ROUGH ITINERARY:
This page gives a pretty good accounting of what is included in the "Team PA Pestilence" experience. Make sure you take a look and see what you think. In a nutsell, an abbreviated itinerary would be as follows:
Friday July 22nd
- Leave 100 ave. D & H north, Riverside PA 17868 at 5:00 a.m. According to Mapquest, it's 12 hours and 14 minutes drive from my doorstep to Muscatine, Iowa. So let's leave ourselves a little leaway and say 14 hours with stops. That puts us in Muscatine by 7:00 p.m. Enought daylight left to set up camp, and get something to eat or drink and get to bed.
Saturday July 23rd
- Get up early and get into the 7:45 a.m. shuttle predetermined pick-up spot. We will be taking an "East to West Shuttle" service provided by Pork Belly Ventures, so it will take about 4 hours plus time to get gear settled and unpacked on either end. So that will eat up most of this day and still give us some time to hang out a bit on the Glenwood side of things to have some fun.
Sunday, July 24th
- The ride gets started and the cycling fun begins. This is a "wing it" kind of experience once we get started. Everyone will be settling in on this day and getting a feel for the ride. Enjoy that experience. Once you get to the Overnight town of Shenendoah, get your gear from the transport truck and get your camp set-up, we will get back together (if you like), and hit the town.
Monday, July 25th
- Everyone will want to see and do their own things at RAGBRAI. This is why we are a team, but we don't even attempt to stay together like a gaggle of ducks. It's not going to happen, nor should it. This is about flow, and doing the things YOU want to do. Sometimes that means we spend a good deal of time together. Sometimes it means we do a more solo kind of day. It's all good!
Tuesday, July 26th
- RAGBRAI is an adventure each time. There isn't a right way or wrong way to do it. When we want to hang out together, our Team Jerseys and googlie-eyes and antennas: will make it easy to recognize each other in the crowd and support each other. By this time in the ride, you are starting to "get it". You understand the system of packing in the morning, riding, eating, drinking, arriving, setting-up camp, and then heading out again. That is each day.
Wednesday, July 27th
- So now that you know what you are doing, we'll throw a monkey wrench into that machine. On Wednesday night, it is my intention of hooking up with a property owner in Centerville. Her name and contact info is as follows:
Jan Spurgeon
601 N 1st St
Centerville IA
641-856-2440
email: jan@pcsplus.us
This will break the monotony of camping with the masses every night. Plus, I hope we make a new friend. We might look for LAUNDRY SERVICE at this point in the week. Some Team members in the past have liked something different mid-week.
Thursday, July 28th
- Back to the grind (but maybe now with clean gear). On Thursday we go from Centerville to Ottumwa. It will be the same as every other day, with the exception that we will begin at the 1st street location, and then end in Ottumwa with the other rabble at the mass camp area. From there, into town and fun!
Friday, July 29th
- Ottumwa to Washington. This is another typical RAGBRAI day of sweating and riding . Stop in the little towns along the way, and have a blast! Remember RAGBRAI is not a race. This is usually the GRAND FINALE of RAGBRAI and the biggest bands play their gigs in the town. Try to save enough energy to attend. Last night in a tent!
Saturday, July 30th
- Washington to Muscatine. A nice ride back to the mighty Mississippi. Once we get into Muscatine, we will get in the van and drive to the Davenport area, we will all get together, get in the van and drive to our overnight accommodations (hotel bed and hot shower without a line). Get a good night sleep and head for home early the next morning.
Sunday, July 31st
- Van leaves the Davenport hotel no later than 6:00 a.m. This puts us back in Riverside, PA no later than 8:00 p.m. with stops. And that's a wrap.