Final Day: Tipton to Le Claire

Day 7 - Tipton to Le Claire

Forest City, Iowa -- After retrieving my blog posts from Days 5 & 6, I'm now able to conclude our blog with some highlights from Day 7. Please continue reading after you've finished with this post as the entries and photos from Day 5 and Day 6 follow below.

Day 7 was an interesting day for myself. I woke up with a stomach ache and wasn't very helpful taking down camp for the final time. We left camp around 8:00 a.m. and began our 54-mile, flat Day 7.

Seth, Jeff and Jim felt great and ended up pushing ahead of myself and Jamie. After 10 miles of riding, I felt horrible and had to stop at a gas station for a break. Suddenly my stomach ache turned into the heaves and I ran across the rode to throw up. It was not a pleasant way to begin the day. (I'm blaming the cajun shrimp for causing my nausea on Day 7)

I had 44 miles left to ride and was exhausted already. My body was starting to severely ache but I wanted to finish the ride.

So, at 10 mph I pedaled along. Jamie and Jim stuck with me the rest of the day.

We stopped every 10 miles or so and eventually we got to the city limits of Le Claire and rode downhill toward the Mississippi River. Seth and Jeff were already at the river waiting for us to join them to dip our front tires -- it is RAGBRAI tradition to dip your front tire in the Mississippi after completing the ride.

I got a little emotional as we waited in line to dip our tires and have our group picture taken. The week had been quite the adventure.

Physically I was drained but spiritually and emotionally I was invigorated with a sense of optimism and belonging.

I belong to a great Waldorf RAGBRAI team. I belong to an awesome college. I belong to a vibrant network of Waldorf alumni. And I belong to an incredible part of the country -- Iowa.

I read yesterday in the Des Moines Register that everyone on RAGBRAI has a story. It's absolutely true.

I hope you enjoyed taking part in the story of Team Waldorf. We are already looking forward to next year and we hope you'll join us as we spread the good word about Waldorf, meet old friends and new friends, and rediscover what we love about living in the great state of Iowa.

Until then, from Seth, Jim, Sarah, Jamie, Jennifer, Jeff, and Josh, thanks for reading our blog and keep in touch for more information about RAGBRAI 2009.

Day 6: North Liberty to Tipton

Jeff enjoying some cajun shrimp in Mechanicsville.


Josh standing in the crowded town of Mt. Vernon.


Jamie riding early in the morning on Day 6.


Day 6 – North Liberty to Tipton

I’m realizing that many of you may not know what our normal day is like. I’ve focused on the highlights of each day but have forgotten to include the simple things that make up the RAGBRAI experience. Here’s what our typical day consists of:

Anywhere from 5:30 am to 8:00 am – We wake up, brush our teeth, pack up our tents, put on our bike clothes, use the restroom (port-a-pottys), pump up our bike tires, fill our water bottles, eat something and hop on the bikes. Sarah gets in the van and drives to the next camp site along the vehicle route and is awesome about setting up camp and preparing for our arrival later in the day.

Morning – Most of us try to get a few miles in before we stop and eat breakfast. Jim has to have his coffee and often ends up on his own because of this routine. He’s fine with it, though, and is very good at meeting people and doing his own thing. On Day 6, Jamie and I had “breakfast” in Mt. Vernon. It consisted of a rib-eye sandwich, Doritos and water. On most days, rib-eyes at 10:30 am would seem weird but not on RAGBRAI.

Noon – With a late breakfast in our stomachs, the noon hour typically passes by on our bicycles. The noon hour on Day 6 made me bonk.

Jim explained to our group that bonking occurs when you’ve either gone too many miles or haven’t eaten enough to keep your legs going. I thought it was the mileage but found out later it might have been the food.

Afternoon – By about mid-afternoon, most of us are ready for a true lunch. On Day 6, I had one goal: to eat Cajun shrimp at Mechanicsville. I achieved my goal.

Jamie and I joined Seth and Jeff in Mechanicsville. Jamie, Jeff and I had the shrimp while Seth had a pork loin. The shrimp gave me some sort of boost and I was no longer in bonk mode.

The 14 miles from Mechanicsville to Tipton flew by – thanks in large part to joining a draft line – and we reached the campsite by 4:00 p.m. A pretty standard time for arriving in town.

Evening – When we arrive in camp we head to the showers, which usually cost $5 and are typically located in trailers. It’s not The Plaza. That’s for sure.

