And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all  in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (NIV) (Colossians 3:17)

Views of a Farm Boy--Dedicated to promote Iowa agriculture and Iowa values

Robert Vaughn--Urbandale, Iowa  EMAIL:   vaughnrobert@me.com

This was a milestone year for Ragbrai marking the 50th anniversary for this great bike ride across Iowa. I don't do Ragbrai anymore, but here is our son Trent, and three of his elementary/high school friends as they prepare to start out on this great adventure. (Left to right: Pete, Trent, Rob and Dennis).

I do milestones so I had to feature the 50th anniversary of Ragbrai. I participated in this great bicycle ride across Iowa 35 times, but called it quits in 2013. Now--memories are what I do best! So, I randomly picked these photos from some of my rides. I met a lot of people and had many "Ragbrai friends" I saw once a year during the annual ride. Of course, the best memories were when I was accompanied by our son, Trent. For example-- Trent and Dennis (pictured above) were with me in 1981 as we rode from Mapleton to Lake City--72 miles. There was a down pour of cold rain all day and water seemed to be curb deep when we rode through Wall Lake. Many less hardy riders took a sag wagon or hitched a ride from farmers with pick up trucks. Not us--we rode every inch of the way. Then when we arrived at our destination for the day (Lake City) we set our tents up in the muddy grass. That is why this day goes down in history as "Soggy Monday"! We finished the week with good weather--and good memories. Yes, I could tell Ragbrai stories all day, but I will conclude with this comment; "Ragbrai is the epitome of so many things good about Iowa." I am a great proponent of lifetime participating sports, but Ragbrai goes way beyond the physical challenge. It gives every rider a chance to get a close-up in your face view of our beautiful state and interact with our wonderful people.