Team Pictures

I think we captured everyone that made it to the Davenport meeting site between these two pictures. And you have to love the raised hands.

I'll post a link as soon as possible with more pictures and higher resolution images of these three pictures.

Thanks Team Simpson for another great ride!

Signs Along the Way

I have been thinking about the wonderful new Kent Campus Center that we will soon have at Simpson. Part of the reason it has been so much on my mind right now is that demolition began this week on the old Brenton Student Center. Signs like the one above have also kept me thinking about the exciting new project that will be available for Simpson students next fall.

Neighborhood Friends

Here you see Anne and Tom '75 Shandley, Cathy Shandley Harris '77, and Bob Shandley '85. The Shandley kids grew up just north of the Simpson campus on C Street. We were glad to have them with us on RAGBRAI this year.

Trustees on the Trail

Team Simpson was joined on the ride by Simpson trustees Rich Willis '74, Rose Kleyweg Mitchell '77, Fred Hubbell, and David Weesner. Pictured above, Rich Willis, Rose Mitchell, and her husband Jerry '76, all Simpson alums, take a break in Bondurant.

Amy Usher Gregston

Talk about service from our leaders--Bryan woke up with a red and irritated left eye and next thing we know, Chris had scheduled an appt. with a doctor in Indianola. Found out has an eye infection. Good day into Altoona. Had a fabulous pumpkin bar and cinnamon roll in one of the small towns. Drove to Beth King Coffey's house to have a shower and relaxing day in her AC house. Off to Spaghetti Works dinner and then back to the tent in Altoona.

Top 5 List

Since I only got to do half the ride this year, I will do half a Top Ten List. What follows would be my Top 5 things on the RAGBRAI Ride 2011:

#5 My friend and c0-rider Shawn breaking out his new expo-purchased gloves for the ride on Sunday morning, only to complain about how he did not get a very good deal. Once, however, he figured out the gloves were on the wrong hands and the padding NOT on his palms . . . 30 miles into the ride . . . it seemed a better purdchase.

#4 All the great hospitality of our hosts on the over night stops . . . including the "all you can eat" pasta special at the United Methodist Church in Carroll and the wonderful host families in Glenwood and Atlantic.

#3 The Dedham Bologna-inspired conversation about bologna and SPAM as staples of many of our childhoods, but realizing, that we have never fed it to our children . . . then repeating again that night.

#2 McQueen leading the entire Bloomers patrons . . . willing or unwilling . . . in a rousing rendition of the wave. Whoooooooo!

#1 The awesome job that the Team Simpson group did in making the ride so much fun and making Team Simpson a great RAGBRAI family . . . especially since my own family bailed on me this year.

I am truly thankful to have been a part of RAGBRAI 2011. Have a great rest of the week.

Bob Krapfl

Overnight in Boone

We are enjoying wonderful hospitality in the Simpson family with Jerry and Joyce Peterson hosting us at their home in Boone. Also pictured with them above is their son, Jordan, a 2010 Simpson grad who will be starting medical school at the University of Iowa this fall, the Carver College of Medicine.

The Peterson's other son, Grant, also graduated from Simpson, in 2006, and attended medical school at the University of Iowa as well.

As you can see from the photo above, the Petersons have a beautiful back yard that is totally shaded at 2 p.m. I know that we are going to enjoy a very comfortable evening here at their home.