Then we grab something for dinner, sit in our canopy tent on lawn chairs, talk about the day, read the newspaper and enjoy some quiet time. Some nights we head to the downtown area and the concerts. Other nights we are content to stay at the campsite.

We also take time to hand out Waldorf College t-shirts and tonight we had a special opportunity. (Random note: Jeff says, “Hi DeAnn.”)

There is a Dream Team that rides RAGBRAI and this team consists of kids who are identified by teachers in the Des Moines area as young men and women who might benefit from training for and riding RAGBRAI. The Dream Team opportunity gives them a chance to ride RAGBRAI, camp with mentors and experience Iowa through the eye’s of a Great Bike Ride Across the state.

It’s a cool opportunity for the kids.

As I walked to our trailer to get my shower items, I saw the Dream Team campsite and about 10-15 kids were sitting in lawn chairs talking. We also happened to have over 20 Waldorf t-shirts still in the van so I grabbed the box and headed back to the Dream Team campsite.

I should have taken a picture. The kids were literally yelling for t-shirts. I got a shirt to all of the kids who were sitting in the area. They unrolled the shirts and almost all said, “Awesome,” as they checked out their new Waldorf gear.

I’ve experienced many incredible moments this week, but handing out Waldorf t-shirts to kids who truly appreciate getting something for free was one of the highlights.

A mentor yelled at me as I walked away. “Thanks Waldorf College,” he said, not knowing my name.

“Not a problem at all – thank you,” I replied.

Day 5: Tama-Toledo to North Liberty

Sarah enjoying some gelato.


Jamie, Jeff, Jim, Seth and Sarah in North Liberty.


Relaxing in Homestead on dreary Day 5.

Day 5 – Tama-Toledo to North Libery

Tiption, Iowa – Sorry to cut the last blog entry short but the library was closing faster than Lance Armstrong on the final stage of a Tour de France.

I’m now sitting in Tipton and am ready to post the entries for Day 5 and Day 6.

Day 5 was cold, windy and rainy. We had a headwind the entire day and the rain that started the day kept all of us cold for the entire 76-mile day.

Jeff Krutsinger, DeAnn’s husband (Deann works in Financial Aid), joined us for the last 3 days of RAGBRAI. His laugh is contagious and he has been a great addition to Team Waldorf!

The first four days had caught up with me and my legs were tired, my butt was sore and the rain just made me more aggravated and frustrated than ever.

Luckily the food, as usual, was excellent. We had breakfast burritos in Chelsea and homemade brats in Homestead (just outside of the Amana Colonies).

My favorite towns were Luzerne (named after Lucerne, Switzerland) and Homestead.

The highlight of the day, truly, was reaching North Liberty. Their pirate theme and awesome food we had that night were worth the grueling day.

Sarah and Seth picked us out an awesome camping spot. The tents were set up and the cooler of water and Gatorade was filled with ice!

I slept like a baby that night and was excited to begin a new day.

RAGBRAI, it turns out, is just like the rest of life. There are highs and lows, and Day 5 was my low point. The weather, my aching legs and a poor attitude kept me from enjoying the day as much as I should have.

Then I heard someone in the campgrounds say something that changed my day.

“RAGBRAI is what you make it out to be,” the man said. “If you aren’t having fun, lower your expectations!”

I laughed at overhearing the statement, lowered my expectations just a little and became thankful for everything I had, including the wonderful experiences of RAGBRAI.

Even the tough days.

Day 4: Ames to Tama-Toledo

North Liberty, Iowa -- I'm sitting in the North Liberty Public Library right now and only have 27 minutes until the library closes for the evening. So please forgive any typos, grammatical errors and incomplete sentences. I'm in a bit of a hurry!

Ok, here we go....

Day 4: Ames to Tama-Toledo

I woke up this morning at 5:15 am and was on the bike before 6. I decided that today was going to be a day that I rode hard and did my best to get to camp as soon as possible. Jim and Seth left camp a little after me and I didn't see them all day. I was a man on a mission.

The day itself was rather uneventful. I passed through the small towns on the route quickly and didn't really talk with too many people. The ubiquitous, "Where is Waldorf College?" question was asked multiple times and a few people struck up conversations, but I was in a hurry most of the day and the head winds and rolling hills made for a grueling day.

The interesting stories came from Seth and Jim on this day.

