|
Hello Porkers,
Lots of important info coming
your way this weekend, with a belly laugh or two to get you in
the mood for your corny vacation. From the sound of your
letters and notes, you are WAY into the mood already. From
here on out, Porkers, make sure you read your updates
carefully. We'll do our part by labeling them and
letting you know what you can skip or delete, but you must
READ CAREFULLY WHAT APPLIES TO YOU. Otherwise you might
miss our refund deadline (90% refund before Wednesday, June
18th, and no refunds on or after June 18th, and our service is
non-transferrable). Heads up or you could miss an
important announcement, an opportunity, or even a bus.
Expect both your June Letter and your Pork Belly Creed this
weekend.
THIS EMAIL IS FOR EVERYBODY. Two quick
announcements before we talk about Iowa weather. Pete
will be away from home from June 15th to the 19th, so write to
Tammy (tammypav@aol.com) or to both of us during that time. And Tammy is
now a year-round resident of the Hawkeye State, has been for a
few weeks. My new home phone is 712-328-0161. Mike
arrives tomorrow, just in time to rake up all the stuff that's
fallen out of our oaks during the recent storms. Aloha,
Honolulu. Hello, Iowa.
And now, about the
weather. A lot of you Porkers have been writing to us
with deep concern for Iowans affected by the storms, and we
appreciate your notes more than we can say. Juli from
Southern California wrote, "it looks like all of Iowa is under
water." Well, we'd like you to know that you're not
seeing the whole story or the whole state in your newspaper.
When you drive around Iowa, Porkers, it just looks like
Iowa-very, very green, but too wet in places. Our friend
in Cedar Falls tells us it looks like the Cedar River
will not flood their town after all. (He said his
shoulders are still sore from filling sand-bags all day
Monday!) Yes, there's water in some fields and some crops
will be lost, as they were in 1993, when there was
considerable flooding in June. Of course we feel at least as
bad as you do for the residents of downtown Cedar Rapids and
Iowa City, but that's all the more reason for RAGBRAI to roll
through Cedar and Johnson Counties, dropping $2 million per
day to help turn things around and cheer people up. What
can you do to help? Well, just be a Corn Star.
Live like a pig. Come to Iowa, be nice to your hosts,
and consume your share of chops and iced team and sweet corn
and pie. More than ever, you and the other 10,000 riders
will make a world of difference to our state.
To those
of you who have asked if RAGBRAI will be affected by the
recent storms, our most important message is this. The
RAGBRAI director wrote today that "the ride is on; spread the
word." Maybe we'll see minor route changes like we did
in 1993, but don't underestimate five weeks of summer sun and
winds across the prairie.
We know
better than to predict the weather, but we think you can plan
on a "normal" RAGBRAI. You'll see some variety during your
week in the corn. Some headwinds and some tailwinds,
misty mornings, cool evenings, hot afternoons. And into
each RAGBRAI, some rain must fall. As they do every
year, each of your host towns has put together an emergency
plan in case a thunderstorm gets organized. If that happens,
you'll probably hear the voice of a sheriff's deputy on a
loudspeaker and then you might take shelter in a designated
building like a gym. But hey, we could get lucky again
and have no rain whatsoever during any cycling day for the
third year running.
Midwesterners are pretty tough, but we don't know any
who wouldn't be touched by the concerns and good wishes you've
sent to us from all over the country. Thanks much, and
we're proud to have you travel with us this
July.
Emails will be flying at you like hotcakes now,
Porkers. Yes, flying at you like hotcakes. In
about a month, you RAGBRAI virgins will get that joke.
Until then, we remain,
Your friends,
Tammy and
Pete
Tammy (Phillips)
Pavich Pete
Phillips
712/328-0161or tammypav@aol.com 712/328-6836
or petephillips@cox.net
|
