RAGBRAI 2015

Another Year of RAGBRAI down! This year was more of a challenge than I originally thought. This year was a total of almost 500 miles, excluding the two loops. There was a lot more climb this year than last year, which was somewhat expected.

We packed the truck on Friday evening and it headed off to Sioux City. We hopped on the Trailways bus and departed around 6:30 on Saturday, stopping at the Iowa Machine Shed for breakfast. Arriving in Sioux City, we found the park in which we were to camp that night. All of our gear was already unloaded from the truck so we could start setting up camp. I decided to go with my new shelter setup which I was rather impressed with. I left it in porch mode for the night which allowed for a nice breeze to sweep through. The weather was fairly hot when we set up camp, so the porch mode worked well for shade. After setting up camp, we went to the expo where we acquired a few free things. Near the expo was a Hard Rock casino, so we decided to eat at the restaurant there, which was quite good. Huey Lewis and the News played this night, but I decided to turn in early to be well rested for the ride. The night stayed pretty warm, so the fan got some use.

The first day Was from Sioux City to Storm Lake, a total of 76.5 miles. We rode through Leeds, Kingsley, Washta, Quimby, and Hanover, ending in Storm Lake. It was almost 4,000 feet of climb this day, however, was a gradual climb which made it not so bad. We did have a couple good hills. I only had 150 miles in before RAGBRAI so it took a while to "find my legs". I have to say that this was probably the hardest day. The first day was somewhat hot, with occasional cloud cover. Breakfast and Lunch we got from local vendors. This year, we decided to try to support local organisations and churches, so ate mostly at these places. We did make an exception: Beekman's homemade ice cream. When we arrived at Storm Lake, we found our camp. We set up camp on a grassy stretch between the downtown sidewalk and the lake. Since we were on the lake, setting up camp was a challenge because of the wind. We were under some trees so we had plenty of shade. For dinner, we went to a local place for pasta. As we talked about showers, we figured that we would save money by taking a bath in the lake. Next to our camp was a small sand bank and a dip in the lake felt good after a hot day. Three of us jumped in with our clothes on to wash them as well and had a nice bath and cool-down. We used the extra paracord from my ridgeline I put up under my tarp to make a clothesline. For the rest of the week, we made a clothesline using my ridgeline. During the night, we had a some rain so I closed in the tarp. I was quite impressed with how well it held up to the wind and rain. In fact, the whole ground under my tarp was dry.

Day two started out a little cool. We had some dew on the tents which made it a pain to roll up my tarp. We rode through Newell, Fonda, Manson, and Clare before arriving at our overnight town Fort Dodge. This day's ride was 68.7 miles with 1300 feet of climb. This was a somewhat easy day. Monday was also the gravel loop day through Pomeroy. This year was the first where they had an extra loop of gravel road. Needless to say, with my road bike, I was not about to do this loop. Camp was at a school and it was probably one of the hotter days when we set up camp. The shade certainly felt good. Since it was Monday night, we had a our group get-together. This is where our club sits in a circle, passes around snacks, and introduces each other. We showered and ate at the school that night. We used my ridgline and strung it to the top of my buddy's tent to make a clothesline. I had to use my fan this night as well because the heat didn't really let up. In fact, I didn't even get my sleeping bag out.

Day three was to Eldora. Eldora was the only overnight town this year that I had never been to before. We had a long day of 72.9 miles through Duncombe, Webster City, Boondock, Williams, Alden, and Buckeyes. There was also the Karras loop through Radcliffe. I was satisfied with having rode it last year so I skipped it this year. I'm glad I did because this day felt long enough. We had a little bit a hang up finding our campsite which was in an industrial park area near a ball diamond. This day was hot as well setting up. As soon as I got in, I sat in the back of the truck and enjoyed a couple cans of Root Beer (which became a habit after the long rides). I found that most evenings, the wind came from the perfect direction that I could set up my tarp against the sun for optimum shade and the breeze would blow right into the porch or one of the ends. We spent a lot of time under the porch this night.

The fourth day was the shortest with 58.4 miles through Steamboat Rock, Cleves, Ackley, Austinville, Aplington, Parksburg, New Hartford, and ending in Cedar Falls. Some of the cities were quite small, especially Cleves. We rode through it without even realizing. We actually rode through some towns with only a quick stop to rest our legs. We napped each day to this point in the trip, but spent a little longer time napping on this day. Some of the towns were themed such as a barnyard theme and pirate theme. Along the way, we stopped at a church to refill our water and they had a Frozen theme where we got free cookies and bananas. We seemed to gotten a lot of free bananas, snacks, water, and popsicles. Camp was at a UNI campground. 