Seth's lack of good biking equipment caught up with him on this day and he had to flag down a ride in from Green Mountain rather than ride the final 26 or so miles. He asked a few people in the town how to get a ride in and ended up running into a few members of Team Iffy. One lady in the team actually recognized Seth and when Seth introduced himself as an Admissions Counselor from Waldorf, the lady said she was a guidance counselor from Iowa Falls and had met him earlier in the year.

Library closes in 20 minutes...gotta hurry! She ended up explaining that her mom and sister were also riding into Tama with their van and she asked if Seth could drop them off at the local casino and then drive their van to the campsite. Seth agreed and had found his ride. Pretty incredible that a somewhat-stranger would trust a young man with her van....but we've come to expect that kind of trust on RAGBRAI.

Jim's story is simple. He went to purchase a coffee and the cashier said that it had already been paid for. Jim looked for someone to thank but no one was there. Just a goodwill gesture from person Jim would never meet.

These stories reminded me that we weren't locking any of our items in the campsite. Thousand dollar bikes were sitting on the ground. Ready to be stolen but safe in the friendly atmosphere of RAGBRAI.

It gave me a positive feeling to know that most people are friendly and trustworthy. RAGBRAI is more than a bike ride across Iowa...it's really a reminder of human goodness and kindness.

I'm glad I'm taking part in this experience. It's quite the ride.

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Sorry folks...but library is closing and I'll have to wait to recap Day 5 and include photos from the past two days.

Check back soon!

-- Josh

Day 3: Jefferson to Ames

Ames, Iowa -- I just finished taking in the Styx concert in Ames and am going to do a short recap of Day 3. The Styx concert tonight was a benefit concert for Embrace Iowa -- an effort to help the Iowa flood victims of this summer. Lance Armstrong spoke, Styx rocked the venue with songs like "Come Sail Away" and "Mr. Roboto," and fireworks ended the evening.

It was an awesome finish to an eventful day.

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We woke up this morning a little later than normal (7:30 a.m.) and were on the road by 8. Jennifer left before I got up and she got to Ames pretty quickly. Because by the time the rest of us showed up in Ames she had left with her husband Ramsey. Jennifer was great to have along on the trip and we are glad that she did the first 3 days with us. She claims that she is not a biker but she made 83 miles look pretty easy on Day 2!

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After waking up in Jefferson this morning we met Jan Karen Rosdail-Aegerter '72 who is a current member of Waldorf's Board of Regents. See our Day 2 entry for more information about Christ Lutheran Church. Suffice it to say: Jan only confirmed our positive feelings about Christ Lutheran. She gave us some goodies for the road and we handed her a new Waldorf t-shirt for her kindness. Thanks to Jan and Pastor Amy for being such wonderful hosts -- we really appreciate all that you did to make our stay in Jefferson such a great experience.

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I forgot to mention that I met the brother of one of the original RAGBRAI riders yesterday. Sorry to forget names but I believe the original rider was Scott Dickinson and I can't remember his brother's name. His brother had been on all of the RAGBRAIs except the first. I found out that Scott had graduated from Waldorf in 1969 and was one of only 3 or so people to ride all of the RAGBRAIs to this point. Way to go Scott!

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Bryan Bjorklund, a current Waldorf student from Armstrong, joined us for the ride from Jefferson to Ames. It was great having him along for the ride!

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The highlight of Day 3 for me was meeting Mr. Pork Chop. We stopped for brunch at the Mr. Pork Chop stand which stood at a farm house along today's route. Mr. Pork Chop's stand has become a staple of RAGBRAI. He retired last year but his son has taken over the Mr. Pork Chop business. We were lucky enough to meet Mr. Pork Chop and his son. Mr. Pork Chop even did his famous "Poorrrrrrrkkkk-Chopppppppppppp" call for us (and I was the one who asked him to do it!) The pork chops are served with a paper towel to hold the chop and are beyond description. I've never had a pork chop half as good as the Mr. Pork Chop pork chop.

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On our way from Boone to Ames we ran into Tom Kuhn from Forest City. He was surprised to see a Waldorf team. Tom's son, Matt, went to Waldorf and is also a friend of mine. Unfortunately Matt was hurt and couldn't ride this year. Tom seemed excited to see other Forest Citians on RAGBRAI and we enjoyed seeing a familiar face.

