For those of you who were waiting for this, I asked one of the pirates to pose for a picture with me. They were a lot of fun during the ride. This picture was taken at the top of Potter's Hill.

July 31, 2010 - Day 7 of Ragbrai

We took off early today in the fog from Manchester to the Mississippi River in Dubuque. It was only projected to be 47 miles, but it took us 5 miles to reach the ride. Our first stop was in Dyersville, a beautiful, thriving small town about 20 miles away. St. Francis Basilica is one of only 52 basilicas in the US. It was an amazing building with Gothic architecture and ornate altars and stained glass windows. Nearly everyone in Dyersville is Catholic and it seemed like it was the only church in town. We also stopped for breakfast in the diner where I finally ran into someone I knew doing this ride. I ran into an old medical school classmate who I had known quite well and now is on faculty at Dartmouth. He had also brought a teenage daughter along for the ride.

About 3 miles out of Dyersville, we came upon the Field of Dreams where there was a large baseball game being put on by many bicyclists. It was a long line to get a chance to bat. I did get my picture taken with 2 of the "ghost players" from the movie. Apparently, they used some local men for extras and 2 of the men dressed in their costumes for the events today. We ran into Kristen and Monika at the field as well.

After Dyersville, we had 30 miles left and the real fun began. It was time to climb the bluffs leading to Dubuque. It was up and down some really big hills. One of the downhills was so big that I stood at the top for several minutes terrified at the thought of going down (I wasn't the only one standing there). But I finally ventured down and did my best to try to control my speed at around 25 miles an hour and thought about how safe a roller coaster ride is compared to this. About 10 miles out of Dubuque, we came to Potter's Hill, the infamous hill that is one of the largest in Iowa. This hill went on for 1 mile and had a 9% grade. I made it up 0.6 mile before finally walking the rest of the way. Very few people made it all the way. After that the hills were more rolling up and down which is a lot of fun. We finally made it to the outskirts of Dubuque with 5 miles to go through town to the river. As anyone knows, Dubuque is also a very hilly city. There was one last big downhill leading to the river that looked like it belonged in San Francisco. That one was terrifying as well as there was so many people on the road by then.

I made it to the Port of Dubuque and my front wheel touched the Mississippi River at 1:37 PM. It was a lot of fun and when I can use my laptop with WiFi, I will post the pictures.

July 30, 2010 - Day 6 of the ride

As I was saying, the rain stopped around noon, I changed into bike clothes and we headed to Quaqueston to join the ride. About a mile out from there, we saw a sign for Cedar Rock, a Frank Lloyd Wright house, so we turned in. This is one of only 19 FLW signature homes, so we decided to go on a tour. This home was built for Lowell and Agnes Walter as a summer vacation home along on the Waspipinicon River. Lowell was a local boy who made his name in the paving business. He patented a certain type of asphalt paving that is popular in Iowa and Illinois and made his fortune. I have attached some pictures from our tour of the grounds. It was fascinating to see FLW's use of space and how every part of the house was for living and not for show. He also designed and made all of the furniture for the house. Lowell Walter also made boats and had an amazing boathouse on the grounds. The Walters never had children and when he died, he donated his home to the state of Iowa along with a trust to maintain it.

After we finished our tour, we were only 2 miles from Quaqueston and the sun was out and so we hopped on our bikes and headed on to Manchester. We stopped in the small town of Winthrop for lunch and hung out at the party for a while. We then headed into Manchester where we again had a wonderful host family. They had a beautiful home on the golf course right outside of town and it was delightful to visit with them. They are big Green Bay Packers fan and our sleeping accomodations were in the shrine.

Spencer and Ethan joined us up in Manchester for the evening and then they headed on to Dubuque for the finish. We had dinner at the Catholic church as the home made meals always seem to taste the best. It is amazing how much more energy I had after only biking 25 miles today and how much less the legs hurt. It was the break that my body needed. Again we had another day of beautiful weather with highs only in the low 80's after the rain ended.

Now for those of you who think I was a wimp for skipping the first 37 miles today, we did put in 10 extra miles yesterday and 5 extra miles in Storm Lake. So out of the 395 scheduled miles, we have done 375 miles. That is within 10% so seems close enough for me.

So tomorrow it is on to Dubuque after a stop in Dyersville...

