Ride of the People of the Corn

[Bruce Day]

Another year of RAGBRAI, 450 miles this year across Iowa. Usually 15,000 riders from all over the world, another great experience riding with the
U S Air Force team. Longest day was 110 miles at 103 road temps. Then cool weather, short 50 mile days and great towns. Amish women baking pies, homemade ice cream, buckets of fresh picked sweet corn, local pastries, tractors, old cars and picturesque villages.

Two young men jogged the whole distance. Lots of disabled people. A farm pond with riders skinny dipping. Beer, lots of it. Young moms and dads towing children in bike trailers. Family groups riding together. The Catholic church doing a blessing of the bikes. Lance Armstrong riding fast and mostly ignored.

Is this heaven? No, its Iowa.

[J.B. Books]

Looks like a nice time. The PGCA should enter a team using a High Wheeler bicycles and vintagers style clothing.

[SXS OHIO]

Great pictures, THANKS Did you see any birds in Iowa? SXS ohio

[David Noble]

Looks like a great time. I wish there was more of this going on everywhere. It might help reestablish a respect for the traditional values of our (older) generation and our parent's.
Thanks for the pics of the vintage cars, tractors, towns etc.
Had a '57 4 door just like the one pictured (sans skirts) in high school in the early '70's.

[Phil Yearout]

What is the gold domed building?

[Jeff Christie]

Great job Bruce-

What you see in these pictures is in large part why my wife and I returned to Iowa. Iowa has luckily and largely escaped the decline in family and community values that has swept over much of the more "cosmopolitan," urbane and politically correct remainder of the nation. It is not an "attitude" state.

In response to the question on see any birds- My older dog pointed 4 while running with me this morning. They are there but still not back to the old numbers this time of year.

[Bruce Day]

People come back every year from all over the nation and from distant countries to ride RAGBRAI. Its not a race, its a biking tour of Iowa and many people find the experience rewarding.

The gold domed building is the Iowa state capital in Des Moines. A forebear stonemason came from Glenwood Iowa to work on its construction.

In response to a reader's comment, it is common that multi generational families ride together, whole clans of them, and support themselves with some members driving ahead and setting up camp. There were many young moms and dads hauling a child in a bike trailer.

I did not see game birds, but did not ride the gravel roads at dusk, where a person would have the best chance to see them. I did hear male quail calling in western Iowa.

Some years back, I spent a couple days hunting pheasant in Gravity, Iowa. The town has two mottos: "We're down to earth in Gravity" and "If Gravity goes, we all go".