Today is the day we take off for the excitement that is Ragbrai, a fact that has lifted up all our spirits, something sorely needed by the group as a whole. Dad has been dragged down into a negative mental outlook by all the hills that have gotten in the way of a glamorous trip across the US on the bike. Matt is just getting a bit worn out by having to annoy the same people on a daily basis. I mean you can only “accidentally” hit your younger brother so many times in the eye before it loses its humor. And I, well, I just don’t quite have the chance to stretch out my social wings as I had been used to dating back a few months ago in Amherst. It will be a great break from the monotony of dealing only with each other, and thanks to Chris, a friend from Cork who grew up in Iowa, we have a great amount of activities to choose from which will be greatly entertaining, from golfing, to minor league baseball, to some good bars along the way, not to mention the whole biking thing.
Speaking of the whole biking thing, I was able to put in another 41 more miles yesterday. It’s becoming a real pleasure to get out on the bike now that it doesn’t feel the need to break on me every time I try to get up on it. Granted, most of this trip was along the side of I-80, and as such not the most fun, but it was still a fun experience. It may just have to be a hobby I take up upon finishing this journey, to stay in shape and see more of what New England has to offer.
I know I’m being a huge dork for saying it, but I’m getting excited for 7th Harry Potter coming out tomorrow. As I’m in the 5th book of the series, it will be nice to finally bring it to a conclusion, another great example of why I shouldn’t start reading series until the final novel has been printed. In the buildup of anticipation to the release of the new one, Matt and I actually went to see the movie of the 5th book. This series has always been entertaining for me, and the movie was no exception. It was better than Evan Almighty in my opinion, but that is no big deal, as I wasn’t all that impressed by Bruce Almighty’s sequel. Bruce Almighty was just so much better, could have just been Jim Carey, but it really was a good movie all around, whereas Evan Almighty had but a few funny parts scattered around the movie.
We had a bit of a treat last night in our journey. No camp ground was marked down on the map for quite some ways around, so we decided to stop to ask the local town hall if they knew where we could find a spot to pitch a tent. It turned out to be a great stroke of luck, because they said that, although they don’t make a habit of allowing people to use the field by the recreational center for camping, from time to time they do let people pitch a tent in town, and they were going to be letting us set up there. Not only did we get a place to pitch the tent, but we got to use their recreational center free of charge as well. We finally got to just relax in a hot tub for the first time since the Indian reservation in Oregon, and even that was tainted by the loss of money incurred while visiting their lovely facility.
One thing that I left out about my critique of Wyoming was the people, so I figured I would make a quick addition to that. Although there hasn’t been all that much for us to see or be entertained by within this state, something has to be said for the people living within Wyoming. They have been very generous with us travelers, whether it is through volunteering their opinions on where to eat or purchase something we’ve needed on the trip, where we could find a spot to pitch the tent even in a bit of a pinch, they have been more than willing to provide us with a helping hand. So, to sum up Wyoming in a sentence, they have great people, a few nice scenes, and not a whole lot to do. You can make up your own mind I’m sure on whether or not you are going to chose to visit, you have heard my opinion. That being said, its time for a nice relaxing 500 mile drive to the start of Ragbrai, so for now, I guess I’m finished.
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