For the third year in a row we are riding our bikes across Iowa. I know it sounds crazy but the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) is really a big celebration of bikes and life. There’s nothing else like it!

On our way to Council Bluffs, Iowa, the start of this year’s ride, we traveled through Kansas, rode a bit, and visited Steve’s brother Gary, his wife Kristy, and their kids Brynn and Hudson.

Our first stop after leaving Denver was Topeka. And our first stop in Topeka was the Iron Rail Brewery. We’re beginning to make local breweries a habit!

The next morning we did a nice ride on dedicated bike paths through Topeka. It’s nice to find these trails, which keep us from riding in traffic.

While in Topeka we hit up another National Historic Site (and picked up another stamp in our Passport).

The Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic site commemorates the landmark court case that desegregated public schools and launched further civil rights legislation. The site is an old school, which was of interest to Steve, and we learned a lot about the impact of this important decision that began to shift the nation’s thinking on race.

From Topeka we headed to Kansas City, KS and the comfortable home of Gary & Kristy. We love staying in their basement suite with our favorite Weimaraners, Nelly and Ruby, at our feet.

Kansas City, like Topeka, has some great multi-use trails for biking and we explored them. Time with Hudson and Brynn was icing on the cake.

Now we are embarking on our seven day ride across the state of Iowa. Recent floods have altered the landscape at both ends of the ride, the Missouri River at the start and the Mississippi River at the end.

Today’s heat warnings (and high humidity) is expected to break tomorrow with a little rain and then cooler temperatures the rest of the week. Fingers crossed that the weather gods cooperate and our days are comfortable and safe. We’ll provide an update once the ride is complete next week. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!