RAGBRAI

Ragbrai is coming to Keosauqua on Saturday, and the town is getting ready for it!!!  Do any of you guys know just what Ragbrai is...I bet there are some bicyclist out there that do....Murphy and Stanley????  Here are some interesting facts about Ragbrai...
1. A few friends got together in 1973 to bike across Iowa and there has been a Ragbrai ever since.
2. Ragbrai riders have came from all over the world and ALL the major newspapers in the country.
3. Major magazines such as TIME, Reader’s Digest, Sports Illustrated, Ford Times, Smithsonian, Saturday Evening Post, National Geographic’s Traveler, SHAPE, Bicycling and many others have offered coverage of RAGBRAI.
4. In 1986, the NBC-TV TODAY Show was on the ride and in 1987 featured RAGBRAI on the Sunday evening news. CBS Television included a report on RAGBRAI XVI in 1988 on its Friday evening news.
5. In fact, the ride has become so popular that RAGBRAI officials now limit the number of week-long riders to 8,500 in order to maintain a sense of control and insure fewer injuries.
6. In 1988, an estimated 23,000 riders had taken part in the leg of the ride from Boone to Des Moines by 3 p.m. In 1992, an estimated 17,000 riders rode the leg of the ride into Des Moines. And in 1997, an estimated 20,000 riders pedaled into Des Moines from Creston.

This is a picture of our village when you are bicycling down the long hill, or in their case on Saturday UP the long hill.

Mom is going to TRY to take us down to the Park on Saturday after the bikers and the 10,000 (no lie!!!) cars will be gone after 1:00 pm and take a picture of us with this big bike.

When they leave our town at 1:00 pm they will ride onto Fort Madison for the night and dip their bike wheel in the Mississippi river and that means the trip is over.

Friday night they are staying in the town where our Dad works, he is crazy cos he know they will be hungry for Greek food.  Mom said he is going to be hot and tired and we had better behave.

FOOD FOR ThOUGHT:  Our village is the biggest in Van Buren County ...there are 1,006 people that live here, imagine 8500 bikers plus 10,000 visitors from 5 AM till 1:00 PM and guess what they are routed to go right past our house and on down to the park where there will be food, water and fun waiting on them.  We are gonna have to get up early to watch them zoom by our house.  Mom is hoping for some photo shots, IF she is awake.  Here is what they will see on their route.

First, our house.  Then...

Then ME watching them zoom by our house, (yes, this is a Halloween picture...well you all know the sad story of the camera cord)

Then...

 the historical cannon across the street that PIP and PUDDLES were shot out off.  We wanted to put up a sign to tell the bikers that but the town council said NO.

Then the Welcome Center and.....

The Park.........

The Bridge at the Park

Famous Hotel Manning and

the Water Marks on the side of the hotel to show how high the flood waters have gotten over the years, the two highest marks are when we lived here, but our house is up on the hill.

We think they are gonna like Keosauqua alot, but we also think they are gonna be so glad that it is almost over for them, that they will be anxious to move on to Fort Madison.  We are gonna watch for MURPHY and STANLEY to see if they are in the pack zooming by our house, and if so, we sure hope they stop for breakfast!!
STELLA ROSE