accomplishments

It's hard to say what is a real accomplishment on this trip... is it surviving sleeping in a tent with no air mattress? Is it working with 7 other people to get to our destination, set up "camp", and figure out what we're doing? Or is it simply moving outside our regular life routine and doing something a little counter-cultural? I'm not sure. But I do know that zipping down a fairly steep hill in the Des Moines River Valley and then climbing back up the next mile counts as accomplishment for me this year.

Coming on a trip like this is considered crazy by most. After all, who would find solace and respite in working up a sweat, climbing up and descending hills, and trusting in the good graces of communities when we are most tired - and yet here we are. I think the real accomplishment rests in the heart of these Iowa communities. They have all tried to put their best foot forward when issuing hospitality - and most have succeeded. There are plenty of food vendors, lots of churches with home made pie, and some kind of entertainment for potentially crabby RAGBRAI riders. And then there are the sheer logistics of hosting people who all need showers, mass transportation, maps, meals, and bathrooms. What a chore! But each of these "through towns" and each overnight community bids for the chance to have RAGBRAI come through their town - to display their community pride, raise a little money, but mostly to welcome strangers into their town.

I guess the real accomplishment is that people still offer and accept pie as a true matter of hospitality and welcome...