Blues Traveler

I saw part of the Blues Traveler concert. It was pretty good and not too crowded. The pics didn't turn out as well, but here they are anyway.

Silver Streak

This is some of the gang. I rode with the group Silver Streak. Supposedly named after the American Indian who rode in the first RAGBRAI. He had long silver hair and when he was flying down the hills his hair would be a silver streak behind him.

Fix-it shop

On Monday dad blew a tire out. So we had to make a trip to the bike repair shop set up in town. Several days later I blew my tire out and had to make a trip to the fix it shop. Then on Friday Dad asked if I felt that "lump, lump, lump" in the road. I said "No!" He said, "Well, we better pull over." Turns out his brand new tires were bulging and he had to replace them again!!

The view

What I looked at for hours and hours every day.

Eagle Grove

This was by far the best pass through town. They had a person in an eagle costume high up in a try as you entered the town. Then the theme inside the town was of the Beverly Hillbillies. They had grandma in a rocking chair, the guy in the jail (can't remember his name), they had all of these old classic antique cars on display. It was awesome!!

Tent city

A picture of my "mini" tent. It was about 2.5 feet tall and about 5 feet long. I fit diagonally. The other pic is of some of the tents. It is known as tent city by fellow RAGBRAI-ers.

loading up for RAGBRAI

Pic of the team loading up the truck to haul everything to the first overnight town, Rock Rapids.

RAGBRAI

Well, I did it. I rode a total of 497 miles on bike in 7 days. I can't fit everything that happened into this one post so I will do the best I can to provide an overview.

The team I was on, Silver Streak, was awesome. It was a wide variety of people, some partiers, some more laid back and a person could always find a place to fit in. They were very nice and all of them had pointers and words of encouragement.

The ride itself was tough at times and easy at others. The last day was the hilliest and the toughest ride by far. Earlier in the week I had a day when I was completely exhausted and that was also tough. I had only two bike breakdowns. I lost my chain once- which was an easy fix. The other, I popped the side wall of my tire and had to walk a mile back to the food stand and ask around to see if anyone had a patch kit. The nearest repair shop was in the next town- 6 miles away. So these two guys, Gene and his friend, offered me a patch, helped me put it on and put my tire back on. I was then able to ride into the next town and buy new tires. Thanks a billion to these two guys. There was no way I was walking my bike 6 miles in 90+ degree heat. It was hot enough riding it!!

The best overnight town was Humboldt. They gave out free chapstick, candy canes, and biofreeze. Biofreeze became my new best friend. If you have sore muscles or joints- get Biofreeze!!!!!

The best part was that everyone thought I was in my late teens. I had one guy offer me milk since I wasn't old enough to drink alcohol. It was hilarious!!! They couldn't believe it when I told them how old I was!!!!

The best part was riding into the last town and seeing the river. What an accomplishment. I will never forget that.

The questions I am asked:
What do you do for all of those hours on your bike? I talk, but after several days there isn't much left to talk about, so I think. Of course after several more days there isn't too much to think about that is important. By the last day I am naming off gasses/metals and trying to remember their symbol on the periodic table. (I would definitely fail chemistry if I took it right now.)

How much weight did you lose? None. I gained 2 pounds. I was told that a person burns about 50 calories per mile. when a person rides 70 miles they would then burn 3500 calories a day, just by riding. By burning that many calories I would have to eat a large amount of food to just make up that 3500 calories. After taking in calories through food, and then subtracting what is expended, anything less than 1800 calories remaining slows your metabolism. So a person riding this type of ride actually has a slow metabolism and so they hold onto more calories. When they get done riding and go home, they still eat the same but their metabolism is still slowed. It takes a week or two to get a persons metabolism back up.

Would you do it again? I don't know. It was a lot of work and I am proud that I accomplished it. Did I mention it was a lot of work? If I did it again I would definitely have to put in more than 300 training miles. RAGBRAI recommends 600 and I think that is a very good number.

Ride on!!

Half way there

Well I am into day 4 and about half way to the ending town. The Dumont library is kind enough to let us use their library computers. I am really tired and was plain exhausted yesterday. Hopefully today will be better. We are heading south most of the day which means directly into the wind. :(

Some good things to mention...

Eagle Grove has had the best pass through town theme. I will post pictures later.

The best overnight town so far has been Humboldt with their holiday theme. They rocked!! Candy canes, Santa, free chapstick!!! Awesome decorations.

I will elaborate later, there is a line to use the computers. Hope all is well and will talk to you soon.

Ride on!!

Day 1

Hey all. I have made it through the 70+ miles of day one. The terrain wasn't bad but the wind was brutal. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. We are now in Spencer staying at the fair grounds. I actually showered in a cattle barn with about 30 other women. The worst was when the planes were flying over head.

Tomorrow should bring on more excitement!!!

Gavin passed

Today was Gavin's last day of swimming lessons. He received his certificate and is now moved into level II. He did a fantastic job! He is able to put his head in the water, kick, dog paddle, back float, and bob. Awesome!!!

Swimming Lessons

Gavin has been taking swimming lessons the past two weeks. He is getting much better at dunking his head under water, kicking, and using his arms to get around. He has gone off of the diving board twice, but suddenly developed a fear today. Tomorrow he takes his swimming test to see if he can move up to the next level!!

Zoo trip

The boys and I went to the zoo a few weekends ago. They always love seeing the animals. We bought a zoo pass this year again and so we have access to the zoo early in the morning. No crowds and the animals are moving around! Awesome!!

Bondu Summerfest

Another summer brings another Bondurant Summerfest. The fun began with a parade and a ton of candy being thrown. The boys loved the rides. They were very sad when they saw the carnival leave. More fun next year!!