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!
1 comment:
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