Tag: Iowa Posts

We found the entrance to the Hennipen Canal Trail and hopped on. It was so relaxing to ride along the canal away from traffic. And, with just the two of us, so quite and peaceful. No “On your left!!”. We passed an area where there was red algae growing , saw people fishing from the edge and then the Lily Pads!!
During certain sections, they were edge to edge of the water and in one place, nearly a mile stretch! The pad were huge-about 3 feet across.
It was breathtaking!

We eased into the morning with breakfast at the hotel. The second cup of coffee, lingering just a bit longer…all special treats we’ve learned to enjoy on our rest day.
While doing laundry, I encountered another rider staying in the hotel before returning home. This was his and his wife’s first RAGBRAI and sadly, he said their last. The heat and distances were too brutal. The final few days of RAGBRAI, several first timers were saying the same thing. One and done. It truly was the hardest we’ve ridden and we were fortunate to have been well trained and acclimated. I’m not sure how we would have felt had this one of the other years when we hadn’t had as much seat time.

The morning after.
The promise of a new day…the morning light filters over the camp. The sun is rising.
Our roommates are stirring…organizing gear, putting on kits, brushing teeth as if nothing happened the night before. Outside we see riders mounted and heading out. There is a light breeze but today is our last ride day. Okay. Let’s get going.
We slept amazingly well last night, not only because of the miles covered over the past 6 days but because of the air conditioning.
We prepare the duffles for pickup. But normally we leave them in the tent. Now, the tent is missing. Tents are in trees, the river and scattered everywhere. All the Kybos have blown over and one is in the river.
Leaving our duffles at the recommended area, we head out.
A Casey’s is just outside of camp so we stop in for breakfast and morning coffee. There we met Chuck from the USAF Cycling team and have a great conversation about RAGBRAI and the teams history.

Drew mentioned how still the air was. And indeed, not a whisper of a breeze. Looking to the sky, it was crystal clear behind us but dark clouds were forming in front of us. And then the sirens began. I remember that sound from 2014 when I was in Dallas visiting my sister. We were out on a morning run at 5:30 am and the sirens began. I asked “What are those for?” She told me they were tornado warning sirens. “What does that mean?” She replied ” Run faster!”. It was frightening.

Sadly, We are seeing more and more emergency vehicles.
The sun is beating down. There is very little shade and no cloud cover. By midday, I decide to put the water bladder filled with ice into my string bag and on my back. I’m riding in zone 2-3 knowing that the byproduct of metabolism is water, CO2 and HEAT.
And what better day than today to enjoy another tradition-Beekman’s ice cream!! Cold and lots of calories!

Woohoo!! A short day!
Today was quite crowded. At RAGBRAI, you can sign up to ride all day or one or more days. We hear that the organization is trying to break a record for the most riders ever recorded. It does seem a little more crowded today. Our first stop, we met a young man who is riding a unicycle the entire route. Talk about an inspiration. You can see him on YouTube at WorldofUnicycles.
We had fun riding through Polk City…named after my wonderful neighbors! Well, not really but they share the same last name! lol!!
We finished riding just after 1 and searched for camp. All the charters are located at Waterworks Park. OMG! People, people and more people!!

Today is a ride day, not a tour day.
On ride days, the focus is different. While you see really cool things along the way, stopping for photos is not practical. The time to decelerate, get the phone, take the photo, get back going, especially in a large group where you have to strategically find a safe spot to stop and start…well…it’s just not very practical.
Today will be Zachary’s longest ride yet. He’s doing amazing and is embracing the eat/drink regime.

Sioux City to Storm Lake, Iowa
Day One and you can feel the nervous tension in the air. New riders are uncertain about what to expect and return riders are excited for new experiences and memories! We were blessed with great weather.
Off we went and the group flowed easily. After about 20 miles, things seemed to settle and everyone was in a groove. Drew and I are on cloud nine riding the bikes unloaded. They feel so fast now!! And being at around 1,100 foot elevation versus over 7,000 foot elevation, it’s so easy to breathe!!

Each year I’ve traveled to Omaha, I’m told the zoo is one of the world’s best. Being a weekday, we decide to try it. Last Saturday, it was so crowded, we skipped it.
We were happy to get tickets for half price since we are annual pass holders for the Living Desert.
It was a beautiful day to spend outside, walking four hours to visit all the exhibits. Our favorite area was the rainforest where there were monkeys, birds and bats. The setting was awesome.

We decided to try the Spaghetti Works. Fresh salad bar and gluten free pasta available. And the cheesecake! Drew could only eat half so we got a to-go box.
On the way home, we saw a billboard saying Chris Stapleton was playing tomorrow night. On a whim, we checked to see if any tickets were available at a reasonable price. The last concert we looked into was at the Acrisure Event center in Palm Desert. The tickets were really expensive. And to our surprise, we were able to get two seats. So excited. We love his voice and down to earth demeanor. Now that’s living life unScripted.
What another amazing day!!

While driving to return the Uhaul this morning, we saw emergency vehicles on the opposite side of the road. There were about 4 bikes laying on the greenway and someone being loaded into the paramedic vehicle on a stretcher. We were reminded how fragile life is and how quickly things can change while on the bike. It doesn’t take much…a rock, an uneven surface, a wet painted line or a change of position in the cyclist in front of you to cause you to fall. You’re up. You’re down. And this feat of physics-speed, angle, weight- cares not who you are, how many miles you’ve ridden in your life or how expensive your bike is-it is just the law of physics.