the day presented yet another challenging ride for our Team-- full of rain, hills, and now WIND! 55 of the 77 miles were clad with wet roads of Iowa, due to the constant fall of rain that fell upon us. Who would think that a bike rider --riding the hills of Iowa-- would be COLD in JULY because of the temperature!!! Hope was not lost for a fun-filled day, however, "skillet tosses" in Macksburg and bloody marys in St Charles aided in fun and frovolity for our riders!
Steve did a marvelous job in setting up accomodations for the team in Indianola, our overnight spot, as we found hot showers, food, beer, bike storage, and next-day breakfast waiting for us--all in the back parking lot of a funeral home. Who'd of thought!??!
Our hosts were a little disappointed, however, because our application had indicated that we would have two 25 year old young lady-drivers (Kellie O and Meghan W.) --this was not the case. Kel and Meg could not join us. There are young men roaming the streets of Indianola-- as we speak-- heart broken and looking for some comfort.
July 24, 2008
RAGBRAI Day Three and Four
RAGBRAI Day Three and Four
Day three: 57 Miles: 1400 feet of climb
Day four: 78 Miles: 2900 feet of climb
Needless to say we were all relieved to get day two, with all of the elevation, behind us. Day three was a fairly easier day until the surprise "death hill" going into Boone came upon us. From there, it was 19 miles to Cy Country. It was an almost uneventful day in terms of biking incidents, but Jeff had his chain replaced, Karen had her handlebars re-wrapped (how about that, Ben??!!), and Steve A. got a haircut in Boon!
The highlight of the day occurred when Kevin and Karen came upon a farm offering cold water and piglets viewing. Kevin (and all other members of Team Tablegater) was/were therefore barred from eating any pork products for the rest of the RAGBRAI tour because of the pigs' sweet personality and livelihood. (do Rocky Mountain Oysters count??)
The evening seemed to provide more entertainment than the bike ride....Because
- LANCE ARMSTRONG spoke at the Hilton parking lot--opening the entertainment segment of the evening.
- Stacy and Karen befriended a strange man -- you know, your typical Cyclone fan in Ames, and he gave them beads (NO flashing required)....In return, they had to wear stickers depicting them as "Bead Whores." (Sorry, Mom...what happens at RAGBRAI, stays on RAGBRAI!!)
- Finally, to illustrate how crazy some of these people can get (especially in a college town, where students are staying)--Dan (60 + retired teacher....member of Tablegater) overheard a girl outside his tent bellow, "I don't care if it’s a girl or a guy, I'm going hump someone tonight." Dan was a tad bit nervous and immediately zipped up his tent!!
Our fourth day of RAGBRAI began with an incident in our own camp. Unbeknownst to the riders, 0ur esteemed driver, Tony and his co-pilot, Danny got into a wrestling match before breaking camp. (Note…Tony should have known better-- Danny is an experienced wrestler—but the testosterone was running rampant.) A trip to the hospital, revealed a diagnosis of a dislocated elbow—Tony was put to sleep for a while so that the doctors could work their magic by putting his elbow back into place. (Horrible thought, isn’t it?) A few hours later, the support-crew was back on the road with Tony maneuvering the RV in a sling.
Day Four provided an enjoyable--yet challenging day of riding. However, because of the hospitality of our
We concluded the evening with a heart-stopping excursion around the northern portion of Tama in our golf-cart-- with Jeff at the wheel, challenging the other cars and trucks on the highway. We were on a mission to find a place to have a good meal to end the day. The good news was that the headlights and taillights worked well and other than annoying a few of the other drivers—and scaring those riding on the back side of the cart, we arrived at our destination without incident. The bad news was that “Granny’s Grill” did not anticipate being inundated by RAGBRAI riders. Granny was a little short handed. They ran out of various food items, and were driven to accept the good-will of a fellow RAGBRAI rider, who offered to clear tables for them.
Don't know what to say here--it is Wednesday night and pouring rain here in Tama and the weather is projected to be stormy and raining tomorrow too. Not a good sign for RAGBRAI riders.....
Keep us in your thoughts.
Other than that....You all stay safe and keep focused on the road ahead! Tablegater Out!!!
