It was Sunday, and after the bike tires were checked and we had our helmets on – off we went. Because we were staying at a host house and not the official camp grounds, we had to first find the bike route. It’s never very hard to do, and soon we were on our way and our adventure began for the week. I am just hoping that I don’t get a flat tire this week. In past years I could get two and maybe three flat tires, and I’m not too excited about trying to get them fixed. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
So off we went riding with about 10,000+ others. I was trying to think how to describe it when I was riding, and I think the only way to say what it feels like is ‘exciting’. You don’t know what you’ll come across in the week, you don’t know what you’ll see, and you don’t know how many of your friends that you’ll run into. You kind of forget that it might be hard riding and hot weather, and you just smile and start peddling. Our first stop of the day was in Sasquatch Country. This town makes the beef jerky that Sasquatch is the spokesperson for (boy doesn’t that sound crazy!) Anyway, I was able to hunt him down for a quick kiss. 
You can come across the funniest things in towns also. Check out this sign. 
We were lucky this year because we were able to stay in houses or businesses all week. It usually rains and storms at least once in the Ragbrai week, and this year once again we had a rain and hail. One of the nights of the ride, it started to storm so bad that our host said she had to stop on the road and catch someone’s tent that was rolling in the street. Yuck! We’ve tented for the first 10 years that we rode this ride, and let me just say that staying inside a house, dance studio, or even the mattress business just can’t be beat!
One of our overnight stays – Dance Studio
So the ride today was great! The only issue that I had was that my new bike bag zipper broke, but my brother patched it up and it should be OK for the week. It’s amazing what a small hook and rubber band can do when you need it to. The weather was perfect and it was a good day.