Our 70.9 ride to Hiawatha on day five was probably the easiest. Along the way, we went through Hudson, LePorte City, Mount Auburn, Vinton, Shellsburg, and Pallo. We had a tailwind most of the ride which made it easier. However, coming into Hiawatha was quite hilly. We were ready to be in. Our camp was in the main campground (an old trailer park). After dinner at Dairy Queen, I got my badly needed shoulder massage. Our campsite happened to have some good trees so I slept in a hammock that night. 

The ride to Coralville was 65.6 miles and seemed not too bad of ride. It actually seemed to be one of the easiest rides. We rode through Whittier, Springville, Mount Vernon, Lisbon, Sutliff Cider, Solon, over the Coralville Dam, and into Coralville. Mount Vernon was, I thought, the coolest town we rode through. It just had a cool atmosphere with lots of entertainment and things to do. We even saw bagpipers. Actually, there was quite a few bagpipers on this trip. I also stopped in Solon as well for a short break. After eating lunch, it started to rain so I decided to go in one of the churches for pie and a nap until the storm was over. After the storm, we still had a headwind, but I continued on. It wasn't too bad of a ride until we reached the Coralville Dam. That was the hilliest part of day and quite a few people ended up walking the hills. As I came into Coralville, I easily found our camp which was near an athletic facility where we took showers. Cheap Trick was playing this night but I decided to head to bed early instead to be well rested for the next day. It was supposed to rain overnight so I camped in my bivy under the truck.

The last day seemed to have the worst hills as we rode into Davenport. The last ride was 68.5 miles through Iowa City, West Liberty, Atalissa, Moscow, Wilton, Durant, and Walcott. We had planned to reach the truck by 2:30, so we tried to rush to get there, though, we did make some stops. We made a last stop at Beekman's and in Wilton. We took a nap almost every day but tried not to take one on the last day. It wasn't too hard to find the truck where we cooled down before loading our bikes and baggage.

It was a fun trip and I continue to learn as I go. My biggest focus on this trip was my shelter and ways to set it up. I would say it was a success. I pretty well mastered the shelter system of which I will do a tutorial on. This was also my first RAGBRAI on an upright bike and learned the differences between upright and recumbent on long rides (i.e. needing Butt Glide). I hope to ride next year with the goal of self-containing.

The Hostel Life

Whether you're travelling in America, Europe, the UK, or South America, you will almost always find a unique place: the hostel. When I went to Ireland, I stayed the whole time in a hostel and it is definitely a different experience. The biggest difference between a hostel and a hotel is that hostels are designed as a quick accommodation for backpackers while hotels are designs for comfort. One of the upsides to staying at a hostel is that they are much cheaper than a hotel. When I told people that I would be staying at a hostel, the first response was "hopefully you don't get stabbed". Most people have a bad view on hostels and hostels have gained the reputation of being a dump and a slum, but the reality is, most hostels are not.

If you will be travelling and are thinking of staying at a hostel, there are some things to consider:

1. Hostels are a dorm setting. Because they are designed to be a simple accommodation for backpackers, they often have multiple beds in a single room. This is a big change for many people. Some people are uncomfortable sleeping in a room with 16 strangers. In many hostels, there are mixed dorms so you would be staying in a dorm with mixed genders. This is the first thing to consider: would you stay in a room with a dozen strangers? It's something to get used to, but can be an awesome experience.

2. Because you are staying in a room with lots of strangers, be sure to watch your belongings. Most people you meet in a hostel are very friendly, but you still run the risk of someone walking off with your stuff. The hostel I stayed at in Ireland, many people just left their bags laying around their beds. At this hostel, that was probably okay. But some hostels you wouldn't want to do that. Most hostels have security lockers and safes (some offer them free) to store your stuff. When you are in bed, it's not a bad idea to have your bag in your bed with you (depending on the size of it). This will lessen the risk of someone rummaging through your stuff in the middle of the night.

3. Make sure to adequately research your hostel(s). Some hostels are luxurious and pristine, others you wouldn't dare take your shoes off. As you research the hostel, look at the cleanliness and overall makeup. You will find that some hostels can be nicer than most hotels. Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Reading reviews is the best way to scope out a hostel. Hostelworld.com is a great site for looking up hostels.

4. Most people think of a hostel as a place with rooms and beds, nothing else. However, most hostels will sponsor special events, bring in performers, throw parties, and have tours of the city. You will find that most hostels have more than just an accommodation. Most have game rooms, continental breakfast, TV, break rooms, kitchens, WIFI, and internet.

