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Have had issues connecting to Tapatalk so here goes....pix will have to wait until I get home.
Day 1: Council Bluffs to Atlantic, Iowa.
Day started with rain hitting my tent around 3am, I think. I got up around 0530 and hit the road around 0630. Roughly 300 yards into the day the knucklehead to my left rode directly into a roadway marker sign. It wasn't his fault as the inanimate piece of bright white plastic obviously came out of nowhere and jumped right in front of him.
Because he seemed ok, he didn't scream as he bounced off the pavement, and with suboptimal braking conditions I kept going. Godspeed, doofus.
The first 'town' of the day was a neighborhood still in Council Bluffs about four miles away. They weren't really ready by the time I got there, and with rain continuing to fall and occasional lightning flashing I proceeded without stopping. My bike is made from specially designed aluminum that does not attract lightning, so I was totally not concerned. At all. Besides, it wasn't even the cloud to ground stuff. 😲
Continuing on through the rain I did see a bald eagle flying out in the country side. Second day in a row I saw one out here. Clearly eagles realize how awesome Iowa is.
The rain stopped briefly, but it was pretty obvious that I was going to need a gas powered engine to stay ahead of it for good.
The temperature was in the upper sixties through out the day. Considering the heat index the past few days it was a most welcome change. My rain coat did a great job keeping the rain out. It also offers no breathable qualities, so I was totally soaked in sweat within the first hour. Win some, lose some.
The hills seemed to be a little more intense in the second half of the ride. Or maybe it was the homemade pie and cookies I had for 'lunch'. At one point a kid who I'm estimating to be about nine, passed me going up a long hill. With ease. And with that nine year old shit eating grin that says 'wow you're old, mister.'
I totally flew past him on the downhill side a few moments later though. Gravity for the win!
The hills continued, as did the rain. It finally stopped raining about three miles from the end of the route. One final, hellacious climb remained to get to the house we're camping at.
We then enjoyed a delicious dinner of charcoal grilled burgers with homemade peach cobbler (pictured) cooked by our team support driver. Headed to the town square for the night's concerts featuring every veterinarian's favorite band...Hairball.
Ragbrai 80s-90s song of the day: I wish it would rain down - Phil Collins
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