Saturday, July 27, 2013

RAGBRAI: Day 7

And... I am done. Today was downright chilly and we had a strong tailwind by the end of it. But I have dipped my tire in the Mississippi river and completed my first RAGBRAI. I feel accomplished. I am happy I won't have a hard mat and leaky tent. I am sad I won't be able to greet each new day from the seat of my bike with thousands of other riders or be whizzing by beautiful Iowa scenery.

It's over. I don't know if I'll be back next year. Honestly, it was some of the best conditions we could have asked for. And I don't know if I'll feel the need to do it every year. Maybe I should find something I can do with David. Something without Kybos.

We passed several little towns that were like relics of some forgotten age. I can't imagine how anyone could live in a town that small and that unchanged.

Victory!

RAGBRAI: Day 6

Ah, day 6. Wherin I decide I am more-or-less done. Probably partially because last night it rained again and I was forced to sleep under a towel.
It will be weird going back to normal life. Real life. I've been sleeping from about 21:00 to 05:00 every night, mostly because once I wake up, I am too uncomfortable to get back to sleep. And usually other people are stirring at that point as well. Also, I have been stuffing my face. I seriously eat something like every two hours, mostly because I get hungry that often. I'll have to get back into the habit of say, oh, less than 4000 calories. I also have one to two alcoholic beverages a day. But I've been burning about that much as well. It's going to be weird when the town no longer caters to me, I can't bike on roads, when I no longer earn everything I eat and drink.
Mom had an accident today. We were biking into a town with awful roads, part uneven brick and part concrete. I was hungry even though it was only 09:00 and Dad was leading the way to the food area. We both heard Mom calling out hello to the Bike World tent as we passed it.
We stopped for food and realized Mom wasn't with us. After a few moments, we figured she had stopped to talk with the Bike World people or something. Dad elected to watch for her while I went to get pizza. She tried to call me during that time, but the reception was awful and I couldn't hear anything. After I got pizza, Dad grabbed a slice and said he was going back to find her.
I took my pizza and waited by the side of the road, minute after minute, my brain conjuring up horrible ideas of what may have happened, freaking myself out, praying. I knew I shouldn't move because if Dad found her, he'd come back here with her, and if he didn't find her, he'd come back for me and we'd go looking together. I tried to get reception on my phone. I put my sunglasses on when I began to cry.
A guy also with the Bike World charter wandered over to me and asked me if I was OK, as I'd been staring down the road for several minutes. I could barely talk to him because if I talked, I would sob. I felt very juvenile, a 26-year-old girl saying she can't find her mommy. As I was talking to him, I saw their familiar outlines coming down the hill.
When Mom got there, she was telling me about how she'd gone over her handlebars hitting an uneven part of the street, how her bike had been damaged and she'd needed the seat replaced, but I collapsed into her arms, sobbing, "I was so worried!" She has a few bruises, a bandaid on one knee, and an expensive and nice new bike seat. I am so happy she was OK. I've wondered that before. We always have plans to meet up in the next towns, but if something did happen, would the cell phone network be able to help us? What if we got loaded unconscious on the back of an ambulance? How long before the others would figure out we were missing or where to go? Thank God he's kept us safe so far.
Otherwise, today was easy which was good because I was low energy. Tomorrow is over 60 miles and we have to be done by 14:30.

Friday, July 26, 2013

RAGBRAI: Day 5

Shoot, I forgot to blog. I have about two minutes before I want to be asleep.

I'm starting to hear drops hit my tent. Hopefully, it will hold this time. Hopefully it will be considerably less windy. And only sprinkle. If even.

Today was a lovely ride. Full of hills, but I expected them today. We went through Pella, which seems so much like a charming dutch-themed town that I questioned whether anyone actually lived there.

We went over a dam. It was pretty amazing. Also, mom and I have decided that Tom's Turkey (or was it Turkey Toms?) had the best strawberry banana smoothies. Although the banana could be stronger, in my opinion.

I want to wax on my thoughts about riding, tandem biking, riding personalities, and the like, but I also want to go to bed, and typing on my phone isn't quite up to keyboard typing, in my opinion. Maybe tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

RAGBRAI: Day 4

Day 4 done. And really, seriously, the morning is my favorite time. In the first two hours, I sit there exalting on my bike seat. I feel that I love biking, love RAGBRAI, and love life. I'm reminding myself of that right now. By noon I am ready to be done and sit lounging around at camp the rest of the day.