July 23, 2008
RAGBRAI Day 2
Day Two of RAGBRAI: 83 Miles, with 5800 feet of climb—not for the weak of heart.
Our day started off with a jolting rising at 2:30 AM—when fellow teammate Dan burst into our RV proclaiming that the Harlan police and fire department were blanketing the community—giving us warning of an impending storm that was deemed to cause significant damage to the area. We were advised to evacuate and immediately take shelter….which we did/and did not do. After ½ hour swinging on our host’s outdoor swing, we came to a consensus that the inclement weather was surely to pass us by this night….so we once again retired to our interrupted slumber—hoping to be rested and replenished for DAY TWO…NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART. We seemed to be the fortunate of the RAGBRAI participants, as many of the tent-campers were bussed to the local schools and churches to weather the storm. We love this RV.
We began the second leg of the RAGBRAI journey at 7:30 AM and our Team Tablegater members began staggering in between 6:00 and 7:00 PM. Needless to say, it was a long and grueling day!! (no whining intended) The hills were alive with the sound of “oh ^&%* here comes another one! With Karen being no exception-- Kevin, responded with the quote of the day….”Karen, FR!”
We probably spent more time than need be in the pass-through towns, but nobody was in any hurry to get back onto the bike only to face another freaking hill that would loom ahead of them.
Our day started off with a jolting rising at 2:30 AM—when fellow teammate Dan burst into our RV proclaiming that the Harlan police and fire department were blanketing the community—giving us warning of an impending storm that was deemed to cause significant damage to the area. We were advised to evacuate and immediately take shelter….which we did/and did not do. After ½ hour swinging on our host’s outdoor swing, we came to a consensus that the inclement weather was surely to pass us by this night….so we once again retired to our interrupted slumber—hoping to be rested and replenished for DAY TWO…NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART. We seemed to be the fortunate of the RAGBRAI participants, as many of the tent-campers were bussed to the local schools and churches to weather the storm. We love this RV.
We began the second leg of the RAGBRAI journey at 7:30 AM and our Team Tablegater members began staggering in between 6:00 and 7:00 PM. Needless to say, it was a long and grueling day!! (no whining intended) The hills were alive with the sound of “oh ^&%* here comes another one! With Karen being no exception-- Kevin, responded with the quote of the day….”Karen, FR!”
We probably spent more time than need be in the pass-through towns, but nobody was in any hurry to get back onto the bike only to face another freaking hill that would loom ahead of them.
Today’s interesting comments and incidents included:
Bill turned 48 today and we celebrated with an ice cream cake from the local DQ this evening.
Congrats to Vern, Stacy, and Steve A. for doing the 100 mile loop!!\
Steve R was unable to participate in today’s festivities due to ill-health.
Kevin was scolded by a 65-70 year old woman for “not knocking on the cornfield door when entering to relieve him-self….then she warned Karen to “be careful—there’s a man over there somewhere. Karen then responded with, “I didn’t realize there was a men’s or women’s section.” No points scored with the lady in the cornfield. She would have been more credible had she not had corn-silks stuck to her shorts.
Steve R was unable to participate in today’s festivities due to ill-health.
Kevin was scolded by a 65-70 year old woman for “not knocking on the cornfield door when entering to relieve him-self….then she warned Karen to “be careful—there’s a man over there somewhere. Karen then responded with, “I didn’t realize there was a men’s or women’s section.” No points scored with the lady in the cornfield. She would have been more credible had she not had corn-silks stuck to her shorts.
We are humbled and impressed by the determination of many of the individuals participating in RAGBRAI. We have witnessed a person riding a unicycle as well as one on rollerblades. Each has gained our respect and awe.
That’s it for now. LIVESTRONG—and may the wind be at your backs!
July 22, 2008
RAGBRAI DAY ONE
DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES (No phone service or internet service in smaller towns) THERE WAS A SLIGHT DELAY IN OUR RAGBRAI POSTS. SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING! : )
Introducing Team Tablegater!
This is our group shot for our sponsors who have been generous and supportive of our RAGBRAI efforts. Notice the creative artwork on the jerseys…they were created by Scartlet Nonne Design Company, with none other than our own Sarah Lenger orchestrating the design. Many kudos from other teams have been received. Thanks, Sarah!!!
