Big Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow our town is a stop on the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI). RAGBRAI started in 1973 and has turned into a big event; people come from all over to participate. Each year the route changes and different towns are selected as "stops" along the way. The riders spend the night in the hosting city, and it is the duty of each city to present its warmest welcome for the riders. :) This should be interesting. Our population is normally around 3,000. Tomorrow night they are predicting to have about 20,000 people crammed into this little town! We agreed to host a few riders at our home...and were asked to take 13! A lot of work and planning has gone into this, and tonight I managed to find 20 minutes to spare between supper and church, so I grabbed the D40 and ran out to get a few shots of the preparations.

Interesting things have been popping up around town here and there over the course of the last few weeks...for starters, the arch over the highway the riders will be coming in on:


I was startled when I happened to catch a glimpse of...bikes on telephone poles?


...all along the route!


Continuing down the street towards the park, where many riders will be able to camp and shower...the city distributed a map with separate routes for bicycles, pedestrians, automobiles and shuttles.





Hard at work preparing the downtown area. There will be entertainment stages set up, food vendors...and I am fairly certain there will be no chance of driving through here the next few days!


The orange barricade is being installed all over downtown... (and yes, I am the crazy photographer who stopped at a green light to take a picture)


...and everywhere you turn are trash cans and, of course, port-a-johnnies! (Let's just admit it, I rocked the port-a-johnny shot. It's my new calling)


I had to get a shot of the Hawkeye truck!


At the park entrance


More bikes on poles...


...and, someone has set up a tent already!


So, this should be a really exciting event for our town. I am thinking I won't get much work done tomorrow--just might have to take the girls (and my camera!) for a stroll downtown and check out what's happening!