Sweet T

Sleep last night wasn’t that bad because when I went to bed there was a chorus of snorers. I think I was surrounded by at least 4 of them.  I didn’t know I had signed up for a private concert in Sac City! But I must have been pretty tired because I fell asleep quickly and slept right through it!  I woke up at 5 ready to take on the day. 

The morning was starting off with a bang!  It was a cool foggy morning as we left camp. We had just 6 miles to the first town and it was flat with a bit of a tailwind. Honestly we couldn’t have asked for a better start to the day. We got to Lytton and their big thing was pie and goat yoga. This little town of 300 made over 2000 pieces of pie. Some people baked 40 pies. That’s a lot! But I’m getting ahead of myself. We needed breakfast!  I mean it was 7 am after all. Thankfully the FFA was serving up all you can eat pancakes and sausage for a donation. These kids weren’t the best pancake flippers but they said “the worse the pancakes look the better they taste”. Let me tell you, they were delicious…and ugly!!  

Lytton was hopping and I was afraid if I waited until after goat yoga the pie would be gone. So I polished off my pancakes with pie. AND I experienced a RAGBRAI first!! They had pineapple pie…I’ve never heard of pineapple let alone ever eaten any. Well today that ended and I had my first and hopefully not last pineapple pie. It tasted like a little piece of Hawaiian heaven!  

After pie it was time for goat yoga. Now the last time I did goat yoga on RAGBRAI they gave us all a goat. But this time we just did yoga with goats running around us. Some people actually had more interaction but it was mostly just yoga. Still fun though. 

We hit the road and as I was riding I saw Larry Gallo who is the director of the Air Force Cycling team. He retired from the Air Force in 2019 and 2020 was going to be his last RAGBRAI with the team. But since he didn’t get to ride he came this year for one last time in Iowa. He will no longer lead the Air Force team. He is the one who does all the posts on their Facebook page. Anyway I thanked him for his service and told him to enjoy his last RAGBRAI. He asked how I knew that, and I told him that I read the Facebook page. I have tried to find him in past year but no luck. I told him I had made it my mission this year to see him and thank him. As we were chatting he reached in his pocket and gave me an Air Force coin. I’m not sure I’m that deserving of it because it is a big deal to get one, but I’m incredibly grateful to get it!  

There were some bomb sprinklers today too!  I think the people of Iowa are well aware that this is the hottest week of the year this far and they want us to be happy. As evidenced by this sweet dinosaur sprinkler!  There were several ride through sprinklers, kids with squirt guns and hoses. It was a great day in that regard. 

At the meeting town I had some sweet corn and introduced Chris and Emily to their first Thelma’s ice cream sandwich. I think they are fans!!  We headed out of town and stopped at Backpocket for a Brewer brat. They are sooooo delicious!  

While riding I saw this couple pulling a small trailer. Way too small for a child, and low and behold it was Chewy the dog!  He was just loving life and every now and then he’d bark a little. That happened to coincide with when they were going slower to talk to me!  Basically Chewy was telling his parents to pedal faster!!

Today’s riding was much more enjoyable. The route was flatter, there was a bit of a tailwind, and it was shorter!  That all made for happy people and fast pedaling. Don’t worry it was still hot but because were were moving faster we got a lot done earlier in the day. 

I thought meeting Richard yesterday would be the highlight of my week, but Shari may take that spot. As we were approaching the last couple miles into Fort Dodge I rode up along side a woman who said “is this next town Moorland?”  I said nope, we went through that about 6 miles ago. That water tower is the last town. We’re almost done. We chatted a bit more and I think I asked her about if this was her first Ragbrai. She said “Yeah and I’m a one and done. This was my husband’s thing not mine!”  Then I find out that her husband passed away at their home on Dec 14th of a pulmonary embolism completely out of the blue. Shari and her husband Terry are from Phoenix, AZ. They had signed up to do Ragbrai together last year because Terry wanted to do it. Shari is a runner and prefers to go faster on her bike by pumping her arms. A true runner at heart!!! Anyway, because of covid they didn’t get to do RAGBRAI together last year so here she was pedaling away in honor of Terry. She was crying as she told me this. I was crying talking to her!  We talked some more about me doing a triathlons, her running, but mostly we talked about Terry. Terry sounds like he was a very fun yet badass kind of dude. He was a retired Marine and then he worked for the ATF. Shari is pretty confident that he would not be pleased that she put pink stickers all over Terry’s bike and she then named it Sweet T!  Yes she was riding his bike and it’s a nice bike. I’m just impressed they were the same size and could use the same bike!!  We stopped to take a picture together and capture the Fort Dodge water tower. She has a picture of Terry on the front of her bike!  Talk about an inspiring story!  I am so incredibly proud of her for being here and following through on this commitment. I can’t imagine how difficult it has been but I’m praying that this week is cathartic for her and that she finds joy in riding the bike. We ended with a good hug and a few more tears. But before we parted she asked for my blog address and gave me her phone number so I could send it to her!  She worked in journalism…yikes!  I told her not to expect Pulitzer level writing. Her friends Marvin and Pat pulled up and we chatted a bit and then we went on our ways. An encounter like this is one I will never forget!  I hope I run into Shari again this week!  She is one inspiring lady!!

