SSS Adventure at RAGBRAI- Day 1

The SSS Girls working hard to stay hydrated at the Expo

Where to start?  Sweet Spot Skirts is loving Iowa and the amazing people we’ve met so far!  Some of us are adjusting to the heat (Steph, Dave)  and others are loving the hot temps (yep, I’m crazy! And Sophia complains regardless).  We had a great expo experience yesterday and were amazed at how many people we met from all over the US who travel year after year to come to RAGBRAI.  Susan and Wes were absolutely fantastic to work with, and we were excited to find a RAGBRAI jersey that matches Diamonds BFF Blue perfectly (Steph and I will be wearing them tomorrow!)  For anyone who doesn’t know, RAGBRAI is a yearly biking event where 15,000 people ride their bikes across Iowa, Missouri River to Mississippi River.  The route changes every year, but this year it is 471 miles and we ride an average of 70 miles per day through the rolling Iowan hills.  The first day Stephanie drove the truck and trailer (we're trading off driving duties), and David and I rode our bikes the 57 miles today to Cherokee, Iowa.  I chose my current favorite Sweet Spot Skirt (Flamingo Flair) to commemorate the occasion.  Stephanie, a perfect Support Sag, met up with us halfway to give us cold drinks and yummy sandwiches.

One Low-light of the day:

·      Getting ready to leave at 7 am and finding my bike has 2 flat tires.  It’s my first flat, so Dave and Steph teach me how to change them.  7 miles in, back tire pops.  We fix it again.  5 miles from end town, front tire pops.  Not sure what is going on…but at this rate, I will need 24 more tubes to make it through the ride…

Much better highlights so far:

·      Watching 1 Unicycle, 1 skateboard, numerous recumbent and boom boxes galore make the trek!

·      Riding through Orange City, a quaint Dutch town (people were even out in their wooden shoes to cheer us on)

·      Seeing amazing food stands offering everything from French toast to pork sandwiches to eggs on sticks

·      Triple tandems (what are those even called?), some even with little kids on them!

·      Plugging in and staying the night at Deb’s beautiful house, which is right on the end of the day’s route in Cherokee.  We met her yesterday at the expo and with generous hospitality she volunteered her space.

·      Cheering on the cyclists as they finish the route- so many athletic abilities, ages and types of rides, but all with sheer enthusiasm and determination!

·      Having people say hello after the ride, many wanting to buy skirts, some desiring a tour of the airstream and one couple even offering us their house to stay at if (/when) we make it to Chicago (careful- we will take you up on it!)

·      Steph getting a police escort to park the trailer going against the thousands of bike rider traffic

·      Eating dinner at the Community Center to benefit Kate and her charity that supports women dealing with breast cancer and their out-of-pocket medicine costs

Tomorrow will be a great day!

Samara