July 25, 2023
Karas Loop? NO!
Karas Loop? John Karas was one of RAGBRAIs founders and every year the organizers add a 20 or so mile loop to one of the days for those that wish to do a century. I’ve done a few of these but not today! Just wasn’t feeling it. And I’m here to get from Seattle to home…..so no need to go in circles. At least that’s my excuse.
Met a number of nice folks today…..a firefighter from Colorado doing his first RAGBRAI as a bagger ( no registered rider carrying his own gear), a lady from Maryland on her first also carrying her gear but registered, a retired MD who spent two years working in the medical system in Australia (convinced socialized medicine is the way to go), a guy with MS riding a recumbent trike (Cliff, a friend of Charles), …….. hard to remember the conversations. You try to ride together so you can talk but inevitably something happens on the road or you come into the next town, or friends show up……and you go your own ways.
I was riding this morning through the early morning mist admiring the scenery….farms with corn and beans spread over gently undulating hills with the sun rising in the background, old weathered barns in disrepair but standing in defiance, cattle every now and then……and I was watching the other riders with their heads bent, hands in the drops, blasting through the ride completely oblivious to their surroundings. All of a sudden this long haired guy rides up and voices exactly what I was thinking. These folks are missing the beauty that the Iowa landscape provides. Granted there is usually corn in one side and beans on the other, and folks don’t see anything else. You know….fly over state. But it’s like back home riding through the marsh…..it’s just marsh grass and water. But it has its own beauty if you just look. I wondered if that guy could read my mind.
Since I slept well last night I felt pretty good when I left this morning, but was hungry. So before getting out of last nights over night town I stopped at a convenience store and ate a breakfast pizza and a juice drink. Food doesn’t last long as fuel when your doing this sort of thing and I think my metabolism has been in high gear since starting June 1. I stay hungry all day. So I also ate…..sushi (yes in IOWA!), a DP, a hot dog, a beer, another DP, two cup cakes, fried rice, beef and broccoli, a pound of fruit, an orange soda, a root beer soda, peanuts, and lots of water. But I am still hungry. Problem is I am doing RAGBRAI with a team and half my panniers, including my food bag, are stored on the truck and not on my bike where I can access them easily. Looks like another breakfast stop will be needed tomorrow morning.
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 85 miles (137 km)
Total: 2,223 miles (3,578 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 5 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 11 |
Lots of interesting stuff! Bugs and flowers and critters and plants and rocks and all sorts of stuff!
Of course the majority are there for the big party atmosphere, not scenery.
My dad said "If you are bored, you are bored inside. There is always something interesting if you just look around."
1 year ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
By the way, thanks for the update on Kevin. Speaking of e-bikes, are they allowing them on RAGBRAI?
1 year ago
Also, regarding your next page, I agree with your assessment of Des Moines. I rode through it on one of my solo tours and I found it to be a very cool city.
1 year ago