July 30, 2010 – Day 6 of Ragbrai

We woke up today to a thunderstorm and heavy rains. The thunderstorms have passed but the rains continue. As we are packing the car, I think back to my trip to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota when I was in my early 20’s. I remember how it rained for the first 4 days, but we pressed on breaking camp and paddling the canoe. The rule of thumb was that to be wet and moving forward was better than wet and staying still. Now at 50, I know that to be dry and still trumps wet and moving forward. So we headed off to a coffee shop in Cedar Falls to wait out the rain. We are joined here by a few other bikers. It is expected to break around noon, so we may join the ride at the midpoint and do at least 25 miles for the day and roll into Manchester. The environment at the coffee shop is pleasant and I enjoyed my New York Times, but it is still lacking in Wi-Fi access. What is it with these large towns in Iowa? The only place where we have had difficulty is Sioux City and Waterloo. Kristen pointed out that the UNI college network does work in this coffee shop, so I guess that is all they really want. Hopefully, I will eventually find a place to post this blog. Quasqueton is the meet-up town and I can always go to the Telecom trailer where there is always Wi-Fi set up.

More to come on how the biking went from today…need to go out first…

July 29, 2010

We have finished day 5, the longest day of biking. It lived up to its reputation – it was just a long day. The weather was fine and there was no wind, so that wasn’t the problem. We were served coffee and breakfast before we left Charles City, so searching for food wasn’t the problem. I think what made it long for me is that as we were leaving Charles City, I saw the sign for Cedar Falls – 46 miles and this is a city across the river from Waterloo and they decided to take us on an 82 mile trek to get there. It wasn’t like they took us somewhere interesting like to see a Grotto or fossils. It was just a day of biking.

My day did not start out well. My chain fell off within the first 5 miles. I kept putting it on and it kept coming off. Finally a gorgeous DM Register ambassador guy stopped and offered to help. He was very sweet and it came right back off for him as well. He had to adjust my derailleur but fixed the problem.

Our first stop was in Clarksville, 20 miles down the road. I noted a sign that said “Visit the library – restrooms available”. That sounded great to me. The librarians and volunteers there were gracious and took great care of us. There was a donation bucket and I left a great tip. Outside the library, I met a freelance reporter from the Ames Tribune who interviewed me. I happened to be wearing my KMF jersey and so told him about the foundation and why I was riding. He said he had been a chaplain at Toledo Children’s Hospital and so seemed to understand what I do for a job. I will have to check and see if I made his paper. From there we followed another sign for homemade pie and while we were having pie, we were joined by 2 men who came all the way from Australia for this event. The shark-bike arrived as well and I finally got my picture of that bike.

The next stop was Parkersburg, a sad little town. 2 years ago, they were nearly wiped out from a tornado. Last summer, their beloved football coach was murdered by a deranged former player. The tributes to him on the way to the town were heartwrenching.

After that we just rode and rode. I noted a sign for a golf demonstration at a country club outside of Dike. It said to come join us in the clubhouse, so that meant air conditioning, real bathrooms, and drinks, so it was next to the country club. My friend is a writer and she thinks her column about Ragbrai should be about how it is summer camp for baby boomers. It does seem like everyone is my age. I thought about calling Kristen from there (I had done 60 miles by that point, wasn’t that enough for the day?), but pressed on instead. It took a lot for me to get up again and get back on that bike, but ride I did. It is a good thing that I did because otherwise I might have missed the home of Julie Theusen, the first woman in Iowa (and probably the country) to exercise her right to vote.

We finally arrived at Waterloo, but then realized that it was probably another 8 miles to where we were staying. We thought about having the girls come and pick us up, but the traffic was terrible there, so ride some more we did. By the time we got to our host family, we had put 89 miles on the bikes and it was 7PM. Very tiring day.

I have decided that there is no way to train for being on a bike for 8-11 hrs per day. My legs can take it and I seem to have the stamina, but there is no way to get your butt ready for the experience unless you are going to be on a bike 8 hrs a day. Who has that kind of time and why do it?

Again, we are staying with a charming retired couple who are just thrilled to have us. They have actually been to Hershey once on their many travels. They have a wall of their house where they have framed their favorite photos from their many trips throughout their lives.

Kristen and Monika have managed to stay busy all day. They checked out the fossil park by Rockford and then made their way to Cedar Falls, the home of the University of Northern Iowa. They found the art museum and the charming downtown. They also picked up some bengay packs for aching muscles. Kristen thought I could use this. They do seem to be helping.

July 28, 2010

Day 4 of Ragbrai – Clear Lake to Charles City, 51 miles

This was the relatively easy day, so we slept in until 7AM. Since we had my cousin’s cabin, we made a full breakfast with coffee. We didn’t take off until nearly 9AM and our mission today was to really take in the scenery.

There was a big thunderstorm during the night – it only lasted an hour, but it did its job. It dropped the temperature 20 degrees. So we took off on a cool, brilliant day with a cooling breeze out of the north. Perfect weather for biking.

Our first stop was to take in the party in Cartersville. This little town had set up a high tower and swing over the lake and biker’s were swinging into the lake. There was line dancing and games. There was also the customary really big tractors if you wanted to climb and explore. I found my fresh corn on a stick that was freshly picked and cooked. I had been waiting for the right moment to get this and it was great.

