Our RV was used in a new way on
Thursday, July 25, 2013. It was a hospitality center and the large
awning provided shade for my grandson Nathans cold drink stand for
the 41st RAGBRAI ( register's annual great bicycle ride
across Iowa.)
People came from everywhere to ride the
7 day trip from the Missouri River to dip their bikes in the
Mississippi River. The Des Moines Register, who started the event,
estimated that 15,000 bikers participated. The ages varied from the
girl of 10 who rode behind her father to people in their 60's and
maybe older. The helmeted riders often added funny hats or
decorations to their outfits.
Nathan made a poster with the 407 mile
route on it and the words RAGBRAI -2013 and asked bikers to sign it
with their name and where they are from. Most were from Iowa but he
also got names from Florida to California and Massachusetts to
Washington. Other countries such as Israel, Africa, and England
signed the poster. In fact his first customer was from Hungary.
Nathan's second cousin, Jon, even
stopped and chatted with us for an hour or so.
Nathan helped make posters, and helped
with the set up and take down of his stand. He earned $142.00 on it
and since he said that part of the money was going for college, he
received $52.00 extra for his college fund. It was a time for making
memories neither of us will ever forget.
