Parkersburg was the half-way point between Charles City and Waterloo (Iowa) today, for RAGBRAI (Register's annual great bike ride across Iowa #38!), and our niece, Rachel, and John's cousin, Maria, are riding in it this year.
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Even though both ladies are in phenomenol shape, it's been a very hot, long bike ride, and one of them wasn't sure she'd make it another 82 miles today, so I met them in Parkersburg and drove them to Waterloo.
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It was just going to be one of the 'girls', but then the other had technical difficulties with her tire (4th flat, and this one didn't make it even a mile from the repair shop in town), so she rode also.
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We made a trip to the repair shop in Cedar Falls, and hopefully the problem will be solved for tomorrow's ride.
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Parkersburg is the place where a tornado went through on Memorial Day weekend two years ago, where 7 people died, 228 homes were destroyed, and more than a hundred more damaged. This
link contains the summary (and an aerial picture of Parkersburg after the storm) and information in a NOAA report (pdf file).
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We drove by bunches of new houses and the new school, and Parkersburg has definitely come back in a big way from that devastating day.