We were up earlier than normal because camp was a buzz of people leaving early. The earlier you leave, the earlier you get done and can catch that first bus! We left about 30 min earlier than normal but weren’t really in a hurry.
The route today went back the same way we came in yesterday so it seemed like it took forever to get out of town. The first 10 or so miles we had two guys just riding our tail the whole time. Every move we made they followed right along. Eventually we made a power move and they dropped...guys couldn’t hang with our speed! We stopped for some eggs and bacon along the side of the road early because we had our sights set on lunch today! Had to save room....and I’m glad we did.
Remember yesterday I said we had a strong south wind but thankfully we didn’t have to go into it much? We today 75% of our ride was south and guess what? The wind was still there!! We had almost 20 of the first miles on the same route as yesterday.....so remember when I said I hit my top speed for the day yesterday? Well today I had to go up that stinking hill. I kept a solid 7 mph all the way up. What a difference a day makes!!
We got to West Point and they had a cool freedom rock, a corn wagon and a big pile of bikes you could crawl up for your picture. We did some photo ops and reapplied the sunscreen and we were on our way!
After West Point we had some more miles until we reached the meeting town. The meeting town we were targeting for our lunch.
The meeting town was called Donnellson and they had a theme for the whole stop. They did an excellent job of welcoming us into town with people at every turn and people dressed up in costumes. They also have people with super soakers and that’s always a hit with me. Nothing better than getting a little refreshment from a sprinkler or water gun!
The theme for this town was “Small Town Big Dill”. Dill pickles for the win. Stacey would have loved this place because she loves pickles. They had their celebration right at the fairgrounds and used the grandstands to feed us. It was great because we had a covered shaded place to order food and eat.
They were selling pickle popsicles, pickles, pickle boats, pickle sandwiches, pickle bacon cheeseburgers, and I think pickle flavor ice cream. I went with the pickle sandwich. It was a club sandwich on a pickle instead of a bun. Ray had the pickle boat which was chicken salad on a pickle. They were so good. I hope future Ragbrai towns take note because it was probably the best thing I ate all week!! 
After the pickle sandwich we headed to get an acai bowl. We’d seen them all week and had committed to having one today. I picked peaches and blueberries to top mine. It was delicious and just the way to cap off my RAGBRAI food adventures for the week!
As we were in Donnellson we knew it was getting hot. We had about 23 miles to go so we decided we better finish it off. These last miles were all out in open road and into the wind. We definitely were struggling to keep a good pace, but we just kept moving forward. At one point I think both Ray and I were at a point of defeat but neither of us admitted it. Shortly after there was a group of high school boys along the side of the road handing out ice cold water bottles. Let me tell you....that was the BEST thing that could have happened. Even better than a sprinkler!! I drank most of the water but some was used for cooling on my arms, head, neck etc. It was what was needed to get me to the next town. We got to Montrose and we had a big nice shady downhill! I thought maybe that was the end of the hills for the ride. My parents were in Montrose with Gabby and Bri. We stopped to talk to them for a few minutes but then went on for the last 10 miles. We were told there were only 2 hills left. Well that was very bad intel....there were about 7 hills left. But 2 of them were monsters. Most of the ride was along the river and it was beautiful, but the hills could have went away!! Thankfully there were quite a few sprinklers and Ray dabbed me a pro at spotting them and making it to the correct side of the road every time.
The last and final hill was unreal. The only saving grace was that it was right into town so there were people cheering and clapping as we came in. That was a good added motivation! And when you reached the top of the hill they had misting fans! Thank you Keokuk!!!
When we got to that hill the signs for our team buses were right there, but we wanted to dip our tires so we kept riding on. Well we quickly realized we had to go back downhill to get to the river....which meant we’d be going back up to get to the bus. Oh well. What’s a couple more hills on a week like this?!?
For the week we rode 514 miles in the seven days! Overall I think this RAGBRAI was harder than previous, but it was still fun. Some of the towns didn’t have as much “entertainment” in them, but there were other spots that made up for it. The weather was almost perfect. If it wasn’t for that first rain day, we would have had a great week of weather. The sun was strong but not unbearable!
This year was definitely different without Stacey riding along, but I know she had a great time in Ireland. Hopefully she can make a return experience next year. I know there are several people who thought her missing this year for a honeymoon was a terrible excuse.
Thankfully Ray returned and he did a pretty good job of filling Stacey’s shoes. He did spot me money one night when I forgot mine. He did sing one line that centered around not wanting to go into the wind. And even though he wouldn’t do goat yoga with me, he did cave to my pressure of fun several times. He was good riding buddy and I’m glad he was there.
Another year is in the books! Thanks for reading and thanks for all the good vibes and well wishes. We were again extremely grateful to not have any mechanical or medical issues. Others were not so fortunate, so every year I am able to do this I am grateful. Until next year!!
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