I hope I don't get banished on my first day on the FORC site for making hard surface comments (test some emoticons )
Amber and I love backpacking out West, and have considered 'bikepacking' but want to get several local experiences first. We can't do any upcoming weekends 'cause we're booked up wedding planning/honeymoon through May. Sooo, we (and likely her Dad) are riding Mt Bikes on the last 3 days of RAGBRAI in late July. We had a blast riding just the last day last year (route on Telegraph past Sunderbruch, considered detouring but I was WAY more out of shape then than I am now).
The ride days basically are eat, ride-at-your-leisure, eat, ride, beer, eat, camp, beer, sleep. Repeat. RAGBRAI includes full logistics and camp gear movement, food EVERYwhere on the route, showers, etc. I have a Nashbar/trashbar BoB replica trailer and likely doing 'partial self-sustaining', putting my camp gear on trailer to 'test my inner self' and using event services to move Amber & her Dad's stuff -- and to cover any newbie problems. Considering a real BoB or a cruiser trailer so both Amber and I can test our 'inner selves' and our nuptuals.
Before Rage edicts my banishing -- we are doing the MW Mt Bike fest in June if I can figure out paypal.
RAGBRAI is a major bike & beer mobile party. Reading some of your forum posts, anything related to bikes and beer and bs-ing, and beer and then some biking followed by beer seems to be encouraged. Last year there was teenager that skateboarded the entire state, and tough-as-nails riders on heavyweight tour pannier setups, beach cruisers, BMXers, kitchen-sink coffin trailers, double-tandems (think about it), etc. Weird tho that several folks commented on us riding mt bikes on the route. A mukluk/fatbike would cause rubbernecking wipeouts.
Anyone interested riding Mt Bikes on it? It might be a good test-run at bikecamping/bikepacking, if nothing else sure to be great biking & beering fun.