We took the long winding road to camp tonight!  It was a trek but well marked!! We nailed the shower routine tonight. Put our name in when we got to camp and then put up our tents and then got right in the shower. Well I did….don’t talk to Emily about her shower fiasco!  

Our campsite has significantly upgraded from previous years. Private shower/ and bathroom with flushable toilet and sink, there are clothes lines to hang up clothes, no more uncomfy white plastic chairs. We’ve upgraded to 30+ big folding bag chairs with cup holders. Free beverages and even some free food!  I like this new set up!!

There was a bit of a bummer today. The pump to inflate my air mattress was DEAD. So that’s not cool!  Will I be sleeping on the ground tonight??  Just wait to find out!!  I mean if the worst thing that happens to me today is that I have to sleep on the ground, I’m doing pretty dang good!  

We took the shuttle into town for some food and to check out the sites. It was at this point I made the decision to walk to Target to see if I could find a pump. I checked with the volunteers to make sure it was safe…they assured me it was but they said it was far. 1.8 miles is never far when you’re talking to an endurance athlete!!  So I trekked off to Target while Chris and Emily ate at the YWCA. I made it to Target and they had one pump left!!  The guy told me it was battery operated and you just charge it!  Perfect!!  I decided to Uber back home and got an amazing driver who just came to town to drive for RAGBRAI. Keith got me back to town and food in no time!  I got a Jerk chicken rice bowl. The chicken was a bit dry by overall the bowl was tasty. 

I met up with Chris and Emily and we headed back to camp. I had to charge my new pump so I could inflate the mattress before people in camp went to sleep. 

On the bus back I sat next to Robin. She is doing her first RAGBRAI with her husband Rick. They live in Washington state but she grew up in Minnesota. They both are cancer survivors and riding to support cancer research. After Ragbrai they are going to ride across America. They had planes to ride Europe but because of COVID they decided to delay that. She also was a ski race instructor and her son is a world level ski racer. She was an EMT and her husband a paramedic but now they are retired. She was very delightful to talk to but our shuttle stop came and we had to cut in short. 

Emily made me wait 40 min before I could try my new pump. So I anxiously counted down the minutes. Only to bring it to my tent and it didn’t work. It isn’t battery operated at all!  You have too plug it in to use. So off I went carrying my air mattress to the charging station and hoping that when inflated it fits in my tent!  I got some funny looks but I’m happy to report that when plugged in the pump works like a charm!  And it fit in my tent!!  Back in business people. I’ll be sleeping like a baby tonight!   

Today’s ride was 69.25 miles with 1171 feet of climb, but honestly it felt flat as a pancake!!  Tomorrow should be another great day!!

Thank You For Your Service

I’m starting this blog with a story from this afternoon because it made my heart happy. I was enjoying some cold water and shade and chatting with this man wearing a Vietnam Honor Flight hat. As I went to leave I thanked him for his service and asked him when his Honor Flight was. He responded “ I went four years ago. I went to go see my name on the wall.”  Now if you’re like me you looked at him very puzzled. He proceeded to tell me this story:

He served in Vietnam and there was also a young man from Nebraska with the exact same name and same age. This guy said he would sometimes get the Nebraska kid’s mail. Unfortunately this young man was killed in action. This guy’s hometown newspaper printed his name as KIA and his grandfather saw it and rushed to his parents house. His parents hasn’t heard anything officially from the military. This guy had always wanted to reach out to the Nebraska guy’s parents but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Several years later he was a feed salesman traveling the Midwest and he ended up in the hometown of the Nebraska kid. He was telling the clerk at Casey’s the story and she just stopped and said “the guy who just left was his brother!”  She ended up getting him the phone number for the brother and he called him and told him to sit down first and then proceeded to tell him his name. They talked for a few hours and then met for breakfast the next day. So he had to go pay honor to him and see his name on the wall. 

