Flint and Jubilee’s next adventure.

For those of you who don’t understand the names, Flint and Jubilee were the trail names we assumed in 2007 when we attempted another great adventure. It was that year we started from Georgia on the Appalachian Trail headed for Maine, 2274 miles away. Alas, after only 550 miles a knee problem forced us to quit, rather, I was forced to quit and Jen quit with me.

I spent a year with a chiropractor, under direction of a physical therapist, with a trainer at the gym, and against the recommendation of my orthopedic doctor trying to rehab my knee. We returned to the trail in Virginia in 2008 at the place we left it, 360 days later. It didn’t take long to realize it wasn’t going to happen. We hiked for about 6 weeks and made a total of 800 miles, although we hiked most of the 250 extra miles without our backpacks.

It was a great adventure. We had a fabulous time. The only way I could ever make the hike again would be by getting a knee replacement and then the other knee would probably become a problem. If you want to read more about it, look for documentation in this blog. Look in 2007 posts.

So now we are going for a new adventure. It is not as time consuming, 7 days instead of 7 months; not as far, 465 miles rather than 2274. It is called Ragbrai, which stands for Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Register stands for the Des Moines, Iowa Register, the newspaper that sponsors the ride. 8500 riders ride an average of 66 miles per day for 7 days, camping each night in designated campgrounds. The 8500 week long riders are joined by 1500 daily riders, making a total of 10,000 riders each day. It should be a very interesting sight.

We have joined a team, the Big Dogs, invited by an old friend from New Mexico who now lives in Nebraska. The biggest possible problem is the necessity to enter a lottery for the ride. More people apply than can ride. That is the reason for joining a team. It increases our chances of drawing out.

Next post I will share our training plans so we will be ready for the ride.

Then soon, look for the announcement of our Greatest Adventure Ever. Well that might be a little hyperbole, having children has to rank as the greatest adventure ever. But we are planning a biggie. Stay tuned.