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Tonight the group separated to spend time at a few different places. Jamie and I are staying with Jamie's aunt and uncle, Karla Mae and Austin. Jim, Sarah and Seth are enjoying a grill out at Dr. Doug Biggs' house. Biggs, a former history prof. at Waldorf, lives in Ames and has just taken a new job at Nebraska-Kearney. It was good to see him and his 1970s road bike. Jennifer headed back to Forest City. While Bryan and Chris (who were only riding from Jefferson to Ames), left to meet up with friends in Ames.

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Tomorrow we head to Tama-Toledo on about a 76 mile ride. Look for another blog entry on Wednesday or Thursday!

Day 2: Harlan to Jefferson

A concert at Christ Lutheran Church in Jefferson. We camped on the church grounds at the end of Day 2.


Jennifer, Sarah and Seth stand next to our campsite in Harlan.

Ames, Iowa -- I'm excited to recap the last couple of days after not having the best internet connection in Jefferson. Let's start with Day 2.

Day 2 -- Harlan to Jefferson

My favorite day of RAGBRAI this year began on an interesting note. Sirens in the Harlan campgrounds at 2:15 am woke us up with a jolt. Storms were approaching again and we had to seek shelter until 3:00 am. We got another 3 hours of sleep after we were able to return to our tents and then got started on the longest day of the ride.

Our first stop of the day was in Kimbleton. We met up with Waldorf alums Tony and Leann Ede at the Lutheran Church. Tony is the pastor of the church and we had a great time talking with him. Plus, the World Famous French Toast at his church was awesome (the signs before the church lived up to their promise)!

After getting a tour of the church, Seth, Tony and I were continuing to talk when a man with a British accent told Tony that he had just had his camera stolen from his bicycle bag. He wondered if Tony had seen it.

When Tony replied that no cameras had been found, the Englishman said he was disappointed that someone would steal a camera on church property. He seemed very upset.

A couple of minutes later the man returned to the church with a grin on his face. He had placed the camera in the other bag on his bicycle. He apologized for making a false assumption, thanked Tony for the wonderful breakfast and said he really enjoyed having music played from the church's speakers in the front lawn.

He also mentioned that, along with his name, he wrote one other word on a poster for RAGBRAI riders to sign: INSPIRED.

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Leaving Kimbleton I noticed a sign that made me understand what Iowa hospitality is all about. Right before a large hill outside of Kimbleton, a sign from Tony's church said: "The biggest hill of the day is coming up -- hope you got enough french toast!"

It wasn't the sign that impressed me -- it was the fact that the people at Tony's church had taken the time to place a sign after their church. The sign after Kimbleton wasn't marketing their event or trying to sell french toast. It was basically a thank you message for stopping in Kimbleton. It wasn't necessary but it was there.

I couldn't think of a word to describe what I thought at the moment but the unthought-of word stayed on the tip of my tongue the whole day.

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The rest of the day was filled with hills. Jennifer, Seth, Jim and I rode with and apart from each other at different points in the day but we all made it to Jefferson safe and sound.

The welcome we received in Jefferson was incredible -- well worth having to survive such a long day on the bike.

Sarah and Jamie had found us the perfect spot for camping at Christ Lutheran Church. Pastor Amy (another Waldorf alum!) welcomed us to the church, hooked us up with a free meal, and introduced us to plenty of very nice people.

We were especially excited to see the Bohnets. Sarah is good friends with Beth (another current Waldorf student) and Beth's parents, Dave and Luann, were wonderful. Their son Jake is also going to Waldorf right now and their other son Neal is a recent graduate.

A concert on the church grounds gave us an opportunity pass out Waldorf t-shirts, bag and tattoos. One kid who we passed a shirt to was interested in cross country and I let him know that Waldorf is considering adding cross country in the near future. He seemed very excited.

Random side note: Chris Fitzgerald '07 joined up with us and ended up riding from Jefferson to Ames with our group.

A long, sunny day on the bike, meeting so many wonderful people from across the world, talking with Pastor Amy and others at Christ Lutheran, and enjoying the concert at the church made for a beautiful day.

As I went to bed that evening, the word that had been on the tip of my tongue all day ran through my head over and over. Interestingly enough, it was a word that I had heard earlier in the day.

INSPIRED.

Day 1: Missouri Valley to Harlan

Sun rising as we begin our Day 1 ride.