Today was fairly short, but quite hilly. Tomorrow promises to be equally hilly. It seemed that every hill we finally get to the top of inevitability leads to another hill. This is supposed to be the sixteenth flattest route. I have to wonder what the hilliest one was like.

I'm probably being spoiled this RAGBRAI. The weather is beautiful, the routes are short. Actually, a few days ago I had an unpleasant encounter with an enthusiast who thought the same thing. On Day 2, the longest day and the longest ride I had ever been on, I was exhausted and in line for the showers. A circle of chairs had been set up for the line and every time the person in front was called, everyone would move up one.

"I'm too tired for musical chairs," I grumbled out loud.

"Well, then you shouldn't be doing RAGBRAI, that's the way I see it, sister. This your first time?"

"Yes."

"Oh, you would have never have made it last year."

"...thanks."

Thanks to my rather curt answers, she stopped talking to me and turned to talk to the guy next to her about how much last year sucked in a rather one-upper way.

Yes, last year would have been miserable. I worked at the oil change place then and I would go out the door in the morning and start sweating and would roast all day in the bays and pit and not stop until I went back home ten hours later, showered, and actively avoided anything that might make me perspire for the rest of the evening. It would have been hell to ride RAGBRAI then. But seriously, a brand new rider is tired but victorious after the hardest day and it's all you can do to tell them their accomplishment is nothing? To make them feel bad for not being more miserable? It really ticked me off and both Mom and Dad told me to ignore it and one-uppers are insecure and so on. But really the sting was taken out by Dad turning it into a running joke. I say it seems like after every hill we went up, we'd go down and then up again. He then says, "It's nothing compared to last year." Which he didn't go on. It takes me a second and then I'm like, "You punk!" in a friendly manner. "Last year," he continued, "every time we got to the top of a hill, there'd be another hill and we'd have to go up again."

Right now, chilling out under the big tent Bike World sets up with chairs for people to relax in. Mom's giving me a massage cause my shoulder muscle was acting up and the massage-er was booked. We're waiting for the sun to go down so we can be in our tents without getting hot and go to sleep. Early days here.

Tomorrow, more hills. Of course, nothing like last year.

RAGBRAI: Day 3

It might be difficult to get to sleep tonight. The campground is arranged in such a way that the road goes past and bikers and really slow cars keep going and people talking and strange chirpy bug-rodents... chirping.

But it shouldn't be because I'm cold. Explain that in a second.

I've decided my favorite part is in the morning right after we get started and you think you have the energy to tackle the whole day and everyone is still biking together...

Today felt like a lot of stops, but we had plenty of time. My Uncle Larry biked with us briefly as well. Mom and Dad play a game where they see if they know anyone on RAGBRAI... and who knows someone first. I saw someone actually jogging RAGBRAI along the side of the road... you think I'm crazy for biking 50+ miles in a day, I think other people are crazy for running it. Anyway, as the jogger passed me (had stopped for a breakfast burrito), I thought he looked just like Adam Foley, David's hall director for BWR. I waved with a somewhat shocked expression on my face and he didn't wave back. Once back on my bike, I caught up with him. Turns out he didn't respond because he was in the zone. I guess I can understand that.

Later on, we were almost to Minburn where I was going to try and see Nikki, someone I knew from Panera. I stopped at a free banana place outside of Minburn and it turns out she was there.

The weather was great. Little headwind near the end. I'm not as perky as the first day as my legs kind of shut down whenever not in use and it takes them 10 minutes to warm back up after a break.

But I shouldn't be cold tonight because we met David in Des Moines and he drove us to Bang Bangs Mongolian Grill and brought me blankets and we had a lovely time. Miss him.

Monday, July 22, 2013

RAGBRAI: Day 2

Just a note to start the day. I should have taken better care with my sleeping arrangements. Oh, don't get me wrong, the mat is great. The sketchiest part of this whole thing was a thin, self-inflating foam mat. It's pretty comfortable. I thought that in the middle of July, all I'd need was a sheet, mostly just to cover the mat. Two mornings now I've woken with every inch of the sheet wrapped around me like a small cocoon. I did bring a sweatshirt which I end up wearing. And to keep noise and stuff out, I put a towel over my head, which also contributes to attempting to keep me warm. I don't know where I would have put  sleeping bag or anything else, but the only thing worse than trying go sleep sticky from either sweat or bug spray is trying to sleep cold.

As I write this, I am experiencing a monsoon. My tent is caving in like someone is sitting on it. The tarp part is snapping in the wind like a cap gun. And even though all the pieces are on, I'm still getting wet. I've taken to wearing my towel as the tent dances and spatters rain at me. Good thing all my luggage is packed in the appropriate plastic bag.

