Our final day was by far the easiest. Except for two big hills, it was mostly flat. The pace was quick. Everyone was anxious to finish, but fortunately, we did not lose sight of our priorities. We stopped for one last bloody mary on the way.
We skipped the ceremonial dipping of the front tire in the Mississippi. We were informed by a couple of RAGBRAI veterans that the finish area was usually a madhouse and the process took forever. So instead, Dino met us with the RV before the finish line, and we made a quick dash out of town.
RAGBRAI exceeded all of our expectations. The people were amazing. Although our fellow riders were great, it was the people of Iowa that made the trip. People would sit on their front porches or even drive to the route and wave as we passed by. We were always greeted with a smile, and they were anxious to know where we were from and tell us about their town. It's not the ride nor the food nor the beer that keep people coming back year after year. It's the people of Iowa.
The success of our trip was due to one person, Dino. Dino was always there for us, driving from town to town, getting supplies, setting up camp. Whatever needed to be done, he happily did it. He would go to the next town and patiently wait for us to arrive. Once there, we were often too tired to do anything else but eat and go to bed, not the most exciting traveling companions. Each day, he listened to our lame stories about our ride and took shit from John, and there was never a complaint, just a smile and a laugh. From all of us on the Not Dead Yet team, we thank you Dino for all that you did to make this a trip that we will never forget.
As for all of you who have read this blog and followed us on our journey, you really need to get a life, but thanks for your comments and support.
In closing, I am happy to report that we are NOT DEAD YET.
WE MADE IT!
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