RAGBRAI Memory Lane

During my RAGBRAI training I've thought of so many little RAGBRAI memories from when I was young. I went back to Ames over the 4th of July and went through my scrap books and found loads of great photos. Here's the first set of memories:

RAGBRAI is exhausting.




















No really, it's exhausting!














I ride with Team Skunk. Here's a great family photo op.








Keeping cool. Notice the orange thing I have in my mouth. That's the first thing I'm looking for on the RAGBRAI journey. It's an orange flavored sherbet that's out of this world. There are so many photos where I'm tackling one of these bad boys.





Santa and Rudolph hanging out on RAGBRAI. He didn't bring me any presents, but when I lost a tooth on RAGBRAI I got a few empty beer cans under my pillow... It sounds bad now, but I think it was just a recycling joke.








Check out the fanny pack.



















My fine photo skills. Mom and dad look great though!








Sweet shades! I made those sunglasses holders on the bus trip out to the first town and sold them to anyone and everyone.

I might do it again this year. You know, snack money.





Family looking great. I see my dad has one of those tiny-brim hats. I wonder where that thing went!











Food in one hand, money in the other. I also made that headband. Sold a few of those too. Wish I still fit in those shorts.














My dad and I on the tandem.












A slave to fashion, even at a young age.

















RAGBRAI is getting closer! I had a few emails about logistics when I got back in the office today. If you haven't heard, My name is Alisa and I work here at Channel 13. They're sending me on RAGBRAI and I've been chronicling my training here on my blog and on Twitter at @alisa_who. Look for me on The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa!

What's your favorite RAGBRAI food?

On Sunday, RAGBRAI posed a question on their Facebook page that got me reminiscing. “Name your favorite food during RAGBRAI”. I opened the feed to see if some of my favorites were listed. Here’s what I found:

At least half of the 230 some odd answers were “Beer”… or “Liquid Bread” as one fan put it. That counts as carb-loading right?

Beer is an obvious choice. But I was looking for content. Pure, unadulterated gluttony. I was thinking about the best breakfast and must-stop lunch spots from my childhood, and wondering if anyone remembered a long-lost favorite.

So without further adieu, here are my top 5 RAGBRAI foods:

5. Blue Bunny ice cream bars: I remember stopping in the middle of a scorching July day to hug some poor intern who was dressed as the Blue Bunny and get a chocolate dipped ice cream bar. It was the highlight of my summer. Forget Cinderella and Disney World, this rabbit was a celebrity in my book. Plus he gave me ice cream…

4. Corn on the cob: This one’s obvious. We all do our part to fertilize the fields (hey, there aren’t always Kybos). So we deserve to indulge in some butter-drenched cobs of corn.

3. Turkey Tom’s Tenderloins: This was my lunch, every day. No need to even ask what I wanted. I would be content with this oversized patty of breaded meat on a tiny bun. (anyone ever notice that a kid’s tenderloin is the same size patty with a smaller bun?) This was a popular Facebook favorite too. I’m in good company.

2. Chris Cakes Pancakes: Another fan fav. Chris (that’s what I call everyone who work’s at Chris’s Cakes) is making cakes in a frenzy and tossing them to whoever can catch-um. You don’t have to stand in line for long if you’ve got good hands. They literally THROW the pancakes at you. If, however, you can’t catch… You not only let down your father, you have to stand in line till the front.

1. Orange sherbet served in the orange peel: This is my Holy Grail. I remember eating it on hot days during RAGBRAI, but no one else remembers them. It’s like that doll I had as a kid that I SWEAR had a yellow striped jumpsuit, but we found it a few years ago and it had a blue jumpsuit… My mom say’s I’m crazy and that it’s always been blue. But I know, in my tiny child eyes, that dress was YELLOW. Anyway, the sherbet… It’s just a scoop of orange sherbet in one half of an orange peel. Spoon-less deliciousness. I’m going to be on the hunt this year for this little gem.

Those are my favorites. And while searching my mind-archives for my favorites, I stumbled across my least favorite palate memory of early RAGBRAI days: Powerbars. Blech.

Follow RAGBRAI on Facebook at facebook.com/RAGBRAI

I had to laugh at this page when I stumbled upon it:

A little RAGBRAI humor: http://www.wadenelson.com/kybo.html