The Past Couple of Weeks

Just a collection of some photos throughout the last few weeks...

Ani and Wrigley, who visited with Joe & Angie from KC. What a good dog!

Dinnertime - trying to learn how to feed  herself with a spoon.

Justin, Monte, me and Ani in Muscatine, right before we left to go back home. Day after RAGBRAI.

Ani with my parents. My dad's shirt cracks me up because he is so not a football guy! Mostly baseball and basketball. :)

Gotta love the Pearl on the Mississippi...

My best girls. Wish we all lived closer.

An-Bon loves baths.

MNSCS #7 - Buck Hill Birch Bump

Buck Hill Birch Bump in Burnsville - August 9.

This fun and fast cross-country course covers a 2.7 mile loop. The trails offer some fun single track and a small amount of climbing. 

Monte's race results:

Sport Men 35-39

2nd place in age group

29th place overall

Time: 1:00:56

Start of race. Monte is in the green.

Packy is in red.

Ani and her new friend Claire with a cow bell. Go Daddy!

What is this? Ani is learning to share?! Amy, Ani, Mariza, and Caden after the race.

RAGBRAI Day 7

Friday, July 24 - Ottumwa to Mt. Pleasant

Day 7:

Today is a 75-mile day. We get up slow - our bodies ache and the sunburn stings. We take our time at a local diner and let a local gent sit with us as we have invaded his breakfast spot. He can't believe our bodies can this punishment! Food is ok, but again, it fills the void. 

Two of the best stops of the day were  1) free pink lemonade and water and 2) Free beer! Sweet Sadie's BBQ had a $5 donation for dinner and beer. Justin and I coax about 50 more people to stop and soon they are out of beer. We leave and come back when we see the next keg pass in the opposite direction. We eat and drink a little more while dragging even more people into the party shouting "Free Beer!" along the roadside. 

We leave our new friends to head for camp. I met a student at Indianola who  said we could camp at his parent's house in Mt. Pleasant. He said it was the only house with a circle drive around the town square. We cannot find it, so we head to the RAGBRAI camp about 4 miles out of town on a steam engine museum. 

We are losing light fast as we set up our tents. I get into bed at 8:45 only to be awaken by police telling us to take cover from an oncoming storm with wild rain. I park everything on the bike and head for the steam engine museum. After watching it rain for 10 minutes I notice nobody is waiting for the shower. I get a shower and shave. The weather has passed - off to bed.

RAGBRAI Day 6

Thursday, July 23 - Chariton to Ottumwa
Day 6:
We wake to rain. I sit on my tent and pack up, while waiting for the rain to end. Once it stops, it is a beautiful sunrise and I can see the storm move east. One of the baggers is up drying his tent out. Apparently he has nothing that is waterproof, so his sleeping bag is a sponge. We grab Brent to ride with us and we're on our way...

Today is going to my 3rd century in a week. Never done it before, so I'm not sure how my body will react. Both Justin and Brent have shifting troubles, so we stop a few times to make adjustments. Brent can't believe he is on the road at 8 am. He hates the bike traffic.

After various stops, we lose Brent and make our way to the 100-mile loop. Each year, RAGBRAI offers an extra loop for one of the days, which gives people the opportunity to ride a century. The loop proves to be the most scenic part of the ride. We circle a lake with a lot less cyclists, it proves to be a joy despite the ever-present heat.

We make it to Ottumwa in 10 hours. We get kicked out of the pool area as it is a not a designated camping spot, so we set up shop with the rest of RAGBRAI in ONE park. We dine at a Mexican restaurant that could have had the worst food but we consumed everything as if it was our last meal. We head to bed early. 3rd century in 5 days completed.

RAGBRAI Day 5

Wednesday, July 22 - Indianola to Chariton

Day 5: 

I'm up at 5 am. My perfect camping spot has 1 loud drunk and I can't sleep. We eat an amazing breakfast - you name it, they had it. Short day, only 45 miles. We stopped along the way a few times, but end up in the destination town for the day, Chariton, at 1 pm. 15 mph average.

At the Chariton pool, Justin and I meet a nice couple from St. Louis on their 1st RAGBRAI. Both husband and wife wish they could ride, but one of them has to drive the truck each day to support their daughter and son-in-law. 

Now we find the best camping spot that we have the whole trip. On top of a hill = breeze. It's also conveniently located by the pool and toilet, and far away from the entertainment and noise. Justin and I go to Hy-Vee for a beer and food run. We ate dinner at our one and only church meal - roast beef, potato salad, and cake all for $7. Not bad but we waited nearly an hour for it while almost passing out from the heat as the basement of the church has no A/C. 

We head back to camp, which is now "Camp Bagger" - there are four other self-supported riders. We all hang out and discuss the finer points of the Tour de France and the lack of bike shifting knowledge on RAGBRAI. 

Every year it's the same thing. You get to a massive downhill and everybody thinks they're Lance Armstrong. Then you transition to the uphill and they're all a bunch of slugs that throw their chain off or break it while shifting under tremendous pressure. I joke that they should have a shifting seminar before RAGBRAI begins. 

Justin and I head downtown for tacos/burritoes and find the band Hairball cranking out another great 80's hair band song. "Cherry Pie", "Dr. Feelgood",  you name it! We head back to camp after a beer and look forward to our 100-mile day ahead of us tomorrow.

RAGBRAI Day 4

Tuesday, July 21

Day 4:

All I can think about as I get up is that I only have to ride 60 miles, or 45 miles less than every day thus far. It's raining. I try to spin it positive - you can't spell "rain" without ANI. :) That puts a smile on my face.

I eat at Panera, get the usual egg souffle and cheese pastry. It's got to be good cycling food because it keeps me fat. Leaving Ames, there is a slight mist which becomes heavy rain. I have my rain coat on and rear blinkey going but so many semi-trucks are passing me by that I feel like a fish out of water. A gentleman in Ames tells me to look for a bike trail that leads to Ankeny. 3 mile detour and no trail. 

Traveling quickly now, I make it to Indianola by 10:30 am. Pizza Hut is the worst, but I still eat their buffet as if $10 for pig slop is cheap. It fills the void. Meander downtown to find the town square. Met a nice couple that let me shower in their home. Big, hot tile shower. Overall, it was clean. I told her compared to the normal shower bikers are offered on RAGBRAI, I would eat off the floor of her dirty shower.

They offer me a bed to stay in and a dryer for my wet clothes. Don and his wife are top notch. They drop me off downtown with dry clothes. I eat good tonight, it's RAGBRAI and I can finally feel the buzz. 55 miles today, 15 mph average. 4 hours on bike.

RAGBRAI Day 3

Monday, July 20 - 107 miles to Ames
Day 3:
You can't spell "wind" without WIN. Directly into the wind all day long. Breakfast at Bill's Grocery filled me up. I move straight south on Highway 69 and stop for lunch - had a chicken sandwich, it was OK, not great.

RAK - Random Act of Kindness... USPS worker fills water bottles. Nice lady in Belfield fills bottles her town has "No store, but the co-op will sell you a pop." Next 30 miles, I have no stops. It's killing me. Hot sun = tomato red arms. After Belfield, driver in orange truck withthe word "Yellow" down the side yells "Dog Attack!" as the dogs jumped out of the ditch. The driver passed in the on-coming traffic while pushing the dogs back off the road. I do my best Mark Cavandish but my legs are tired. Sunburnt, I make it to Ames 12 hours after my start. 10 mph average. Ah, Ames.... home sweet home.