Today I did not see elliptical man or the dorkmobile (I must have been too late taking off), but did get to ride with the pirates who were quite into the spirit. We stopped at the Fossil and Prairie preserve outside of Rockford where I got my picture with fossil man. The sites were great. I then had lunch across the street at the farm hosting the Pastafari crew – best pasta I have eaten next to a cornfield.

We eventually cruised into Charles City about 3 PM which has the beautiful Cedar River running through it. I have never been to this town before. Our host family lived north of town in this gorgeous house (very unique). Kristen and Monika was impressed by the lake in the front yard. The family’s 11 year old daughter was excited about us staying. We took her with us downtown for the evening activities. So here I am at the Iowa Telecom WiFi spot doing my blog while Monika, Kristen, and Olivia wander the town. Olivia is showing them the real places. I found the most charming little art store to hang out in – the lady just teaches mosaic classes.

So what has it been like to be on a bike for 4 days? – it is okay since I have all day to do it. My new bike seat has been awesome and I have had almost no bottom pain. I am so glad I listened to the 14 year old salesperson. I am on a mission to be done the last 8 miles or so every day. My quads and thighs are quite sore every night, and I am always grateful to sit on a surface larger than my bottom. Luckily the weather has been outstanding and no rain. I still think it was a better idea than training for a marathon and definitely more fun. I can’t stand the huffing and puffing. It has been a great way to reflect on life.

So, I plan to watch the sunset over the lake at my host’s home and then to bed. Tomorrow is the longest day at 82 miles when we head to Waterloo, the largest stopover city of the week.

July 27, 2010 (late entry)

If you are not aware, I am dedicating this ride for all of the children with brain tumors and am being sponsored by the Kyla Miller Foundation. I have put in over 200 miles so far in the heat - so tell your friends to make a donation to the KMF foundation to fund research for childhood brain tumors.

July 27, 2010

Today was a good day on the bike. Our hosts in Algona had a complete breakfast waiting for us (complete with coffee). We so appreciated that Iowa hospitality. Because we didn't have to think about where we were going to eat breakfast or wait in that hour line, we made great time today. We were at the halfway point by 10:30 AM. Because we made it to Britt, IA early enough, there was still plenty of homemade pie left. Today was the HOT day where it got up to 95 - thank God it was only 59 miles.

Because we were zipping along quite well, I took time to notice the people. At one point, I was next to the elliptical guy - he has a bicycle that is propelled by doing constant elliptical movements. This guy has been doing ragbrai since he was 8 yr old and it sounds like for the past 10 years has been finding alternative modes of locomotion. He was featured in the Des Moines Register today. At the time I was biking next to elliptical man (sounds like something out of the Incredibles), the Dorkmobile pulls up along side me. The Dorkmobile is a recumbent bike with the guy wearing the jester hat (now who does that remind you of?). He has an Iowa Hawkeye flag, an Iowa state flag and a beautiful whirly kite with a big sign calling himself the Dorkmobile. There are also many "teams" who participate in Ragbrai. They have old school buses that they have repainted. They hire people to drive their buses and transport their equipment from town to town. Many of the team names are not to be repeat here.

For today's photo, we are standing in front of the Iowa Conservation bus. My sister, Jackie, works for them. The painting on the bus was done by my sister Cecelia. We had to stop and get our picture there and introduce ourselves to the working crew. When riding along the Iowa countryside, we are amazed by the many windmills generating electricity.

We rode into Clear Lake at 2PM. Kristen and Monika had found my cousin's cabin which they had cooled down and had cold drinks waiting for us. They were so fascinated by my Grotto pictures, that they had to stop in West Bend prior to coming over. Clear Lake had a wonderful beach party for us and because we got in so early, we were able to enjoy it.

We are supposed to get a big thunderstorm tonight which is good news for cooler weather tomorrow.

So for now, I have 210 miles down and only 232 left to go. Tomorrow it is on to Charles City - only 51 miles. Since we are staying in a cabin, Kristen and Monika will make us breakfast before we leave.

Dr. Mel

July 26, 2010

Today we journeyed from Storm Lake to Algona - 82 miles. I was quite slow getting started and it took me 16 miles before I found a cup of coffee and breakfast. We got to Pocahontas around noon. The sign that welcomes you to town calls it the "City of the Princess". We liked that since we have crowns on our bike helmets, but I couldn't get my friend to stop and get a picture. We met Pocahontas soon after coming to town who put a feather on my helmet. We met up with the Poppen sisters (the remainder of our team) and had out group picture. They cannot be missed with their pretty boas hanging off their helmets.

