RAGBRAI: Day 1

I have completed my first day of RAGBRAI. Please, no applause.

It was pretty easy at the start, only getting really hilly later in the day. I think we hit Harlan just after noon. Early to bed, early to rise around here. And by early, I'm pretty sure the guy who camped behind me started taking down his tent before 04:00. There was some lightning and nobody wanted to have to pack a rain-damp tent.

It is really fun riding with so many other bike-loving people, just filling the road, stretching from the distance in your rear-view mirror to the crest of the hill in the distance.

Also, I'd like to note our very Iowan and very affordable meal for lunch which had ham-balls-on-a-stick, corn-on-a-cob, and a drink for like five bucks.

So, I learned a few things today, and not just about biking and the various calls associated with it. Here are a few things to know before going on RAGBRAI:

1) Always eat free bananas. I'm not sure why, but bananas are prime food for bikers around here. Free bananas are better.

2) When trekking to the shower, use a gym back or something. Because it can be a trek and your arms will grow tired if you have to hold clothes, a towel, toiletries, and a book for however long you wait in line, then abandon the line to take the shuttle to Joe's Shower Shack (or something like that), wait in line again to get a shuttle back, and then walk back to camp from there.

3) I generally feel washcloths are somewhat superfluous. I think they I'd in better overall cleanliness, but can be abandoned for a week if needed. Usually, that works fine. But if you are wearing five layers of bug spray, two layers of sunscreen, and three layers of sweat, you either need a washcloth or might have to resort to your fingernails to scratch it off.

Tomorrow is the hard day. If I can make it then, I can probably make rest of the week.