Richard L Pedersen you are a hero!  Both of them are!  I thanked him for sharing his story and went on my way. About two blocks away I just felt like I needed to go back and get a picture with him. So I dropped my bike and headed back. When I asked to take his picture he said yes, but then said I must have a mouse in my closet if I want a picture of him. This is why I love RAGBRAI…the people and the stories make the hard miles worth it. For the next several miles I was almost in tears as I was so grateful to have that encounter. 

Ok back to our regularly scheduled blogging!

It was a rough night at camp. Remember when I said the tents were close together. Well it was a chorus of snoring, people not sleeping well and rustling around on their air mattress, dry heaving, coughing, trains, dog barking…you get the picture. Combine that with being camped by people who got up at 4 means not great sleep. By 4:30 I had called it and just got up around 4:45. People were moving early. I don’t know if was because they were afraid of the heat for the day or if everyone else slept terrible too. 

We rolled out a little before 6:30 this morning. It was a very humid and foggy morning but as Chris said…it’s remarkable cool this morning. Of course that didn’t last. 

Within the first couple miles I saw Lucy from the 2019 Dream Team. We talked a bit about riding together on the century that year. She was cruising a long and I know she’ll have a good week. I also ran into Shawn & Kayla from Colorado. They are going with a different group this year so it was nice to see them!  Kayla isn’t 16 anymore…shocking!  She just finished her Freshman year at Colorado State University. I also ran into Ralph, Grant and Joe at Backpocket. They also are going with a different group this year. The Catholics mildly redeemed themselves today with the perfectly timed breakfast burrito!  

Mr. Porkchop came early in the route today so we had to make sure Chris got his chop. Unfortunately inflation has hit him too and now it costs $10. But for at least one time it’s worth it!  

The heat and hills lived up to the billing today and to say that today was tough would be an understatement. Thankfully many people heard my plea for sprinklers and hoses. Today was probably the single most sprinklers I’ve had on one day of ragbrai.  The first one came as we came into Cherokee a guy was on the left hand side of the road with a hose, but he had signs on the right hand side telling us to move the left!  I love planning!! We got some food. I got a nice walking taco and two bottles of ice water for a free will donation to support a local daycare. As we left Cherokee there was a huge long low grade hill. Just when you thought you got to the top it rounded a bend and up again. 

It was about noon and we still had 50 miles to go and the heat was climbing by the minute. As we entered Aurela I noticed everyone crammed under the awning over the gas pumps. It was shade. You would have thought it was a monsoon rain for all the people that were under there just looking for shade. I decided that wasn’t for me, but as I headed out of town I saw a glorious sight!  The fire station was using their hoses for people to run through. I took the opportunity to go through a couple times and get my head wet. 

Then we headed to Alta where the Presbyterians win the day. Not only is this where I met Richard but where I got free ice cold water and freeze pops!  They knew their audience and they delivered. They also had shade. Richard told me that they had to go get 5000 more bottles of water mix day. Now that seems like a lot so it could be an exaggeration, but I still appreciate their commitment to proper hydration. They used large pools to keep the water cold. I’m actually shocked that they were able to keep people out of the pools. 

After Alta there was a long 20 mile stretch with no towns. The heat was rising and it was brutal. I stopped along the side of the road for some shade at one point. When I got to Early they had just the pick me up that I needed. Strawberry rhubarb pie…and it was cold!!  The churches and 4H stand combined together so they all get credit. I decided since it was only 10 more miles and I was hot that I’d stop at Backpocket for a beer. Some shade and music got me ready for the last trek to town. 

I was going to tell you all about camp, but I’m on the second time writing this blog and I’m over it!  The first version just disappeared! So I’ll save that for tomorrow. Spoiler alert. There was ZERO shade. 

Chris and Emily survived their first day and Emily is still talking to me. So that’s a win!!  Chris met Dr. Pie on the route and was shocked to know that I actually know him. I hope to run into him this week. He used to be our family’s veterinarian!  

Chris and Emily did learn the hard lesson about church dinners. All of them were sold out when we went so we had to settle for expo food. I got a quesadilla and it was delicious. 