Well, I guess I'll just have to wait it out while blogging. My sleeping mat is wet anyway.

This morning started off damp too. Everything was covered with dew and mist. It was actually pretty amazing starting off and looking at the hills covered and bikers disappearing into the distance.

Later it got hot. And long. And difficult. But I made it.

Apparently this tent was only made for vertical rain.

Not much for photos. I was concentrating.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

RAGBRAI: Day 1

I have completed my first day of RAGBRAI. Please, no applause.

It was pretty easy at the start, only getting really hilly later in the day. I think we hit Harlan just after noon. Early to bed, early to rise around here. And by early, I'm pretty sure the guy who camped behind me started taking down his tent before 04:00. There was some lightning and nobody wanted to have to pack a rain-damp tent.

It is really fun riding with so many other bike-loving people, just filling the road, stretching from the distance in your rear-view mirror to the crest of the hill in the distance.

Also, I'd like to note our very Iowan and very affordable meal for lunch which had ham-balls-on-a-stick, corn-on-a-cob, and a drink for like five bucks.

So, I learned a few things today, and not just about biking and the various calls associated with it. Here are a few things to know before going on RAGBRAI:

1) Always eat free bananas. I'm not sure why, but bananas are prime food for bikers around here. Free bananas are better.

2) When trekking to the shower, use a gym back or something. Because it can be a trek and your arms will grow tired if you have to hold clothes, a towel, toiletries, and a book for however long you wait in line, then abandon the line to take the shuttle to Joe's Shower Shack (or something like that), wait in line again to get a shuttle back, and then walk back to camp from there.

3) I generally feel washcloths are somewhat superfluous. I think they I'd in better overall cleanliness, but can be abandoned for a week if needed. Usually, that works fine. But if you are wearing five layers of bug spray, two layers of sunscreen, and three layers of sweat, you either need a washcloth or might have to resort to your fingernails to scratch it off.

Tomorrow is the hard day. If I can make it then, I can probably make rest of the week.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

RAGBRAI: Day 0

So it's not technically RAGBRAI, yet. But since it starts tomorrow morning at 6, officially, we're here the day before. I've got my tent set up and I went to the bike expo and I got samples of stuff and then read a book in the shade with some Redd's Apple Ale. Just now we went and dipped our back tires in the Missouri river. When we hit the other side, we'll dip our front tires in the Mississippi river. Ceremony for traversing the state.

Note: I'm going to try to write every day, but the cell phone data is overwhelmed right now with the 10,000+ people here for RAGBRAI. Will publish when I can.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Emergency Library Run

So there I was, waiting for League of Legends to update and scrolling through Steampunk pictures in Google images while listening to Abney Park... hey, I was in a mood. When suddenly, I came across an image that was clearly the cover art to a Young Adult series called the Steampunk Chronicles, or what I call it in my head, "The Girl with the Steel Corset" series. Since that's a bit more specific. Anyway, I'd read the first one, Girl with the Steel Corset, about a year and a half ago. I eagerly awaited the second one on the hold list about a year ago. And the thing with this cover I just found is that though it is obviously part of the series, I had never heard of it.

Maybe I just don't keep up very well with books. So, I clicked over to the link for the picture, which was Goodreads, and discovered it was published May 28th. By this time I am in somewhat of a state of shock. "I have to get on the hold list," I'm thinking, so I go to the Ames Public Library page, paste the title, and discover...

"It's checked in!" I cry, clasping my hands to my head. "This is an emergency!" I declare to David. I run out of the room, shove my pants on, and book it to the library on my bike.

I had a moment of panic when I didn't find it under YA CRO (young adult, Kady Cross) and had to run over to the computer to look it up again. I generally find that's more efficient than talking to librarians because they have to do that anyway. Then I found it was under "new" young adult fiction... a few seconds of looking and I found that section and... there! My book. The picture on the front is obviously Emily, but I always thought she had dreads. Author kept calling it "ropey hair."

Monday, July 15, 2013

Faith in Humanity: Gone

I got stood up again. What's eerie is how similar it was to the last situation.

Why on Earth do people call me asking to see the house and then pretend they don't exist? I didn't call them, I'm not a telemarketer, I'm not going door to door. I have an ad on Craig's List and that's it.

I've complained previously about people who say they'll call you back and don't, or say they'll come see your house and don't show up and you have to call them to even find out they were standing you up.

