July 23, 2008 (Ames, IA) Four of us made the effort to go to the Styx concert and were pleasantly surprised. It was held on the University Campus on a big parking lot, and they expected about 30,000 people across all age groups. It was a perfect evening - warm with a nice intermittent cool breeze, no bugs and clear skies. The band came on as the sun was setting and sang a lot of their hits: Lady, Madame Blue, Come Sail Away, Fooling Yourself, Too Much Time on My Hands. If they did Mr. Roboto, they opened with it, because [View Full Entry]

---

---

July 23, 2008 (Ames, Iowa) For all of you following the blog, you have to realize that we're staying in some pretty remote areas where we don't have access to the internet and many areas where our cell phones don't get coverage. Hence, the one day late blogs that are just now coming out. Its the problem being the blogger, because after everyone starts figuring out what its all about, then they expect it to be done. Now the team members complain "the blog hasn't been updated!" Oh well, here's what we did on day 4. We had a great break [View Full Entry]

---

---

July 22, 2008 (Ames, IA) Today I was the designated driver (i.e. the support team). That means that I get up with everyone else at 5:30 and then drop them off in the starting town (we stayed about 25 miles away from Jefferson). The trailer has all the equipment, and we have to set up all the bikes, fill the tires, make sure everyone has food, fluids and all their equipment. From there, the riders head toward the route which begins in the center of town join the steady stream of thousands of riders heading east. I jumped in the van [View Full Entry]

---

---

July 22, 2008 (Ames, IA) This is a story from the Ames Tribune describing the concert tonight... RAGBRAI concert, featuring Styx and The Nadas, to benefit flood victims 07/01/2008 The rock band Styx will headline the Ames RAGBRAI CYcling Country entertainment festival, which will benefit victims of the recent floods in Iowa. The concert will also include an appearance by the popular Iowa band The Nadas, who came together as Iowa State University students. The event will be from 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesday, July 22, in the Iowa State Center parking lots. T-shirt and autograph sales [View Full Entry]

---

---

The Team So there are five of us trekking through the Great Plains… 1. Scott Johnson - an anesthesiologist that works at the McGee Eye Center. Porsche afficcionado (races them) and gadget owner of many types (boats, vans, cars, tools…but no planes - yet). 2. Ann Johnson - general dentist that runs and bikes a lot. She and Scott have 2 dogs - a big black lab (Boomer) and a small terrier (Loonie Louie) that are treated better than most kids. She’s still trying to figure out her bike computer. 3. Terry Davis - he tans very well. Terry is the [View Full Entry]

---

---

July 21, 2008 (Jefferson, IA) Well today was day 2 of the ride, and considered to be the hardest (longest mileage, most vertical climb) and we were offered the opportunity to do a few extra miles (17 miles and 900 extra feet of climbing) to make it an even 100 miles and about over a mile of vertical climb. We had sort of decided NOT to take up the offer, but when we got to the turnoff only a few miles into the ride, we all felt strong and shamed each other into choosing to go for it. We all paid [View Full Entry]

---

---

July 20, 2008 (Logan, Iowa) We got up at the crack of dawn to load everything up again and trundle down to Missouri Valley for the anticipated start. Bonita cooked us up some breakfast and we all consumed mass quantities for the first day’s ride - 59 miles and 3200 feet of climbing. The sun was shining on the dew and there was a little fog over the fields on the drive in which made for a very picturesque view of the hills we were about to conquer. Cal drove the van on Day 1, so he had to get up [View Full Entry]

---

---

Edmond, OK) July 18, 2008 - Well we finally rumbled off to RAGBRAI just before 5 pm in Dr. Johnson’s van (i.e. bus) and Dr. Crane’s luxury bike hauling trailer. Unfortunately Dr. Crane was unable to join us because of his father’s illness, but he sure made us a fancy trailer to haul the bikes, a grill and a generator. It was swelteringly hot and we worked up a bit of a sweat, but the A/C in the van is just fine. Fewer than the original nine original team members are traveling up to Iowa, so we each get our own [View Full Entry]

---

---

July 19, 2008 - (I-29 Heading North Somewhere in KS) The team is traveling in a used van that Dr. Johnson picked up on ebay. It’s an OU-colored 2002 Ford A-350 ¾ ton chassis that seats up to 16 people…pretty comfy for five of us. We’re hauling a white ClassAct trailer with a V-hull wind-cutting front end. Inside it Dr. Crane built a rack that mounts10 bikes with fork mounts (clippy dealies where you take the front wheel off and bolt the frame down to the rack) and a rear wheel aluminum trough with a locking strap. In the front is [View Full Entry]

---

---

Blue Bird Run Bed & Breakfast July 19, 2008 (Logan, IA) We spent our first night in Logan, just a few miles away from the RAGBRAI starting point in Missouri Valley. It was a quaint little bed and breakfast run by Bonita Custer - a charming lady with a lot of enthusiasm. We basically took over the whole place for the evening and she fed us well. She collected cats/kittens as well, and lived in a separate building on the grounds with an interesting sign on the gate… “Nobody Gets in to See the Wizard…Nobody. Not No How!” She gave us [View Full Entry]

---

---