84.91 miles and 2543 feet of gain is pretty steamy conditions. Tomorrow should be a bit easier even if it’s still going to be hot. 

The Return of Ragbrai

Like much of the world, RAGBRAI was also delayed last year due to COVID. But never fear my friends, RAGBRAI is back on and I am returning. I’m excited to pedal across the state of Iowa and leave the worries of work behind for a week. 

This year’s RAGBRAI will be very different from years past for me. Stacey is not riding and none of the Philly boys have returned. So time to make new friends and reunite with a Muncie friend on the ride. That’s right…I finally have been able to convince someone to join the fun after they spent years reading their blog. Emily and Chris are joining the fun. I met Emily when she lived in Muncie and we were both training to do the Ironman Muncie 70.3 event. She has since moved to Milwaukee and married Chris. I’m excited for them to experience their first RAGBRAI. about a month ago we met via Zoom and I put together a rousing presentation that answered all of their burning questions. The key points were: bring snack for the bus, stop at all the fun things, and eat the pie. If you do that, you no doubt will have a great week. 

Gabby and I left Muncie on Thursday after my students gave their final presentations for their summer class. They all did awesome and I’m super proud of them. Gabby was ready to leave on Tuesday when I started packing but she held out until Thursday afternoon. Going to farm camp is by far her favorite week of the year. She’s even more excited this year because my parents got a “pandemic puppy” last year and Gabby loves playing with Boomer. He’s a character…cute and full of corgi energy!!

As I went to meet Emily and Chris to check in bikes on Friday I couldn’t help but notice there were a lot fewer people. Hmmmm are people not doing RAGBRAI because of COVID, or did they find another charter, or am I just imagining things?  I guess time will tell. After a few mishaps getting the pedals off the bike, a bit of blood, and an overuse of antibiotic ointment Chris and Emily were loaded up. I answered a few last minute questions and said I’d see them in the morning. Emily was nervous but I think excited too….but maybe mostly nervous!  

Travel down to the bus this morning was uneventful minus me forgetting the grapes I packed for the bus in the fridge. No big deal!  Chris and Emily got us seats saved before I even showed up. And I was right…only 2 buses. Normally QCBC rolls out with at least 6!  Not sure why so few. But don’t worry some of the regulars are still here. Bob is here, the brothers who aren’t all that friendly are here, and a few other familiar faces!

A few weeks ago Ray emailed and said a guy he worked with was doing RAGBRAI and going with QCBC. He asked if it was ok if he gave him my name/number as someone who could answer any questions on the route. I said sure!!  Now Ray just told me this guy was “Gary”. That’s all I knew!  I didn’t get his phone number or even last name!  I just envisioned myself going around camp shouting Gary hoping someone would answer!  

Thankfully Ray tagged Gary in a Facebook post last night so I did the appropriate stalking to see what his last name was and what he looked like. Then came the moment. I spotted a guy that I thought looked like him loading the bus and said, “are you gary”?  Winning!!!  It was him! I think he may have been a bit taken back by my ability to identify him!  I welcomed him to RAGBRAI and said ask if you have questions. 

Little did I know that one of his first questions would be….did you say you have brownies???  Lol Gary a RAGBRAI newbie did not pack snacks for the bus, and did not save a seat, so he ended up sitting with me since I had an open spot. So when he found out I had brownies he knew he needed one!  Gary grew up on a farm in PA, so he didn’t have the same farm type questions as the rest of the Philly boys. We chatted a bit about Ray…since he is the one who got him interested in RAGBRAI. Gary came with 3 other guys from PA, so he should be in good company for the week. 

I’m currently on the bus as we head to Le Mars to start. Do you know what I’m most excited about besides starting to ride tomorrow???  Le Mars is the “unofficial” ice cream capitol of the world!  Home to Wells Blue Bunny!  Blue bunny ice cream. I am totally getting some of that once I get my tent set up!!! 

This week is supposed to be HOT 🥵 I’ve heard predictions of multiple days with heat indices over 100. So there may be a lot of ice cream. I’m hoping there are also lots of friendly families with sprinklers and hoses!!!  Maybe a quality slip and slide too!  Captured this picture of the high temps projected for the week while on the bus. Sprinklers will definitely be needed!!!