I was starting to sweat it around Pocahontas since we weren't even half done for the day and I was going slow, but the second wind picked up from there and we made great time to West Bend. West Bend is best known for the being the home of the "Grotto of the Redemption". Now as a good Catholic family in western Iowa, my mother had made the field trip a couple of times during my childhood to visit this site. It is a conglomeration of nine grottos depicting the life of Jesus made totally out of stones and minerals. It is the largest collection of stones, minerals, fossils, and petrifications in one place. It is said that over 100,000 people visit the Grotto each year, but with 10,000 bikers, it will be a bumper year for the icon. There are no major highways leading into West Bend, so unless you know about it (like all good Catholic families in western Iowa) and are willing to go 10 miles out of your way when heading to Lake Okoboji in Iowa, it's not on the beaten path.

I completed all 82 miles today and am moving a little slow this evening. We are staying with a lovely retired couple in Algona, IA tonight. I am hoping they are coffee drinkers which will make tomorrow go better.

So 152 miles down and only 290 left to go.

July 25, 2010

We took off from Sioux City with the 10,000 other bikers around 8AM. Our first mission was to find good coffee which we found 5 miles down the road along with great donuts. Then we started the hill climbing through the Loess hills. If you not familiar with loess, this is a special formation in western Iowa that forms the backbone of the state arising up from the Missouri river. It was formed by the winds, silt, and clay to make these dune fields associated with bluffs. The only other place in the world with this same formation is in Shaanxi, China. They are awesome and an incredible site. It was a lot of fun going up and down and fairly easy to bike.

It was pretty amazing to me that you were always surrounded by other bikers and then when you came to a town, the density of bikers was so great, that all you could do was walk. Along the ride, you stop and eat about every 15 miles and meet folks along your journey. The scenery on the bike was great as I think the rolling hills covered by corn and soybeans is like a scene from a Grant Wood painting. The best food stops are the ones set up at the farms rather than the commercial vendors.

Eventually, around 5 PM, we rolled into Storm Lake, a beautiful lake town (60 miles north of my home town). We made our way to our host home on the south side of the lake. Steve and Marcia, our hosts, have a lovely home on the lake. We were offered the bedroom and there were another 40 bikers camped in the front yard. It was quite a site to see. These amazing people offered their home and showers to all 40 of us. Kristen and Monika were able to follow the sketchy directions and made their way as well. They are doing a great job as our support people and they took good care of their tired mother and her friend.

So for now after finding food in town, we are enjoying the deck and watching one of the beautiful Iowan sunsets that stretches out as far as you can see and in this instance is out over the lake. Most of the bikers are on the other side of the lake camped out in town, and our idyllic setting has not been spoiled.

So how was the first 70 miles - well I am really, really glad I bought a road bike and my new technologically advanced gel cushion seat. I hanging in well. Only 372 miles to go! Tomorrow, it is on to Algona.

July 24 (late entry)

We made our way from Lake View, IA to Sioux City. We had a stop in Ida Grove, one of my favorite towns. A rich German baron apparently settled here and designed all of the architecture in town to look like German castles. Well maybe he wasn't a rich German baron, but he was the owner and founder of Midwest Industries, a company that manufactures small farm and marine equipment and he liked castles. It is quite a site in the middle of the Iowa cornfields.

From the drive along Highway 20 into Sioux City, I am gazing at the hills that lead into Sioux City knowing that I will have to climb them tomorrow. The good news – we had a tremendous thunderstorm early Sat morning and the weather has broken and it is now gorgeous. The highs for Sunday are expected in the low 80’s. I will be able to climb these hills as long as I don’t have to fight a headwind.

In Sioux City, we stayed with my good friends Pat and Janet Beck. Pat is the only other person I know who went to Iowa State for underground, Iowa for medical school, and then was my fellow resident in pediatrics at Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. We both then headed back to Iowa. Pat practices general pediatrics in Sioux City.

We had a quick trip to the bike expo in downtown Sioux City where I was on a mission for a more comfortable bike seat. The seat that came with my beautiful road bike was not going to do. I ended up buying this new technology gel seat. I got my sales pitch from a 14 yr old but he seemed to know what he was doing. The girls stayed for the concert and we hung out with our friends and enjoyed the company and beautiful scenery.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

I thought I should post something here to get started. After 2 days of driving, we have finally arrived in western Iowa. Kristen and Monika did well with the drive and spent a lot of it working on their creative writing. They have started a blog which they have named "Children of the Corn". Monika was fascinated by how flat parts of this country can be. She agrees with me that Illinois is much flatter than Iowa. She was also fascinated by how you can see so many miles into the distance and see it raining so far away.

For now, it is nice to be out of the car and to have a couple of days to get used to my road bike and equipment and try to stretch out before the serious riding begins. It is so hot and humid currently and I am really questioning what made me think this would be fun. Accuweather is predicting sunny and 84 for Sioux City on Sat and Sun - probably just another one of those mirages.

So for now, I am going to sign off until Saturday when we head to Sioux City and the beginning of the festivities.

Dr. Mel