Bristol Board of Finance member John Smith went to my home state of Iowa last month to pedal his bicycle hundreds of miles from the Missouri River on its western border to the Mississippi on the east ide of the state.
I wrote a story for The Bristol Press about John's annual participation in RAGBRI, a hugely popular bike ride initially started by a couple writers for the Des Moines Register. I've never taken part in RAGBRI myself, though I love to bike and I love Iowa, so I am impressed that John ships his bike out to the Midwest nearly every summer to make the journey.
He enjoys the ride, the towns, the scenery, the warmth of the people and the experience of being part of thousands of people from around the world converging on this Midwestern state for a week.
The harsh weather? It's just part of the challenge.
Not very many Connecticut residents have spent any time in Iowa, so I love to hear John talk about how much he likes the place. I also appreciate his perspective on the landscape, which, while not at all mountainous, is decidely not flat.
The story I wrote appeared while I was in Iowa myself. I'm back in Connecticut now, trying to catch up a bit, but didn't want you to miss this.
The photo above is one John gave me. It shows a little of the landscape, a small number of the riders and John on the far right, pumping up the hill.
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