I met Steve on the bus. I’ve seen him before and he heard Gary was a RAGBRAI virgin so he said we needed to get the sharpie out for the virgin tattoo. Steve started doing RAGBRAI in 2006 and said it was like picking up a bad habit. He can’t stop. He rides a recumbent bike!  He spent time telling Gary about Ragbrai and all the people he would see. I don’t think Gary knows what he’s in for!!  

When we got to Le Mars we drove through part of the Wells Blue Bunny factory. Our camp site was at a nice shady park. I got my tent right next to a sidewalk so I won’t have to worry about tripping over tent stakes in the middle of the night. Tents are pretty close together tonight because people wanted shade!  Hopefully tomorrow night we can spread out a bit. I’m afraid I may have a chorus of snoring tonight.

After we got camp set up and our bikes out together we took the trolly to the expo. Chris and Emily got some food and then we got in line to get ice cream at Blue Bunny. It took 40 minutes to get ice cream but it was worth it. I went for the “Pie Al A Rode”….cherry pie with ice cream and cherry sauce!  It was delicious!! The whole wait had pictures of various ice cream creations. Chris got a pecan pie al a rode and Emily got a cold brew donut shake!  It had half of a donut and sprinkles on top!  We enjoyed the ice cream and air conditioning for quite awhile. Then we went upstairs to watch the history of Blue Bunny video. Le Mars was declared as the ice capitol of the world in 1994 because it is the largest single site ice cream producer in the world!  

We walked through the expo, listened to a Madonna and Lady Gaga tribute band/singer. She was actually pretty good. Not a great dancer, but good singer. Chris bought a $10 jersey and Emily got some sun sleeves. And I found $10 on the ground!  Winning!  After we spent some time walking around the expo we decided to go back to Blue Bunny to fill our water bottles and use the bathroom. Well this place was packed and now the line was probably an hour to get ice cream!  But since we just wanted water we by-passed all of that!  Unfortunately EVERYONE else wanted water too and the line at the fountain was LONG. At one point a lady behind the counter said “are you all waiting for your ice cream?” We said no, just water and then that’s when this young teenage kid looks up and says “I’ll get some pitchers!”  I started calling him “ingenuity boy” because he immediately saw a problem and jumped into action. Honestly that doesn’t happen much with teenagers. He brought out the first pitcher and we emptied it in no time. He came back with more and there was cheering. The hero for today was Justice!  Justice you are going to go places young man!  I told him he’d be in the blog tonight and people cheered again!!  

We hadn’t gotten dinner yet so decided it was time. Chris and Emily chose to check out the Catholic Church for spaghetti dinner. Now it was 6:00 pm. So I warned them they could be sold out, BUT it was a RAGBRAI miracle. We got there at 6:20 and they still had food. We got a heaping pile of spaghetti, garlic bread, and a cookie. This was $10….I used my street find money for dinner!  Now Chris and Emily were satisfied with dinner, but I was a little underwhelmed. Mostly because the cookie was either store bought or mass produced by a church lady baking cookies from pre-cut cookie dough. I expect more from the Catholics!  I think Chris liked it because he was able to sweet talk the church lady into getting extra garlic bread. I’m not sure emily appreciated his charming ways!  

After dinner we headed back to camp. Talked to Gary for awhile who also got to Blue Bunny!  Camp is a little different this year. We have our own shower truck right at camp. Hopefully it isn’t too busy with super long lines. We also get free bottles of water which has never happened so that’s nice. We spent some times chatting and just relaxing. It’s going to be a warm night in the tent. It’s humid with ZERO air flow. We met Mark who is the husband of Gary’s niece. He seems like a nice guy. 

There is one very large downside of riding this week. I won’t be able to watch the OLYMPICS!  I love the Olympics and I’ll miss women’s gymnastics and a lot of swimming this week. Total bummer. I have set my DVR to record some of the big events but I’m sure I’ll know what happens before I’m able to watch. So please cheer a little extra harder for me as you watch!  Stacey has already been sending me soccer score updates this morning on the bus. Thankfully game 2 went a little better than game 1!  Speaking of the Olympics here is a fun Blue Bunny fact related to the Olympics…they produce 150 million gallons of ice cream a year which would fill more than 225 Olympic size swimming pools. I bet Katie Ledecky could still swim fast in a pool of ice cream.  

So get ready to come along for another week of RAGBRAI. It will be different riding a lot of it solo, but I’ll meet plenty of new people along the way. And remember I’m writing this on my phone so there will be typos!!

We Could Be Rich!

