When I wrote my previous blog entry on RAGBRAI during the day on Wednesday, I indicated that the day hadn't been going too badly. I may have spoken too soon. Well, the day still wasn't too bad, but after leaving Applington, the wind picked up, making the remainder of the day a bit more difficult. When I made the last turn before getting to Cedar Falls, I was able to see the top of the UNI-Dome, although it was ten or so miles away. It was kind of like the feeling of seeing a grain elevator or a water tower, indicating that the next town is near, but it was still quite a ways away. After cleaning up upon arriving in Cedar Falls, Mel's aunt and uncle, as well as her cousin's daughter, picked us up so we could go to dinner away from the RAGBRAI crowds. We went to the OP on University Avenue, where we proceeded to have some delicious pizza. After dinner, we were dropped off near the UNI-Dome so we could do some shopping at the bike expo. Unfortunately, the T-shirts that we had hoped to buy were sold out in out sizes. I guess that when you see a T-shirt you want on RAGBRAI, you should buy it then, because if you wait, they may run out.
All week, Mel's right hand had been bothering her, imparing her fine motor skills. Concerned about this, she called My Nurse to get some advice. She was advised to get it checked out at the hospital emergency room. Being that we were ready for bed, we waited until the morning to do this. My mom took us both to Sartori Memorial Hospital in Cedar Falls to have her hand looked at. After spending a couple of hours there, the solution was for her to increase the dosage of her anti-inflammatory medication. Then we were let go. Unfortunately, by this time, it was nearly 9:30, which would have given us a very late start for our day. So, we had my mother drop us and our bikes off a couple miles to the west of Dunkerton, where we resumed our bike ride across Iowa. This cut out day's ride to about 33 miles, which was enough with the heat of the day.
Thursday night there was a thunderstorm while we were in Independence. Fortunately the winds were not too strong. The tent managed to keep most of the rainwater out, with just a little getting in when Mel left the tent briefly during the storm. So Friday morning, we packed up our wet tent and set out for our ride to Dyersville. The weather was really nice with cooler temperatures than the earlier part of the week. Despite the fact that we rode twice as far as we had the day before, we both felt that it was an easier ride. I guess the lower temperatures really helped.
Saturday morning, after packing up our tent for the last time on RAGBRAI XXXV, we set off for Bellevue. Not wanting to keep everyone waiting for us, and wanting to make the 1:00 meeting time in Bellevue, we didn't stop as often or for as long. We did stop for breakfast in Cascade where we had Chris Cakes pancakes, which Mel had not yet experienced on the ride. Our next stop was in Bernard where we just had some Gatorade to help replenish ourselves. We had hoped to stop in La Motte for a bite to eat, but they seemed to be all out of food, with the exception of corn on the cob. We did wait about half an hour in line for some drinks though. So after having out drinks and eating the Cliff Bar I had on my bike, we set off to finish the ride.
Saturday was by far the hilliest day on the RAGBRAI route this year. There were some pretty steep and long hills to contend with, but that is to be expected as one approaches the Mississippi River valley. By the time we saw somewhere to get food, Tender Tom's Turkey, the line was really long; probably due to the lack of food in La Motte, and we had fewer than ten miles to go, so we continued on. We managed to get to Bellevue and reach the Superior Hawgs bus just short of 1:00 in the afternoon. After loading up the bus, we were on our way back to Evansdale by 1:30.
I had a really great time this year. As I often do, earlier in the week, I was thinking that this would be my last year to ride on RAGBRAI. However, as the soreness continued, but with the feeling of being more in shape for the ride, that thought went away. Now I can not wait until next year when Mel and I can ride on RAGBRAI XXXVI!
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