RAGBRAI has begun!
It was 84 miles of flat riding right into a stiff headwind. I rode with Jim, Suzanne, and Laura, which means it took forever. We left at 9:30 am and got in at 8:30 pm.
Here is the T-Bone, loaded and ready to go at the Super 8 in Blair. I have everything I need on there for self-contained touring, including camping gear.
Nebraska is looking pretty green.
We stopped at lunch in Tekamah, Nebraska, which is only about 20 miles from Blair. But it was lunch time due to the need to shop at Walgreen's in Blair for nearly an hour.
Here is an artistic portrayal of Jim unpacking his bike through the window.
Our plan was to eat hearty, and not stop to eat again until Sioux City.
20 miles farther up the road, we had to stop for another hour for no apparent reason at Decatur, NE. There were lots of bikers out that day.
The bridge to Iowa was right after Decatur.
After 5 or six hour of headwinds, and another lengthy stop, we finally reached the campground, and had just enough time to get set up before it got completely dark.
So it's 9:00 pm (Central Time) and we haven't eaten. As it happens, fortune smiled upon us. We walked out of the park into town, through the parking lot of what appeared to be a public housing high-rise, and there was a neon beer sign!
Alas, it was only a convenience store. False alarm. But a block over, there were more neon beer signs in a building with a giant iguana on the roof!
That can only mean good things. There was a takeout window with Mexican food, and picnic tables in front to eat it at.
But the food was separate from the bar, and they were having a $30 all you can drink special. I explained to the lady at the door that we I didn't need to drink $30 of drinks, so she accommodated me and brought me out a Margarita!
Lesson: you can't go wrong if there is a giant lizard on the roof.
The Garmin Connect map for the day's ride is here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41695749
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