RAGBRAI DAY ONE:
Up and at-em early—leaving the comforts of our RV at 7:30 AM. It was amazing to witness the constant flow of riders who are taking on the challenges of our
Team Tablegater rode our first day with 58 miles of hilly road and interesting comments/incidents. We thought we could share some with you:
- While traveling to
- Kevin was approached by a woman on the route, asking him “what is Tablegater?” While attempting to explain, the woman deduced that Tablegater was something that served food. Kevin responded with, “No, its not! Are you hungry?”
- We were 20 miles out today, when Karen was passed by two male riders who commented that she was a nice looking rider. We were not sure if they were delirious or serious, but rest assured Karen will be wearing her smaller sized biking shorts tomorrow.
- Vern was being a Good Samaritan, going back to help a desperate rider fix a flat, when he turned too quickly, and fell off his bike, scraping his knee. Now he is commonly referred to on the bike trail as St. Vern, the Patron Saint of Broken-down Bikers. Holy trading card are now being passed out at each pass-through town.
- There was an Elvis sighting in
- We were fortunate to be traveling with the Banana Man on RAGBRAI….do what you will with this information.
- Kevin was traveling up a significant hill while sporting his Team Tablegater jersey, with the slogan “Hitch a Ride with Team Tablegater”—when another rider grabbed his jersey and said, “is this what you mean by “Hitching a Ride with Team Tablegater?” Kevin turned to the man, as he was pulling him up the hill and countered, “Only on the flat-roads, Buddy.”
The women of RAGBRIA have been found to be rather loose, unpretentious (Team Tablegater women not included) . Jeff was fortunate to find his dream girl at a local
Stay cool….ride hard…..and we’ll talk to you again tomorrow.
July 19, 2008
Greetings from home!!!!!!
Just wanted to let you RAGBRAIer's know that your family is thinking of you and we're raising a toast to you!! We miss you... but not too much. Haha. Pedal hard and make us proud!RAGBRAI XXXVI Missouri Vally
Greetings Family and Friends from Team Tablegater!Joining us on our trip are Jeff, Kevin, Karen, Steve, Vern, Stacy, Steve, Bill, and Dan--and our drivers Matt, Matthew, Danny, and Tony.
We arrived safely in Missouri Valley, IA at approximately 9:30 PM Friday evening. Setting up in the dark was not the best option, but a forced dinner-stop (which created a little friction between team members) at the King created a delay in our arrival.
RAGBRAI has proven to live up to its expectations of curious individuals and habits thus far. No sooner did we break camp, when our closest neighbor to our east confided in Karen (for some unknown reason) that she had just hooked up with a man from California just four hours previously. Jokingly she said that he will regret his choice--but he countered that he CAME HERE to get regrets. Talk about your immediate gratification!! We hope their riding time will also include the two-wheel variety.
Chances are, you are all wondering how the sleeping experience went last night. For one, we were glad to be staying in the motor home vs a tent due to the constant arrival and departure of trains--especially because of their annoying whistles indicating their whereabouts. The temperature in the RV was cold enough to hang meat--which was better than sweating profusely in a tent in the great out-doors. Night one with Kevin and Jeff past without incident. Please note, however, it is strongly advised that Jeff trim his toenails.
Today has been spent getting our bikes ready for the sojourn across IA -- and most have made the trip without incident...Stacy's front tire, however, seemed to suffer injury at some point, which resulted in an unplanned purchase of a new tire. We have also had the pleasure of watching RVs, Penske trucks, converted buses, and cars pull into the campground around us and set up camp for their overnight stay. We made a good choice to come in on Friday!! Automotive traffic in Missouri Valley has come to a halt--while bikers are rampant.
Stay tuned for more tales from the road tomorrow--as we put our seats-to-the-seats and our feet to the pedals.
July 17, 2008
RAGRAI 2008
Coming soon! From the guys that brought you Fun in the Sun (2006) and the Tour Through Hillbilly Country (2007) are at it again. This time they've climbed atop their bikes (the non-motorized versions) and are riding across the State of Iowa on another adventure.
Stay tuned for what I'm sure will be stories beyond belief!
Stay tuned for what I'm sure will be stories beyond belief!
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