5. Don't stay in the same hostel for more than 2 nights. If you are a backpacker or traveler, you want to see a whole array of things and have different experiences. When you stay at the same hostel for more than 2 nights, it becomes redundant. You see the same thing every morning, you get too comfortable, and it becomes dull. Even though the hostel you are staying at may be awesome, it's good to experience other hostels.

6. Be courteous of others. It's easy to stay out late and when you come back, remember that other people are sleeping in the same room. Don't let the door slam, keep light to a minimum, don't make excessive noise. I have had times when people come stomping in at 1 AM when I was trying to sleep. Also remember to clean up after yourself. Most hostels have a kitchen so you can fix your own meals. Don't leave dishes around for others to clean. Be courteous to other people staying there.

Staying at a hostel can be a great experience. Just remember to follow the above guidelines and your trip will be much more enjoyable. Ultimately, the best way to experience it is to just get out there and stay in one.

Ireland Day Seven

It's been fun and to be honest, I don't want to leave. I've become quite used to Ireland. I can say that I'll be ready to come back here. 

 

Today was my last day eating the continental breakfast here, so I ate a pretty big one. I had to be at the bus station before 10:00, so I was up pretty early. I did make sure to have some warm clothes packed. 

At the bus station, I bought my ticket for the Glendalough tour. I figured that the tour would fill up quick, so I got my ticket an hour before departure. I managed to take a short nap prior to departure. 

As we boarded, I learned that only three of us were going on the tour. The other two were from Hong Kong and were interesting to talk to. 

The first part of the tour was in Dublin. As we made our way out of town, the guide gave us the history of certain areas of the city. However, our first stop was at Powerscourt Garden this was a garden owned by a wealthy landlord back in the 1700's. At first, it didn't look like much, but after walking through, it was impressive. The Japanese garden was particularly cool. 

After there, we headed for the Wicklow Mountains. The route went through heavy farmland where we saw lots of sheep. As we got closer, the mountains became visible. 

Our first stop was near the visitor center. We geared up because of the light rain and headed off. The bus driver, named John, led us to the ruins of a monastery. The ruins were unique. There's a gate that we entered through that was used in protecting the monastery. Inside the gate and to the right is a tall bell tower. Tall bell towers were common at monasteries, not only for the bell but also for defense. We saw the catherdal that was used there as well as the St. Kevin's chapel. St. Kevin was the monk who founded this particular monastery. 

Next to the cathedral is St. Kevin's cross. Finally, littering the whole grounds were thousands of grave stones, many of them Celtic crosses. 

The guide left us here to go exploring where I took many pictures of the site. I followed the path to the smaller lake which is more like a swamp. But walking farther, I came to the big lake which was awesome. The lake is in between two mountains which creates a valley. It rained most of the time and because of the geographics, was very windy. Though it was not uncomfortable. The path we took to get to the lakes goes by several unique forests, one of which was used to film the wedding scene in Braveheart. 

I made my way back towards the bus (as we had to be there at 3:30). Along the way, I came across a Scotsman who was dressed in an 1800's British uniform with a black kilt. He was portraying a Scottish British soldier and was telling stories. When England got involved with Ireland, they recruited Scottish soldiers because the Scottish were already used to the hills. At the end of his storytelling, he played his bagpipes. Actually they were smallpipes, which are smaller and quieter bagpipes. It was cool watching him tune it and started taking song requests, including Amazing Grace. 

We took off from there and headed up the mountains. The driver pulled over on the top of one of the mountains so we could take pictures of the valley. We didn't stay there long because it was windy and cold. The thermometer said it was near 0 degrees Celsius, which is 32 degrees Fahrenheit. 

As we made our way back, we went through the mountains so we could see it from different angles. 

We got back, close to the bus station and I made my way to the hostel where I took a quick shower and did a load of laundry. As I waited for laundry to finish, I hung out in one of the common areas and talked to someone from Minnesota. After that, I went out for dinner and finished up souvenir shopping. 

On returning to the hostel, I finished my packing for the trip home, to include my backpack and pannier. I spent about 20 minutes disassembling my bike and packed it up. This must occur here often because no one was phased by it. After this, I was set for the flight home. My flight goes out at 8:30 so I need to be there at 5:30. I will probably get up at 5 to make it to the bus station for my ride to the airport. 

It has been an awesome trip and I will definitely do it again. I think the only two things I would do differently are spend more time here than a week, and take someone else. I would love for other people to enjoy this. I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have.