So guess what?!?  We made it all night in the tent last night! Again it took Gabby a little while to settle down but once she did she went right to sleep!  She wasn’t patrolling!  I think my theory of tire her out paid off!  Actually I think she slept better than I did. It actually got pretty chilly last night and it was damp, so I wasn’t all that warm. I should have worn more clothes!  Oh well!  Live and learn. At least now I know it is possible to make it in a tent overnight!

We got up a little before six. I was awake and while I think Gabs would have stayed in the tent she was happy to break free when I opened the door. I told her she should sleep for another hour before the next adventure!  She went in the house and went right to sleep. I got things ready for today’s last day of RAGBRAI which included zero biking. Originally I planned to go for a nice ride this morning to commemorate the last day and the route passing through my hometown, but when I had the chance to go hiking with a friend I decided to take her up in the offer. 

My friend Diana and I were headed to Turkey Run State Park which is about 3 hrs from Muncie. We tried to go to this park last fall and we made the trip there and it RAINED...like pouring, lightning, wind RAIN. We tried to kill time for the rain to pass and after about 3 hours we decided the day was a bust and went back home. A 9 hour day and we hardly got out of the car. So we decided this was the weekend to make our return trip!!  It wasn’t supposed to rain, it wasn’t going to be super hot, so we went for it. 

I told Gabby that she needed to rally because we were going to have another full day hiking. Well little did I know when I said that what we would be in for. Turkey Run has lots of canyons and is deemed famous for “Indiana’s most ruggedly beautiful hiking trails”. Well had I known that before we got the trail map that would have been helpful!! I would have actually worn my hiking boots inside of my tennis shoes. It was beautiful and it was rugged!  We started on the suspension bridge and Gabby handled it really well. She seemed mostly unfazed that it swayed a bit. 

We ended up getting on the most difficult trail first. Not planned but we were in it and there was no turning back. Gabby did awesome traipsing through water, on slick sand stone, up muddy banks and steep inclines. She was a champ and definitely rallied!  

There are 11 different trails in this park and we did all but 4 of them. After about 3 hours and a little over 5.5 miles we had been on all the “very rugged”, “rugged”, and moderate trails. There were some very steep climbs and slippery descents!  We went walked down boulder canyon and I’m not sure Gabby likes boulders but she did it!  Here’s a pic of Diana and I with the boulders in the back. The picture doesn’t really show the steepness. Oh well!  

We then took Gabby down to the river for some swimming. Well on the way there she got in a lot of mud so it was perfectly timed for a little wash off. She was getting tired and appreciated the cooling off period. The river was packed with people on tubes, kayaks, and canoes. Honestly too packed for my liking. It was so loud and there were people everywhere. It would be a great place to kayak in the fall when people aren’t so crazy. We had to take the suspension bridge back to get to the other side of the river. Well now there were so many people that the bridge swayed a LOT!  We were about a quarter of the way across when Gabby put in the breaks and was like “I’m not liking this”. With some encouragement from Diana and the cheers of strangers she made it. We took a break to get water, eat our snacks and give Gabs some rest. 


After our break we decided to hit up a couple shorter trails and then we’d call it a day. Gabby was getting tired and it was starting to get hot. We found some really cool views and some steep hard climbs. 

When we finished up for the day we put in over 7 miles in some very tough terrain. It was by far the hardest hike Gabby has ever done and she did amazing!  I was so impressed that she handle it all so well. In addition to handling the rigors of the hike, she also was amazing when she met other dogs. Not a single bark!  She also met lots of other people and she was extremely polite all the time. After about 30 min into our day I realized I had made a big mistake. I didn’t charge people for every time they said “beautiful dog” or “that’s an amazing German Shepherd”!  Seriously by the end of the day I could have been rich. She got soooo many compliments all day. There’s one part of the park that has ladders to climb down into the canyon. We had already decided we couldn’t do that because of Gabby, but when we got there this one guy said, “ I thought for sure when I came around the corner she’d be on the ladder! She’s been so good!”  Even others were impressed with her hiking skills!!

We grabbed some lunch at a restaurant near by. We sat out side with Gabby and everyone that walked past her just smiled because she was being so good!!  She makes people happy!!  I think she was being so good because she was soooooo tired!  She didn’t want to get out of the car at the restaurant...I think she thought she was going to have to walk more! Here’s a pic of the ladders we skipped!

