Dear Porkers,
The first couple of topics here are
for those arriving in Omaha next month. Then we have a
variety of little info-blurbs, something for everyone, we
hope.
Omaha Arrival Info
I, Tammy, am catching up on
the backlog and getting ready to do the bus schedule for
Omaha. Thanks to those who have already sent arrival
dates, times, airlines, and flight numbers. If you
haven't, please do that soon in order to get the bus you
want. If I fill the noon bus, for instance, and then
find out later that you arrive at 11:15, you could end up
waiting until 2:00. No apologies, please, for missing
the "due date." We know you're busy too. See the
list of questions at the end of this email (included at the
end of our June Letter), and do your best to send answers to
tammypav@aol.com . (See note on
shipping below.)
Very LATE Arrivals in Omaha
A few
people are arriving in Omaha far too late on Saturday, July
19th, to use our shuttle to Missouri Valley, and they are
wondering if anybody else is in the same boat. We have a
small group that would like to share a cab at about 8:30 p.m.,
and one fellow who is arriving at 11:30 p.m. If you're
interested, please write to
tammypav@aol.com and let me know when
you arrive and whether you'll have a bike with you. If
you're bound for the Pork campsite in Mo Valley, great.
If you're joining another group in Mo Valley, write
anyhow. Maybe you can work something out. If you
write to me, I'll assume that I have your permission to share
your email address with the others.
Bike Shipping To
and From
Almost all the details have been worked out on
shipping. The process will not be complicated, but we
have to run our text by FedEx before sending to you.
Bottom line, you'll pay normal retail to ship to us, but
you'll get a nice bargain on shipping back home. Thanks
for your patience, and again, don't feel obligated to answer
the shipping questions below. Feel free to wait for the
full story on shipping.
RAGBRAI Wristbands and
Numbers
Send your number to Tammy, please. Everyone
who travels with PBV must be a registered rider. Let us
know if you're buying. There are quite a few sellers
we'd like to help.
Cots, Chairs, and Furniture
In
the past, we have asked all Porkers not to bring these
items. We still don't want you to bring stereos, gas
grills, or refrigerators, but we're kind of loosening up on
the cots and chairs. Here's the thing. You'll get
two bag tags from us, and we've announced several times that
you need to be able to lift your packed bags over your
head. If you have room for one of those collapsing cots,
and it doesn't increase the number of bags or make your bags
too heavy, then bring your cot. Or camp stool, or
whatever. (There's a type that webs out into a cot, but
collapses into a compact cylinder-shape. That's nice for
packing.) If this liberality on our part ends up creating big
problems for our bag-loaders, we reserve the right to
confiscate--oh, we probably can't do that. We reserve
the right to change our minds next year, but we're hoping
everybody is being reasonable about what to pack. Pack
like a pig. Thanks!
The Virtues of the Thermarest
Pad
You've been there. First you're in heaven,
stretched out on your air mattress, and then your butt slowly
eases onto the ground. Then your shoulder blades touch,
then your whole back, and pretty soon the dang thing is
flat. Not so with the Thermarest pad. It's more
compact than an air mattress, more durable, and it puts three
cushy inches between you and the ground. By Tuesday of
RAGBRAI, I start finding air mattresses stuffed into trash
barrels. Save them to use on plush carpet for your
houseguests. For the rigors of RAGBRAI, you need a
Thermarest pad.
How Many Bikes on
the East/West Shuttle?
When planning for adequate truck
space, we will assume that each person on the east/west
shuttle will have one bike to load on our trucks. A few
people have let us know they are bringing an extra bike for
another Porker who is using one of our other bus
services. So far, we're still okay on space. But
if you have extra bikes for the e/w shuttle, and you haven't
yet told us your plans, please write to
tammypav@aol.com . It'll probably be
fine, but we need to know. (Mona and Phil, you've
reminded us a few times, and thanks!) Same goes for
tandems or anything oversized. Just remind us that
you're bringing that type of bike.
A Classified
Ad
For Sale! 2 week long rider wrist bands.
$130 each. 2 Medium 2008 RAGBRAI Jerseys (short sleeved)
$55 each. If you buy both bands and both jerseys, I'll
throw in the Premium Souvenir pack (newspapers from the Des
Moines Register for each day, shipped to you after the event)
FREE! Contact Shanna at
tingoms@tingomgroup.com or
602-432-8972!
Thanks, Porkers. The set of
questions from the June Letter is pasted in below. We'll
be sending another bunch of tips from our veterans (thanks,
vets, for the good advice I've gotten so far), a link to the
amazing Elders on YouTube, and the whole story on bike
shipping very soon. Stay tuned.
See you pretty
soon!
Tammy and Pete
FINAL INFO FOR PBV, DUE
ASAP
Include your first and last name, please and
answer any of the following questions that apply to you.
Email your info to tammypav@aol.com. If you doubt that
you sent this info, it won't bother us if you send
again. Better safe than sorry.
For
everyone:
o What is your
RAGBRAI Wristband Number?
For those meeting us in
Omaha:
o Flying or
driving?
o What day will you
arrive in Omaha, Friday or Saturday, the 18th or
19th?
o If you arrive Saturday,
what time do you arrive?
o
Airline and flight number, if
applicable.
o Which Omaha hotel
on which nights, if applicable.
To those who will
present an unboxed bike to be loaded on our
trucks:
o Is your bike a
tandem, recumbent, or odd-sized? Something other than a
road bike or hybrid?
To those who want PBV to store a
box during the week:
o Is it a
hard-shell bike case or a flattened cardboard bike
box?
If you need to wait on the information below,
please send the rest now.
For those shipping bikes
to/from FedEx/PBV:
o How many
bikes do you plan to ship to the Council Bluffs
FedEx?
o What day will it
arrive-7/14, 7/15, 7/16, 7/17, or
7/18?
o Do you plan to ship
bikes home from our campsite in Le
Claire?
o Is your bike a
tandem, a recumbent, or oversized? Is it just a
normal-sized bike?
Anything else we should know
about you? Call or write us a note.
Tammy (Phillips)
Pavich
Pete Phillips
712/328-0161
712/328-6836
tammypav@aol.com petephillips@cox.net 