An interesting start...as expected!

We got off to an auspicious start. We had a great plan to build a rack inside the van to lift the bikes up so we could store gear underneath. We had to “reconfigure” the rack to fit the bikes, but we got it to work! Mark realized he had a broken spoke on the rear wheel of his bike. So there was a quick trip to the bike shop while we packed things up. Then as we were just about ready, having fit 10 gallons of “stuff” in a 5-gallon van, Mark went to move his car and there was a nasty crunching and popping sound. That’s when we realized it was the front wheel of his bike that was under the front wheel of his car! Luckily, "Matt’s bike shop" had a spare wheel for him to borrow. Then the trip was on, and off we went!

We eventually stopped to stretch our legs. When I picked up the van, I had 2 additional keys made. So Bruce and I both had keys, as well as Chris. When we came back out, the key Chris had worked fine in the ignition, but not in the doors! Of course the other keys were safely in our bags…in the van!!!! Luckily, the backdoor was unlocked, and with some stretching and luck, we could reach my bag and the key in my bag opened the door!
So we got back on the road and made it safely to Marengo to stay with Larry and Linda. We had an outstanding dinner of burgers, fresh sweet corn, potatoes, and brownies. What an excellent start to RAGBRAI 2007!