Day 2 and Day 3

Day 2 and Day 3 Summary Statistics:
Miles Completed - 97 (Day 2); 58 (Day 3)
Beers Drank - 0 (Oops)
Rhubarb Pie Consumed - 3 slices (with homemade ice cream... YEAH!)
Showers Taken - 8 (1 per person per day)
Lemonade Stands Visited - 2
Tires Changed - 1
Beers owed to strangers who helped change tire - 1

Day 2 didn't start as expected given our mid-night wake up call at 2:30AM to seek shelter due to the approaching storm. We spent 45 minutes in the church, then received the "All Clear" to head back out. Thankfully the hail and high winds missed our tents. We tried to get back to sleep, but the 5AM alarm came early. We finally made it out of camp at a little after 6AM. Rabbit, Oink and Moo decided to still take the "Century" challenged despite the short night's sleep. The first half of the extra 14 mile loop was filled with hills (NO FUN) but we kept our sense of humor about the route. We were all very excited to get special patches that signified the completion of the Karras Loop (no we don't know why they call it that). Moo wanted to pull over and sew her patch on to her shorts right away, but we told her she needed to finish the WHOLE route first. (We still had 80 miles to go at that point.) Geezer skipped the loop so proceeded ahead of us down the road.

So that this blog isn't as long as our whole day was yesterday, here's a short(er) summary of the rest of the ride:

Day 2- Hill, Hill, Hill, Breakfast, Hill, Hill, STEEP Hill, Flat Tire, Fix Tire, Hill, Hill, Realize Tire not fixed right as Moo appears to be bouncing on her bike, Darn - Rabbit can't fix it, Hill, Hill, LONG Hill, Hill, Stop at Bike Shop to Fix Tire, Hill, Hill, Hill, Hill, Hill, Hill, Meet Queen Judy for Nourishment, Hill, Hill, Hill, Hill, Pizza and Smoothie (YUM!), Port-a-Pottie (YUCK!), Steep Hill, FLAT LAND!! We're almost there!!... Ooops, RAIN, RAIN, lightening in the distance, State Trooper telling where to go to seek shelter, stop for rain coat, clear sky once rain coat on, Ride, Ride, Mud on Shirt, HOORAY! We're in Jefferson!! Queen Judy hauled our bags out and set up our tents already with Geezer's help! Showers! Pulled Pork Sandwiches! Rhubarb Pie! Homemade Ice Cream! This is awesome!! Sleep!! (In a tent under a street light beside an active railroad track... but still the best sleep all week!)


Day 3: Sleep in til 5:45AM!! Yeah!! FLAT LAND! MORE FLAT LAND! Coffee... Bagels... Flat Land, Meet Queen Judy, Eat someone else's pancakes for our 2nd breakfast (not kidding - they gave up waiting and left), "Last Chance Lemonade", Huge downhill ride, equally huge uphill, Flat land, smiles, laughter, joy, no hills, Limeade, flat land, fast riding, We're in Ames! Showers in a Queen Judy's hotel room! A flush toilet! Life is good. Now time to go find food.

77.8 miles tomorrow. Not as flat as today but after Sunday and Monday, we aren't afraid. (That said, please send feather pillows. There is a certain part of our bodies that IS afraid to get on the bikes tomorrow.)

Over and out.

Moo and Oink

P.S. Favorite Conversation of the Day (as part of a serious conversation between Oink and Bam-Bam from the Flinstones - or someone who looked like Bam-Bam) "Hey, it's Bam-Bam!" "Yep, have you seen Pebbles?" "Yes, I passed her just a little bit ago. You are just ahead of her." "Great, thanks."

P.P.S. Two favorite RAGBRAI Teams - Team Mega-Sore-Ass and Team Pie Hunter... the Pecan Pie hunter had a spare piece of pecan pie in his back jersey pocket today (Again, not kidding... when I asked if his hunt was successful he said "Yep, and if I get in a dire situation, I have a spare piece right here." And proceeded to pull out a pie-shaped tupperware container.).

P.P.P.S. Funniest moment of Moo's flat tire... turning her bike over on the side of the road to get to the tire and smashing her cow horn - the cow horn objected by squeaking, Moo explains to nice young gentleman help us "Don't worry... that's just my cow."