RAGBRAI - DAY 4

Day 4 – July 23, 2013 – Des Moines to Knoxville – 49 miles

“It’s not a race, it’s a ride”

When my older kids were younger, they used to do some pretty strange things with some of the neighborhood kids (collectively known as “The Gang”).  One of our favorite memories was the time they stood by the side of the road at the top of our hill holding a sign that said, “Honk to see us dance.”  Another was the time that they set up the classic lemonade stand.  Except there was no stand and they weren’t selling lemonade.  They were selling potatoes!  When they were doing that someone stopped and gave them some money but didn’t take a potato.  It’s a 30 second incident that continues to hold a significant place in the lore of our family and The Gang.

So what does this have to do with RAGBRAI?  It occurred to me today that RAGBRAI is experienced by two distinct groups of people.  Of course, there are the riders.  They are the ones who are actually moving from town to town across the state.  They are welcomed into small towns that they hadn’t heard of before the ride and which they can’t even keep straight when they are telling stories at the end of the day!  The riders experience RAGBRAI in motion.

Then there are the people in the towns and along the roads.  Some are curious onlookers.  Some are actively welcoming people to their town or shouting words of encouragement.  Today we saw a guy in his front yard with a sound system and a microphone and he was playing his saxophone to  recorded music – while I was going by it was a musical version of Billy Joel’s “I love you just the way you are”.  And he was good!  And of course, there are no end of lemonade stands set up by little kids in their front yards all the way to established businesses that move each day with the route. 

Yesterday, I came across three little girls at the top of a hill coming out of one of the towns we had stopped in.  They had their “Free Lemonade” sign up but their location wasn’t the best because most everyone had just stopped in the town at the bottom of the hill – or decided that they weren’t going to stop.  In either case, few were inclined to stop.  But I did.  And I talked to the girls and found out that they lived right there.  I asked them what it was like to see all these riders going by and the oldest, maybe 10, said with eyes as big as saucers, “AWESOME!”  I took a cup of lemonade, saw that their tip jar was empty and said they deserved something and I gave them a five dollar bill (I’m not really that generous; I just didn’t have anything else!).  But as I left, I thought of those potatoes.  I pray that those kids will have a memory of that 30 second encounter with some guy when RAGBRAI came through who gave them $5 for a cup of lemonade.

What this has all made me realize is that while there are riders who are experiencing RAGBRAI in motion, there are also many who are experiencing RAGBRAI in moments as it passes by them.  From the little towns that have spent the last year planning for their one day moment to the little kids along the side of the road giving away lemonade.   My male achievement gene is a bit too oriented toward conquering the route – to have my motion experience.  Tomorrow I am going to be intentional about stopping and experiencing a few more moments with people who are watching the motion.  I have a feeling I am in for a completely different kind of RAGBRAI than I have experienced up to today.

We are having a great time!  Everyone is healthy.  Ernest Jackson joined us today and rode well.  We watched the US beat Honduras in the semi- final of the Gold Cup at a Mexican restaurant.  I had a chance to meet up with my friend Amy from the AEA and we got to laugh about The Golden Child, who is currently strapped to my handlebars.  We did men’s bible study which we always do on Wednesday and got through so little in our discussion that we are going to finish Luke 14 over the next two days.  All in all, a great day!