Well, I've found a new worse version. Twice now, someone has called me asking to see the house and I set up a preliminary time, but tell them I need to confirm it with the tenant and I'll get back to them. Within 24 hours I have spoken to the tenant, confirmed the time, and texted the person back. I even had the last person be like, "Oh yeah, texting is fine. I get free texting." After about 8 hours of silence in which I think, "Oh, they're at work. Or busy. Or haven't seen their phone." I then call them. Someone else answers. "Oh, my wife's phone, I'll take a message." "Oh, must have been my daughter. She isn't here. I'll tell her you called. Bye."

Next time I call back, nobody picks up. In the first case, I called back multiple times. They let it go to voicemail every time. I suppose you could still make excuses for them, but when I'm confirming an appointment a day in advance, the very least they could do is tell me, "No, we found somewhere else." "We're no longer interested."

Maybe they're trolling me. Maybe it's an organized "let's harass well-meaning leasing agents" event.

Maybe everyone I text not in my address book is being kidnapped by the NSA.

But no, they don't have the guts to say no, so they pretend they aren't home. Cowards. I'm rather disgusted.

First time I got mad. Real mad. I raged, I cried, I pouted.

Second time, I'm not even that surprised. Well, just a little, that it would happen again in such a similar way.

But really? Really? What is so wrong with humanity in that they make appointments, don't keep them, and won't even tell you that they have no intention of keeping them? And every new person you talk to is like, "I would never do that." And then half of them do. I will not be mad, will not hate you, and will completely understand if you don't want what I'm selling. But nothing ticks me off like people who can't do a decent human thing of actually keeping their appointments and communicating about not keeping their appointments. I keep typing because in reality I don't have the words to describe how much this bothers me.

And now it's carrying on to other things. I was playing a computer game and a person joined my group just to be like, "oh, I have to leave bye sorry!" I shrugged. Someone else asked for two minutes before joining my group and I said sure, but told the rest of the group, "Well, I guess we'll see if they actually show up and are actually what they claim to be." Crap, I'm becoming jaded.

What is wrong with people?

Friday, July 5, 2013

And now I know better.

If you know me, you know I like drinking. Not hard-core, go to the bar, multiple drinks or anything like that. I drink wine in the evenings and my favorite drink, hard cider, I allow myself on the weekends. Usually, nothing comes of it.

This Fourth of July, I went to my grandparents' at the lake and as usual, there was a wide selection of alcoholic beverages. I had a few beer-level drinks at about 5% and that didn't do anything to me beyond making my stomach feel bloated. Then I found they had wine, so I had some of that. My aunt had gotten me this plastic cup that was like a cross between a goblet and a sippy-cup with my initial on the side. Fun idea, but I had a hard time telling how much I was drinking.

I started to feel buzzed and I really like feeling buzzed. Everything seems funnier, I feel more social, and I enjoy myself up to 27% more than usual. I just wanted to keep that feeling going. So I drank some sangria and started to realize I was more than buzzed, I was probably on the edge of drunk. But I was still having fun and felt good. I told my aunt that I wanted to utilize the feeling while I had it, and "what should I do?" "Have another drink," was the reply.

Now, I know our decision making abilities are supposed to be impaired at this point, but I still knew better. Even so, I got more wine.

Maybe it is just my normal propensity to over analyze whatever I'm feeling, but I soon came to realize I was no longer having fun. I wasn't able to focus, I was saying things I probably wouldn't normally say, I had a hard time walking. I started to feel slightly ill and so located myself on the floor of the bathroom, just in case. I remembered what was supposed to come next.

Well, I didn't throw up, but my eyes started just closing. I left the bathroom and lay down on a bed in the guestroom. I couldn't seem to snap out of it. Tipsy lasts for like half an hour, tops, if you don't keep drinking. They woke me up two hours later and I could tell I was still drunk.

I drank a lot of water and then went back to sleep. When I woke up again at 1:30am, I felt much better and drank more water. Next morning I felt fine.

Doesn't sound like a bad story, does it? I didn't offend anyone, didn't say anything really stupid, didn't even get hungover. But in the process of fooling around, I missed the fireworks, fire pit, sparklers, conversation. And that is not what I wanted out of the Fourth. I like the feel-good feeling, but it's not worth that. And in my general philosophy of life, it calls for enjoying the things you have in the place you are. And I missed them. And while I feel a little embarrassed for getting intoxicated, I'm more angry at myself for wasting all that time and sleeping the evening away.

And so, I don't ever want to get drunk again.