Here is the intrepid Baltimore "Team Torque" delegation ready to set out from the baggage claim area in the Omaha airport. Left to right, Jim, Drew, Laura.
As is normal, we assembled our bikes on the spot. This makes for fun conversations with the other air travelers.
"Are you guys doing RAGBRAI? So are we!"
"Where are you bikes? What do you mean you're driving to the start town?"
This is what we left behind in Thurgood Marshall Baltimore Washington International Longest Name In The World Airport.
Click to zoom. Note the houses on the sides have increased curbside appeal because there are shrubberies planted in front of the garage doors. I can't decide whether they photoshopped them in, or whether they are real shrubberies, or which one is dumber.
Here in Nebraska, the shrubberies are where they belong, and pizza for dinner is Godfather's. Godfathers tastes just like Ledo's.
After an enjoyable 28 mile ride to Blair, we arrived at our room in the Super 8. I have fond memories of Blair from going to RAGBRAI last year. Last year I camped in the municipal park next to the train tracks for $4.00, which included a hot shower in the cinder block comfort facility. Despite my rhapsodizing about the municipal park, even though I described it in as similar to the pumpkin patch from which the Great Pumpkin rises in Charlie Brown (the most sincere municipal park I've ever visited in Nebraska) Jim and Laura insisted we stay in the motel. Not even describing the romance of the rails when the giant freight train passes by just yards from your tent would sway them.
We also had a bit of drama resulting from me navigating from the GPS. We got to see some nice back roads on the outskirts of Omaha, including a gravel one with a big washboarded downhill. It made Laura wreck.
She put antibacterial ointment all over her wounds. Today they are green.
After we all got cleaned up, Jim and I went to the Mexican restaraunt and pigged out and had Margaritas, and Laura went to the movies and had popcorn.
Here's the map for today.
2 comments:
At first I was jealous that you were on an adventure vacation, but then I realized you were in a motel in Omaha and I didn't feel so bad. Those shrubberies in front of the garages would probably make it difficult to get the car inside, good thing most people own SUVs. That one story HoCo home looks like a steal at $520K! Better rush right out and snap that one up.
Don't worry Cham, it's an adventure, the motel was only the first night at the insistence of Jim and Laura. On RAGBRAI, your butt comes nowhere near porcelain for the whole week.
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