summer update #2: RAGBRAI

Mr. Pork Chop
Originally uploaded by deepfry.

i biked across Iowa with 15,000 of my nearest and dearest. in its 34th year, RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Greater Bike Ride Across Iowa) is kind of a combination of State Fair, beer garden and bike ride. it is definitely a ride, not a race. to put it mildly.

biking between 50 and 100 miles a day means you can eat with abandon. and wow, do those 15,000 take this to heart! even in the 95 degree humid midwestern heat. one particularly popular option is Mr. Pork Chop, who sets up somewhere along the road each day. and each day, whether he's 10 miles or 60 miles into the route, there's at least an hour wait. how someone can eat a hot grilled pork chop in the middle of a long bike ride in the 95 degree humid midwestern heat is beyond me. but i'm weak. i prefer smoothies.


i did particularly enjoy, though, spaghetti cooked with chicken at the end of my century ride. here's the master himself, preparing my delicious dinner. i probably could've eaten a heaping wok full of the stuff by the time i rolled into town.