July 19, 2023
Whomever is doing the rain dance, it’s no longer funny.
Song of the day: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/seasicksteve/thebanjosong.html
Hard hard rain and storm last night. Luckily i was still in Creighton and their cozy Community Center Motel. Of course another storm was brewing when I left at around 8. But it lingered and just followed me for 30 odd miles til I got to Belden where I anticipated getting wet so immediately took refuge at the town pool. It rained for about 40 miles and the weather radar said all is clear. On the Laurel I rode.
My initial goal was to get to the home of my Sioux City host today but for some reason I bonked before even getting to Laurel. Breakfast was in Plainview where I met three cyclists also heading to RAGBRAI and also going cross country. Of course they were 20/38/37 years old and traveling very light so no way I could keep up. By the time I got to my overnight camp at the city park in Laurel our numbers had swelled to 7 in all. Nice folks. We swapped stories and had great conversation. One fellow is on a fixie going from Portland to Main. A fixie is a fixed gear bike……only one gear and no drifting. The rear cog is fixed to the rear hub so you must pedal all the time. And there are no brakes. You slow/stop by applying back pressure to the pedals. And he climbed the Rockys on this thing!
Another fellow just left Portland like 3 weeks ago as he had obligations that he could not get out of. He has been doing well over 100 miles a day to get here in time for RAGBRAI. Of course he is only 23. Oh to be young again!!! I feel like a grandfather.
Remember Leroy? With the bad headlight? Back at the park in Creighton? Well today I met his niece. She is a lifeguard at the town pool in Belden. she let me hang out undercover while it rained and kept an eye out for lightning on her phone app. She said this pool is the oldest in Nebraska and was built 100 years ago. Even older than me if you can believe it.
Aside from that brief rain today was a good ride. Wide shoulder, not too hilly, not too windy, and met some nice fellow riders. Oh, and the cook that made my breakfast French toast through in some homemade chocolate chip cookies for the road!! Good day.
Today's ride: 48 miles (77 km)
Total: 2,025 miles (3,259 km)
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