Ragbrai 2010: July 24, The Eve of Day One

Note: Click on photos to enlarge.

The preparation is done. Training is complete. Bags are packed. It's time to hit the road.
This year, we are going as a "Team". You can sign up as an individual, or if there are 4 or more in your group, you register as a team. And a team has to have a name. We were team "Lost Cause". Long story, Jason picked it out. My wife, Lajunta will be our driver. She'll carry our baggage and meet us each evening. I'll be joined on the ride by our daughter, Karla, and her husband, Jason.
On Friday the 23rd, we met Karla and Jason at their home in Ozark, Missouri. We decided to make it a two day drive, as we wanted to arrive early afternoon in Sioux City, IA, the starting point. On the eve of the ride, there is trade show that we wanted to attend.
We spent the night in St. Joseph, MO. We arrived early afternoon in Sioux City.

Jason's pick-up, packed with our supplies. Camping gear, clothing, a couple cases of water, and a few snacks.

 Karla and Jason, loading the bikes.

 We stopped for lunch a few miles from Sioux City, and seen several other cyclist who were headed to Ragbrai. This was a tandem bike on the back of of car. I'd never seen this before.

 We parked a few blocks from the trade show/expo. Karla and Jason striking a pose.

 The 3 riders of our group, entering the Expo area.

 Jason bought a souvenir visor.

 Some of the "bicycle art" at the Expo.

 Lajunta at the Expo.

 I liked this t-shirt, "I am the motor".

 We stopped at a booth to sample their product, some sort of sports drink that was supposed to be better than GatorAid.

 Jason and Karla tried out a bike with electric shifters. Pros use these, as you can shift under full torque.

 A tandem trike.

 Free hot dogs! Yummy.

 We thought Jason would look good in this jersey. Maybe I should have bought one to wear to weddings.

 You see several team jerseys.

 After touring the expo, we called our hosts for the evening and found their home. They are Nick and Amber Hagerty. Nick was going to ride the first day of Ragbrai. A tradition of the ride, is to dip you rear tire in the Missouri River (the west border of Iowa) before you begin the ride. Nick suggested we ride to the river, and do our tire-dip on Saturday afternoon. They live about 8 miles from the river. Plus he showed us the best way to get there, using a bike trail part of the way. They were a very kind couple.

 The four of us, heading to the Missouri River.

 Not all riders had a family to stay with. Many just pitched their tents anywhere they could find a spot.

 The traditional tire dip. In case you are wondering, that's an Arkansas Razorback hat that I used zip ties to attach to my riding helmet. It was a nice conversation starter. I got several "Wooooo Pig, Sooie". I did get one, "What's that thing on your head?". I only wore it the first and last days, as it was a bit heavy, and caught a lot of wind.

Our tents, pitched in the yard of the Hagerty's. We had dinner at Pizza Hut.
Sioux City is the hometown to several famous Americans. This includes Jerry Mathers, who played “Beaver” on the ’50s and ’60s TV show “Leave it to Beaver.” Fred Grandy, who served Congress after acting in the role of “Gopher” in “Love Boat,” is a native. So are the sisters who penned the “Dear Abby” and Ann Landers advice columns.
Total miles ridden today, 8.07.

Click here to go to day one.