Harold finishes the RAGRAI

 Harold arrived back in Clinton, Iowa on Saturday the 28th, weary but happy.  End of an odyssey.

Harold's new look.

"Be thirsty, my friends....."

Harold rides the RABRAI

RAGBRAI riders passing through the town of Aurelia Iowa on Tuesday. 

We are now in Iowa and Harold is riding in the RABRAI (Register Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) while I do some painting and wait with Gabby and the motorhome in Davenport for him to reach this side of Iowa.  Harold seems to have survived and was even cheerful after the  first and second days  of the ride despite temperatures above 100 degrees on the road.  It sounds brutal  They travelled 55 and 62 miles respectively on those first two days.  Today is another scorcher and they will be travelling 83 miles today.  He's starting at 5:30 every morning to beat the heat, and has been arriving by 10:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. in the next night's town.  Today he expects to arrive around mid afternoon.  He's having a great time meeting people from all over the country. 

After Cody we spent a couple of days in Casper, WY, where we found only two really worthwhile things to do.  There was a great little art museum that I enjoyed and we both felt that  the Interpretive Trails Museum, about the 19th century population of the West via the Mormon, California and Oregon trails, was a first class experience.  The exhibits, many of which were interactive, such as sitting inside a replica of a conestoga wagon while in front of us was a movie of what it would look like from inside a wagon as it forged a stream.  As the movie progressed, the wagon bounced around as it would have crossing the stream.  Not to be missed if you're in Casper.  We also went to the Casper rodeo and enjoyed ourselves, but it didn't come up to the Cody experience which was big on pageant as well as the normal rodeo events.

Posted by Barbara

Cody, Wyoming

    Have been here the past four days.  Highlights have been the Buffalo Bill Museums which are excellent.  Also, the nightly rodeo (throughout the summer), which we highly recommend.  They are exciting and professionally produced and a great two hours.  We left a little awed by the skill and bravery of the cowboys and cowgirls.

 We saw this little girl (9 years old) and her two 13-year-old sisters do trick riding.  Guts and a lot of personality, too!

 The woman on the right is doing barrel racing, something like a slalom race on skis but on horseback instead.  Both the riders and the horses were awesome.  Look how the horse is leaning into the barrel.  They can't knock the barrel down or they lose points.

The bull riding is the most dangerous of all the events and came last.  Only men ride the bulls.  Riders had to stay on at least 8 seconds.  About half of them were able to do it. 

In addition, we saw: calf roping; boys (10-year olds) riding bucking steers (not one of them stayed on longer than one second); bronco busting; a lot of pageantry such as a choreographed group of women carrying American flags and doing all kinds of routines on horseback; and one woman who rode around the arena standing upright on the back of her horse and carrying the American flag above her.  Real Americana.

Jackson, Wyoming

   Just like last year, we really enjoy Jackson, WY.  Jackson Hole ("hole" just means valley) is a beautiful area, just south of the Teton National Park and cut through by the Snake River.  We've done a bike ride together out to the Jackson Hole Ski Resort, and yesterday Harold made a 44-mile training ride up to Jenny Lake in the Teton National Park, all on a great paved bicycle path.  He said it was a gorgeous ride. 
    Went for a hike in the Laurence Rockefeller Preserve, also part of the National Park.  John D. Rockefeller, back in the 1920s and 30s, bought up ranches around the Teton National Park, 33,000 acres in all and gifted all but 3300 acres to the National Park in the 1940s.  The 3300 acres passed on to his son Laurence who, in 2000, gave the rest of it to the park.  He tore down all the personal buildings of the Rockefellers and basically restored the area to a pristine wilderness which features a hiking path to a mountain lake, passing through a beautiful wetlands area.
    Finally, last night we went to a barbecue dinner which included musical entertainment and a ride in conestoga wagons up into a canyon, pulled by enormous draft horses.  Today is the Fourth and the day starts with a pancake breakfast on the square, followed by a parade, followed by an outdoor musical event.  There will be no fireworks because of the wildfire danger that is still high.
   

Had a little trouble getting out of Montana because these cowboys had to herd their cattle across our highway.

Entering Jackson Hole, coming over the pass from Idaho.

Harold and Gabby on the ride to the ski resort, Grand Tetons in the background.

On the hike in the Laurence Rockfeller Preserve.

Wetlands in the Preserve.

Mountain lake in the Preserve.

Wagon train to the Bar T barbecue and musical revue.

360-degree take on the wagons waiting to take us back down the canyon after the barbecue.  (If you click on this photo you will have a fun experience.  This photo is made by a $1 app for Barbara's iPhone.  Very cool.)