2017 July...missing Colorado

July... started out with a parent crisis and I spent 11 days in Illinois.  Mom had to move to memory care and Dad has to decide if he will move nearby to assisted living or stay home with the same caregivers we've had for both parents.  No happy endings here.

Getting old is so tough!  Taking care of parents causes me to think too much.  My goal is to be happy every day and to be so grateful for people in my life and activities I can do. 

Ladies' get together at Polcyn's

Luau at The Cottages

Favorite eatery - Taco Bell, a family tradition now

A lovely week of activities in Colorado followed my return home - bike ride, kayak, etc. 

Scott paddling up to the pelicans at Chatfield Reservoir

Then Scott and I drove to Iowa to do RAGBRAI, a week long bicycle ride in Iowa.  It's the oldest week-long ride in the U.S. and I've know about it forever but only decided to do it last year.  And then Scott came along and he's done it over 15 times!  So naturally we did it this year!   RAGBRAI = (Des Moines) Register's Annual Great Big Ride Across Iowa

We met his team, the Cutters on Day 1 in Iowa City then stayed with them at the overnights they set up.  Their Cutter Bus followed for the entire trip. I didn't realize northern Iowa is so pretty with many small lake towns. Loved the terrain of the NE corner.

Cutter bus outside a bar with lots of bicyclers

One day on the ride. Roads are closed to cars.

The route:  Start at Lake Okoboji and ride to first night in Spencer.
Spencer - we camped outside a business that was closed and we had no bathroom or water or showers.  Not a good way to start a week of biking.  Not liking RAGBRAI yet.
Algona - stayed with LeeAnn in her beautiful house on the lake.  Paradise. Liking RAGBRAI.
Clear Lake - beautiful town.  Slept indoors!
Charles City - stayed with another nice couple.  Enjoyed the patio with a view and a bedroom in the house!
Decorah - stayed in an empty old house getting updated.  Interesting.
Waukon - stayed at Ben's parents' farm house with many other teams. Nice folks and we learned that everyone makes Scotcharoos for parties, they sell them everywhere, including at gas stations.  Recipe online.  They're the bomb!
We did not ride on Day 6 to Lansing.  Back to Iowa City, then back to Colorado. 

One of the lake towns - Lake Okobji?

Inside the cutter bus on the way to the start

Inside the Cutter bus - a bar (left) and storage for our things.  Bikes all went on top.  People in the front. You see many of these team party buses on the ride.

LeeAnn's dock, Algona.  What a beautiful part of Iowa!

We got so lucky with the weather!  The week before it was 90's and miserable.  Our week was in the 80's mostly.  The humidity is crazy but it was very tolerable for Iowa in July.

nightly music

I saw these same guys on Ride The Rockies (in Colorado) in 1990!  They are still riding and hauling a grill, a bar, music, and a cooler on their bicycles. Scott knew them from previous RAGBRAI rides.  Funny.

We definitely had some interesting times since we were always the first ones in to the overnight house in whatever town and we often beat the bus by hours (and our clean street clothes were on the bus).  Once I bought shorts in a random shop so I could get out of my bike shorts in the sweaty heat!  Once we both bought completely new outfits at a thrift store because it rained hard and we were totally soaked at the end - total price for both $10.  

And once we bought completely new outfits at the J.C.Penney that was going out of business.  We looked great (our opinions - see model photo ha ha!)) and loved our bargains. 
Then my seat split apart on the ride on Day 5!  So weird and my theory is the humidity caused it to expand and burst.  Duct tape held it for one more day of riding.

Scott was a great riding partner and companion in the host towns and we laughed throughout the trip.  RAGBRAI = One and done for me!  Goodbye July.

Me with my favorite Cutter