Josh Damm and Jamie Hoover in the town of Shelby. More pics are on the way!

Harlan, Iowa -- Right now our group is sitting in the Harlan campgrounds. More hot than tired after today's ride, we just thoroughly enjoyed our cold showers and are excited for dinner.

Before we go grab our big, carb-heavy evening meal, here's a recap of yesterday and today:

Saturday, July 19 - Making our way to Missouri Valley

We left the Campus Center at Waldorf at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. The team that is starting the ride is comprised of:

- Seth Miner '03, Admissions Counselor
- Jim Amelsberg, Director of Counseling Services
- Jamie Hoover '07
- Josh Damm '06, Communications Director/Men's Golf Coach
- Jennifer Turner, Technical Services Coordinator
- Sarah Leichsenring '10, Waldorf student from Clarion, Iowa (support vehicle driver)

We arrived in Missouri Valley (a very hilly town!) around 1 pm. Finding a camping spot was surprisingly easy, but avoiding the heat became the battle of the day. It was hot! 95 degrees, can't avoid the sun, find me any shade possible, heat!

A few of us found the Gyros at the food vendor area to be very tasty and we then waited around for Sarah and Jamie to attend a 4 pm safety course for support vehicle drivers.

Jennifer, Seth, Jim and I ended up taking a shuttle at 3:50 pm and didn't get to the campground until about 4:40. Of course, Sarah and Jamie ended up attending the meeting and then walking back to the campground and arriving before we did. Live and learn.

The highlight of the day was the amount of Waldorf connections we made. We ran into Barb Benett '80 who played softball at Waldorf and now lives in Dallas, Texas. She was excited to wear her Catch the Fire jersey after purchasing one from Seth earlier in July. Her sister from Alaska was suffering from some heat stroke and had to go to the medical tent so we all hope she is now doing okay.

We also met Bob, brother of Chris Reisz (sorry, not sure of the spelling!). Chris evidentally played baseball at Waldorf College. Bob was running one of the food vendor stations in Mo' Valley.

As we walked to eat spaghetti at a church in town, we also ran across Ruth '77 who had sang in the Waldorf Choir. We didn't catch her last name but had a good time telling her about our blog and discussing how great the Waldorf Choir is.

The stormy evening (heavy winds, dark clouds, thunderstorms, oh my!) matched my nervous mood as we went to sleep on Saturday night.

But we were all excited to get up at 5:30 am and begin our RAGBRAI journey.

Sunday, July 20 - RAGBRAI begins

We took off on our bikes at about 6:15 am and the cool, morning wind could not have felt any better. The ride was so nice -- a little hilly, but nice -- that we ended up riding almost 25 miles before we stopped for pancakes in Underwood.

Underwood turned out to be an excellent place to hand out many of our Waldorf t-shirts, bags and Catch the Fire tatoos. Most of the kids said, "COOL!" as we tossed them a Waldorf t-shirt or bag and the little kids are loving the tatoos.

Our alumni have been excited to hear about our blog and I've been amazed about how many people have either said "Go Waldorf!" and let us know their connection, or have said "Where's Waldorf?" and we've been able to tell them about the great college we either work for or have graduated from.

RAGBRAI is turning out to be a great opportunity to spread the word about Waldorf College.

With plenty of pancakes, coffee and orange juice in our stomach, we continued our day's journey and came across even more people with Waldorf connections: the father of Sam Plegenkhul of Sumner, Iowa (Sam is a Communications major at Waldorf right now), Dave Teeling -- an alum from Sumner who played golf at Waldorf and has also played in the last few Waldorf Warrior Booster Golf Tournaments, the principal from West Hancock who is camping next to us and asked about our Waldorf College campground sign, a teammate of Eric Prins from Central College -- Eric is the Offensive Coordinator for Waldorf's football team, and a few prospective students from around Forest City.

Lunch for the day came in the form of smoothies and ribeye steaks on a stick in Shelby! Wow, this guy in Shelby can grill a mean ribeye.

The 58.9 mile day ended in Harlan and we immediately found our campsite in the fairgrounds. Sarah did a great job parking the van/trailer and saving our space.

It was an incredible day with wonderful food, great people and a few too many hills.

The extremely long (82.9 mile) Day 2 is ahead as we ride to Jefferson -- home of the famous Bohnets.

Look for more posts and pictures in the days ahead.

-- Josh Damm '06