Every July thousands of bicycle riders pedal across the state of Iowa, starting at the Missouri River, ending a week later with dipping a wheel in the Mississippi.
RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) has been going on since started by a couple of Des Moines Register reporters in 1973. It’s the longest, largest, and oldest bicycle touring event in the world.
Riders snaked through the tiny town of Dexter, Iowa, last Monday–during the same week the the Barrow Gang hid out in Dexfield Park in 1933, visiting Dexter for food and medicines.
Bonnie and Clyde greeted bikers and visitors on main street, but were a little too blatant about their presence–Bonnie with her cigar, Clyde wearing a fedora. The were soon arrested and handcuffed by the Dallas County Sheriff.
Josie Bittner, who will be a Sophomore at West Central Valley this fall, played a spirited Bonnie Parker, and Braiden Beane, who will be a freshman at WCV, was terrific as Clyde Barrow.
The Dexter Museum, as well as other Dexter places of interest, were open and enjoyed having visitors–from 26 different states, as well as from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Each night the bikers are entertained in a different host town, where they stay overnight. They make the Iowa print and TV news all week long.
Here’s the best fun 5 1/2 minute video about the Iowa niceness of RAGBRAI. Even our cops get in on the fun.
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The Dexter Museum Board members with Bonnie and Clyde.
Photos courtesy of Doris Feller.
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I had no idea – Thanks for posting!
It’s the one thing my tiny hometown is known for. That and Drew’s Chocolates, which a local family started in the 1930s.
So it’s the home of Bon Bon and Clyde? 🙄
Good one!
Oh how fun this sounds…loved seeing the photo’s – great post!
Those high school kids are getting a kick out of this–I posted it on the Dexter Museum and other local Facebook pages.
In Minnesota, we have TRAM (The Ride Across Minnesota). Loads of fun, though I have not done it in years.
A cousin’s husband is up from Texas for it, but he’s the sag-wagon driver for a team probably of retired Marines.
What a fun video! If I keep reading your blog much longer, I’m going to just pack up and move to Iowa!!
We drove out to see the new Dallas County Freedom Rock today (my mother’s five brothers are featured on it), and even mentioned that Iowa looks luscious in July!
Great post.
Thank you. I post “ads” for the Dexter Museum about every Thursday through museum season. My sister Gloria Neal is on the Museum Board. I had fun doing this one.
This is great!
When I taught at Dexter from 1972-1976, my students made a slide show of the shootout between law enforcement and the Barrow gang north of town.
Wow! Are any of the slide shows still around? The Dexter Museum would love to include them in their display.
What a day it must have been for the Museum…probably never have that much traffic again!
Robert Weesner would have been Proud!!
Wouldn’t he though!