We’re currently on a road trip that will span almost a month. When this goes live, I’ll be on a bike, riding the farm roads of Iowa. However, the trip started in Colorado...
First, we made a stop at Camp FI Rocky Mountain:


Then we went to Minnesota. I’m a Midwesterner at heart and always love my trips back to the region.



After Minneapolis, we drove down the Great River Road which is incredibly beautiful:

Hey kids, what do want for lunch?

Madison, perhaps my favorite city in the world, was our next stop:




Next, the girls went to stay with their aunt while Mrs. 1500 and I went to see Miss Mazuma and her caboose. It was crazy hot, so I decided to jump in the pool, even though I was unprepared for a swim.
When @Mrs1500 & @retirein1500 come to visit… Choo choo!! ?#NoSuitNoProblem pic.twitter.com/nY0ImuUuP6
— Miss Mazuma (@MissMazuma) July 15, 2019
Then, on to Chicago!


And now, we’re on a bike ride across Iowa called RAGBRAI. When I first heard of this ride almost 2 decades ago, my response was something like this:
Wait. You want to ride a bicycle through corn and hog farms at the end of July? People pay to do this? Ummmmm, NO!
It turns out that the ride is a lot of fun. This will be RAGBRAI #7 for us!
And this year, a group of FIRE folks is going including the Waffles, Big Ox Little Bird, Craig Curelop, and Katie of PopUp Business School. If you find yourself in Iowa this week, stop by and say “Hi!”

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I’ve always wanted to do RAGBRAI, what a party. I’d do it while towing a grill of course. I suspect you might be towing a kegerator 🙂
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Cool, looks like a Thai temple.
No swimming shorts? Yikes! I’d feel so unsecured…
This is what not HAVING to work looks like- epic roadtrips. We’ve got a bike ride that’s probably a bit more picturesque than going through corn fields- it’s around the island- though I’m pretty sure I’d be asked to leave, since I’ve only got an electric bike, and that might be considered “cheating”. I also got a clamp attachment to hold an umbrella onto the bike when I was in Japan…it’s….somewhere….They have the coolest bike accessories (full canopy covering! double wide back seats! custom leather saddles and matching handle bar covers)- you get the idea.
Sorry we missed you in Madison! Next time let us know and we can schedule a Choose FI meet up at the UW Memorial Union. They next one is on July 30 if you happen to be passing thru again.
Doh, I won’t be there on the 30th, but will reach out next time I’m in town. Thank you!
Sorry to have missed you in Madison! Next time!
My cousin once did a bike ride through a state with a group, I cannot remember which state, but she loved it! I thought it sounded pretty neat. I’d like to do that some time.
Safe travels!
What a trip!
Glad you found a cool pool to relax in after getting a peek at that hot caboose.
Have a great ride and I’ll see you at another conference soon.
Cheers!
-PoF
Oh nice – I’m about two hours north of Madison and I love taking little day trips down there. Last time I ventured down there I came across a random marching band winding its way through City Hall, and about 100 bikers dressed as Santa. It’s a place that can be really fun without spending a ton of money!
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That was an incredible trip, Minneapolis looks wonderful, would love to go on a similar trip with my dad. it’s been 7 years since we been on a trip