Day 2.
Rain.
We woke up this morning to this:
Not really the best way to start off your first RAGBRAI.
You can ride in the rain and many of the riders are, but we made the decision to skip the first 40 mile ride from Council Bluffs to Avoca.
One of the reasons is that our water tank has a leak. We need an O-ring or a whole new system? So right now we are trying to use as little water as possible. We tried stopping at a few places on our way out of town, but many of them are closed because it's Sunday. We finally found some O-rings at Menards, of all places. (My father's favorite store).
So, we are trying to make the best of things. Yesterday we also had an issue with the tire on Kolton's bike. The valve core blew out after we pumped it up, so now the tube won't hold any air. We replaced it with a new tube and that blew too. Turns out the tire side walls are threadbare and we just need a new tire. So we had to put a spare tire on his bike so he can ride it.
All in all, it's a little frustrating and pretty disappointing start. Will update when we reach Avoca.
Current Mood: Disappointed but optimistic
Predictions: The rain will stop and we will get to ride at Avoca.
The Afternoon:
So before we got to Avoca, the weathermen were saying it was going to rain all the way to Atlantic. John and Braden decided they were going to ride, so we saw them off. Then Jeff, Kolton, and I went into town to experience RAGBRAI.
There were SO many people. Not exactly my cup of tea - but we had a good time walking around and getting some food.
By this time it was pretty much just sprinkling, so we all decided to risk the rain and ride for the second half of the day. The ride was about 20 miles, which is the longest I've ridden so far in one day. We stopped in a town along the way to get some pie and to rest. It didn't rain on us!
I discovered that tandems go really fast downhill, which is both really fun and really scary. It's also a chance to rest your bum because you can stand up on the pedals while you are coasting and stick your butt in the air. It's really one of the best things ever.
When we arrived at our host family's residence, we discovered that they were willing to let us use their bathroom and shower!!! So I have been saved from using the RV shower for now.
Margaret made a great dinner and then we all went to bed. Early day tomorrow!
Make sure to check out the video for more exciting ramblings!
Current Mood: Tired, but hopeful for tomorrow
Predictions: We will ride all the way to Winterset
Best Part of the Day: Arriving at the overnight town
Worst Part of the Day: Not being able to ride in the morning
This blog is great!
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