turtlePacker
- Active 3 weeks, 1 day ago
turtlePacker replied to the topic Community Housing in the forum RAGBRAI XLVII – 2019 8 months ago
To clarify: there’s no expectation of being in hosts’ home. We camp. My post is mostly a rumination about the apparent uselessness of applying for host matching through the official channels. Not looking for pampering, just wanting to plan ahead for where we’re going to lay down for the night. I’m a planner. It’s like a nervous tic.
turtlePacker replied to the topic Where to next year? in the forum RAGBRAI XLVII – 2019 8 months, 1 week ago
Both would WDM & Marion on same route would be great! But implies more central route than north.
turtlePacker started the topic Community Housing in the forum RAGBRAI XLVII – 2019 8 months, 1 week ago
Anybody else apply for community housing through official town sites this year? My small team of 4 applied in both Fairfield & Centerville, with bad results in both. I applied early, and heard from Centerville promptly, so props to them for that. Bad new from them was that our “host” was offering a vacant lot about a mile from town without wat…[Read more]
turtlePacker replied to the topic Was this year a bust? in the forum RAGBRAI XLVII – 2019 8 months, 1 week ago
I think in general most people were friendly and happy to see us. I did notice a certain undertone of resentment in a few places – people who glared as we passed instead of the usual smiles. I chalk it up to the generally ugly political climate we’re all living through. Not pointing any fingers in any particular direction, just noting that r…[Read more]
turtlePacker posted an update 8 months, 1 week ago
I think i’m Done with paying a fee to each overnight town and applying for community housing. I’m part of a very small team, just 4 of us, and I suspect our size makes us not a priority for accommodations. In Centerville we were offered a vacant lot without water or electricity – which would have been fine for some RVs I guess, but is sub…[Read more]
turtlePacker replied to the topic Observations about the ride in the forum RAGBRAI XLVII – 2019 8 months, 1 week ago
I don’t know if this was a RAGBRAI thing or an overnight town thing, but this was a constant source of irritation for our support drivers (small team of 4, we trade off riding/driving): campgrounds on all the town maps are just marked as campgrounds, but when you go to find a campsite you find out that it’s all reserved for some charter or oth…[Read more]
turtlePacker replied to the topic Baggage suggestions? in the forum RAGBRAI XLVII – 2019 1 year ago
Good point about moisture, Chris. The 50 lb limit is for the entire package (bag + anything attached to it), correct?
turtlePacker replied to the topic Baggage suggestions? in the forum RAGBRAI XLVII – 2019 1 year ago
Yeah, that’s my plan. Unfortunately doesn’t make tent any smaller!
turtlePacker started the topic Baggage suggestions? in the forum RAGBRAI XLVII – 2019 1 year ago
I usually ride with a small family team with our own support vehicle, but my sibs are thinking about starting the route about a third of the way in and I’m toying with starting on my own in Council Bluffs and meeting up with them later in the week. So – thinking about the baggage truck, and packing a bag for same. I don’t have a suitable bag and…[Read more]
turtlePacker replied to the topic Fiasco in Sigourney in the forum RAGBRAI XLVI – 2018 1 year, 8 months ago
We drove into Sigourney in the late morning, looking for a campsite for our little team of 4. We went to the fairgrounds first, only to find all the flat ground already occupied by RVs and the kybos few and far between. Then we went to the high school and found heaven: sheltered, quiet spot just a few feet from the entrance to the school, which…[Read more]