Native's kids visit Iowa for first time on RAGBRAI

Clear Lake — Though 58-year-old Tom Murray is from Storm Lake, his kids, who live in China and Minnesota, had never visited the state.

So, Tom though RAGBRAI was the perfect chance for them to meet some “Iowa Nice.”

“All too often in the Twin Cities, everyone is in a hurry,” Murray said. “In Iowa, it’s all about meeting people and making relationships.”

His 25-year-old son, John,  traveled from Chongqing, China to ride RAGBRAI along with his father and brother, Joe, 21.

“In China, you’re biking on a road that will have cars and buses,” John said. “You really have to watch out.

For Tom and Joe, biking is difficult in the major cities in Minnesota.

“A lot of the communities around there are not meant for bikers,” Tom said.

But are Clear Lake, Tom said he was amazed by the environment and hospitality.

“It was amazing to come down and around the lake and have people waving at us,” Tom said.

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