After lunch we headed back home!  I can tell you I’m tired, Gabby is tired, and Diana is tired!  It was the perfect trip. I can’t wait to go back and try to cover the 4 trails we didn’t do. And to see the park in the fall as I bet it would beautiful!! 

I think this pic sums up how Gabby felt about the day!  Fun but tiring!!  

So this brings the week that was supposed to be RAGBRAI to an end. It wasn’t what I had planned but I made the best of the situation! I think that’s something we all can do these days.  There is a lot of uncertainty and divisiveness right now, but you can wake up each day and make the most of the situation. Smile, be kind, and help one another...if you do that it’s going to be a great day!  

Here’s hoping that next year I’ll be back on the bike and riding through Iowa!! Thanks for reading and joining along in this adventure of life. Hopefully next year the blog will be less about work and more about biking!  Until then...I have leftover pie to finish!   

Seven Years Ago

Today was a great day and it started off awesome because last night I decided today was going to be one of those days where you let God wake you up!  No alarm!  Yay!!  After the past two mornings of a 5:15 alarm this was welcomed!  So I woke up this morning rested and on my own time.

I did a little work when I got up. I swear the emails never stop coming!!  Then I hopped on my bike for another power test for the week. This test consisted of some hard one minute intervals. Who knew a minute was so long??  It is when you’re trying to go as hard on your bike as you possibly can. It’s funny because Facebook reminded me that 7 years ago today I took my new bike out for my first ever ride. I think I went 13 miles but I had a plan that I would bike for the next year and ride my first RAGBRAI the following year. Who knew seven years ago where deciding to buy that bike would take me? Coincidentally last year on this day was my longest...and hardest ride ever!  122 miles and over 4800 feet of climb. To date this year I’ve ridden my bike over 2100 miles!  Never did I think I’d be riding this much when I bought that bike 7 years ago!! So many people have taken up biking in this pandemic. It make my heart happy!  Maybe they’ll all be on RAGBRAI next year!

After lunch....nothing fancy just some avocado toast and an apple, Gabs and I headed to Mounds State Park. Today on RAGBRAI we should have been going to Maquoketa home of the Maquoketa Caves State Park and we would have been celebrating 100 years of Iowa state parks!  So it was fitting that we went to do some hiking and exploring! One thing I love about the Iowa state parks is that you don’t have to pay an entrance fee. In Indiana if you’re a resident it is $7...which isn’t bad but I took Iowa free parks for granted. I decided to buy a year pass today because it pays for itself after a few trips and I can support the parks that way! We went on some trails I haven’t been on in awhile. We didn’t see too much wildlife...just one squirrel who was racing us down the trail. 

We did meet a group on one of the more narrow trails and they had a dog. I could tell from a distance they weren’t too sure about their dog and how it would act with Gabby. She moved off the trail a bit and Gabby and I proceeded, but this dog was growling and generally unhappy about Gabs presence. When we got even with them the dog lunged and jumped on Gabs. I’m very proud of her for not overreacting! She pulled back when I pulled and we got away unscathed. I think that dog needs some obedience classes!  After almost 2.5 miles of hiking it was time for a swim. We headed to spend some time in the river. 

Gabby made some new friends with kids playing in the river! She splashed with them and let them pet her. After we finished swimming we headed back to the car via some other trails. Overall we put in 4 miles of hiking. It was not too hot of a day and the trails were mostly shaded. 

When we got home I mowed the lawn and Gabby was lazy in the air conditioning. Figures!  She never pulls her weight! I had dinner early and then later I went for a quick 30 min run. Still got to get my miles in even though we hiked!  

When I got home I decided to eat my RAGBRAI treat. Now it wasn’t a Thelma’s ice cream sandwich but it was pretty close. I went to Macino’s Sweet Shoppe and got a homemade ice cream sandwich. It was a lemon white Chocolate chunk cookie with Blueberry cheesecake ice cream. It was HUGE and I ate it all!!  It was also delicious! 

I mean when you bike, hike, and run all in the same day you deserve a treat right?  Well I think so anyway. 

Since we did so much activity today we are going to try the tent again tonight. Gabs is currently sleeping so that may not help!  

Tomorrow is the last day of RAGBRAI. We were supposed to be riding from Maquoketa to Clinton...my old stomping grounds with the route taking us through my hometown. So I’ll have to do something big to celebrate tomorrow!
I’ll leave you with a few more pictures of our hiking adventures from today. Wish us luck in the tent. I’m tired...I just hope Gabby is tired enough to actually sleep!