Warning: Raging, Angry Sun Ahead
RAGBRAI LIII Day Two
Iconic Iowa
Merida’s Ride
The incredible troll woman in Elk Horn, Iowa. Merida has corn dust on her shoulders from taking breaks to water the corn.
Merida and Ron came to the 53rd Register’s Annual Bicycle Ride Across Iowa to have fun. This wasn’t their first time riding their bikes across the state. Read Merida’s RAGBRAI 2023 Diaries on her old blog at: https://merida-creates.com/ragbrai-2023-diaries. Back then, they learned what the event wasn’t a hardcore endurance ride, centered around testing humanity’s extremest limits. RAGBRAI is a weeklong party. And any participants who aren’t having fun are doing it all wrong.
Before the ride even started today, Ron and Merida made plans with Catherine and Leonard to end their ride at around 30 miles in to the 56 mile route. The temperatures were forecasted to be extreme. And the hills, massive. Riding half the day sounded fun. But doing all of it sounded like too much for even for Merida’s masochistic nature.
They made the most of the half of the day they rode, stopping in every spot that looked remotely interesting. Ron sampled two slices of pie to make up for missing out on pie yesterday. Merida stopped for coffee she didn’t need, soft serve she needed even less, and took a corn watering trip with some chickens.
Chickens!
The couple took their time in the magical town of Elk Horn, strolling through wildflowers to view the troll woman who lives there. The Museum of Danish America was a fascinating stop. According to one of the billboards there, 62% of Denmark residents ride bicycles to commute to school or work.
Merida in front of the Museum of Danish America.
Catherine’s Drive
The start to a new day - Ron and Merida in Harlan, Iowa. Yes, Merida’s saddle is sore.
Predictions of temperatures in the 100s created different reactions in riders. Some set out before sunrise in an attempt to beat the heat. Others bailed out on day two entirely.
Ron and Merida opted to ride a half day, and catch a ride with Leonard and Catherine when the heat peaked. The rising sun was ominous.
Leonard drove the RV to Exira, Iowa. Parking behind the high school, he and Catherine took a shuttle bus to town. They let Strider on these shuttles. Yay! He was a hit, and a little stressed by strangers squealing and asking to pet him. They walked around the park and main street, which felt like a county fair. A baby yak and its mother, and a dairy cow, were on display. A young man sat at a dunk tank, raising money for his junior high.
When they learned Ron and Merida were having way too much fun on their bike ride, Leonard and Catherine took Strider to the RV, using him as an excuse to cool off in the air conditioning, then take a nap. The life of a support crew alternates between stressed and harried, and laid back and full of pie.
The next leg was Exira to Guthrie Center. A day and a half in, and Catherine finally figured out how to use the ride GPS.
Pie Report
Ron with blueberry pie.
Ron didn’t get pie yesterday, so he had two slices today. Once slice of blueberry Iowa Fruit Pie. It was great, but he likes Catherine’s pie more. His slice of cherry was homemade. Delicious, but a little soft from the extreme heat.
Leonard had a slice of apple pie in Exira. It came with a bottle of frozen water, but he also got a tropical slushie. Bikes in the background. Bikes everywhere.
Meetup Town - Exira, Iowa
Exira, Iowa
The park in the center of town was green and shady. A dairy cow was penned outside the ice cream shop, although Catherine is pretty sure it was not the actual cow producing the milk for today’s ice cream.
Small Town of the Day - Elk Horn
The town of Elk Horn, Iowa.
Tonight’s Camp
Today’s Favorite Entertainment
Ron and Merida, sitting behind a silo in the shade at the Top of the Hill stop
After climbing some gnarly hills, Ron and Merida stopped for coffee and snacks, and relaxed in the shade while a DJ played classic tunes on a speaker system. Go Freebird!
Weather Report
At 1:30 pm in Exira: 92 degrees F, feels like 106. In Guthrie Center, temps reached 98 degrees F.
Corn!
Merida posing in front of corn she’s about to water.
Today had the most corn yet!
RAGBRAI LIII
Catherine and Leonard are crewing for Merida and Ron at the 53rd Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa! Our team name is “You may not rest now, there are monsters nearby.”
Meet Strider and Legolas in furson.
We’re bringing books and will be happy to sell and sign copies!
Sunday, July 19th - Saturday, July 25th
All day, every day! Check out the route here!
Be sure to subscribe to our Substack! It’s free!
Where to find us:
Catherine’s Website - https://catherinedilts.com/
Merida’s Website - https://merida-creates.com/
Subscribe to our individual Substack newsletters:
Catherine Dilts is the author of the Rose Creek Mystery series. Her short stories regularly appear in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Recently retired from a career in environmental compliance, Catherine now writes fiction full time.
Merida Bass almost wasn’t an artist. Fear of criticism resulted in her teaching remedial algebra to unwilling college students. After ten years of torture, she grew a backbone and threw herself into art, writing, and training for endurance events.
This post is public so feel free to meow it out to the rest of the world.