The masterminding of RAGBRAI is mind-boggling.
Most questions we got were around these three topics:
Food. KYBOs. And overnight stays.
Food
There were numerous food options!
A variety of food trucks follow the RAGBRAI route, setting up in pass-through towns, in the meeting town (near the midpoint of the ride for that day), or in the destination/overnight town.
The next day they do the same thing…
Our favorite breakfast vendor, set up in the first pass-through town each day.
Local churches and organizations also set up food booths, making the most of the opportunity for a potential huge fundraiser.
Mr. Pork Chop, a popular food vendor of RAGBRAI riders, often sets up in a large pull-off area in the countryside.
He roasts corn cobs over a large grate, then grills the pork chops over the heat.
We’re told he operates one week out of the year – yes, that’s RAGBRAI!
Beekmans homemade ice cream is likely the most popular stop along the route. They also usually set up in the countryside and serve thousands of riders every day.
Stay tuned to hear more about Beekmans. They deserve their own blog post!
More Food Options
Just a sampling of other food options…
KYBOs
Apparently, this is a RAGBRAI term. I heard it several times before I realized what they were talking about. The port-a-potties!
We googled it and found out it stands for…. are you ready for this? ….. Keep Your Bowels Open!!!
Every pass-thru town, meeting town, and the overnight town had kybos by the dozens. You may have to stand in line for a while, but you were guaranteed there would be a kybo in the next town.
However, there are a few places along the way where cornfields got some extra nutrients!
Overnight Stay
Our experience was unique in that we were with a group from our hometown that had their own bus. Our bus transported our belongings to the overnight towns.
Leaders of our group made reservations with a host family in each overnight town – allowing us to use their yard to set up camp and to use at least one toilet and shower. All of the host families except one, had at least 2, if not more, bathrooms and showers available.
Our bus driver thoughtfully put up our tents for us! And placed our tubs (each rider could bring 2 tubs) next to our tent.
Other options for overnight stays included local hotels and host families. But most riders stayed in tents and took advantage of RAGBRAI transporting their belongings to the overnight towns.
There were also charter buses that riders could sign up for. Often, these chartered buses also set up tents for their riders.
Local ball fields, church yards, and schoolyards were used to set up camps.
More questions/thoughts? Let us know in the comments below. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have.
