Friday, July 20, 2012

All My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go ….


Cate at Parlor City Pub.  We are in the cop corner.  And even saw a bike cop on the trail.
Well, not really. I have some final prep to do in the morning, including tagging all my stuff.

CR Biker will be on vacation next week, so no blog updates for a while. Despite the triple-digit heat, I'll be on RAGBRAI. Wish me luck, blog followers, but I am acclimated to the Iowa summer, and promise to drink lots of water and electrolyte solution and to be careful out there.

Did the final long prep ride Thursday with my sister Cate. We were exchanging data about our home town. She requested a tutorial on changing a flat (she has had her first flat in recent history, whereas I am a regular flatulent rider and have lots of tire-changing experience, alas). (And yes, I know, a fart joke is low humor, but I hope you chuckled.)

So I showed her how to put on a new tube and then we rode the Boyson Trail and then down to Prairie Park Fishery, neither of which she had been on before (well, I'm sure she has been on the older parts of the Boyson Trail, but not the new ones that opened this year).

My lunch, the "Jucy Lucy" with sweet potato fries.  Very good, but the menu warned "the first bite will be hot."  Maybe they meant literally hot, because it was just a very good burger, not really spicy.
For lunch, she offered to take me to the Parlor City Pub in the New Bohemia district. The pub is just one block off the trail, but I had not known of it before. I highly recommend it. I had an excellent burger and sweet potato fries, and plan to take Audrey there soon—partly because the food and atmosphere are fun, but also because it's next door to a book store I have not been in yet.

Cate's lunch.  She says the pulled pork had a nice tangy sauce and was very good.
Well, Thursday night I had pretty bad leg cramps. 40 miles with my sister did something bad. But leg cramps, while they can be really, really painful, are also really, really nothing in terms of long-term problems—I would much rather have the cramps than, say, a swollen and sore knee.

All in all, I look forward to RAGBRAI with some trepidation. You can never say you've done enough miles when you hit that road. I'm flying more solo this year, without a Microsoft cohort to keep me company and schlep my bags.

But, I think I'm ready.

Stay tuned, blog fans. CR Biker will not be updating for a while, but when I do, I'll tell you all about my hot time on RAGBRAI.
Old Blackie, now tuned for RAGBRAI, in bike rack at Parlor City, a biker bar in New Bohemia.  It's chained to Cate's bike.  Catty corner from Parlor City is a motorcycle bar.  We wisely chose the bicycle biker bar.

2 comments:

  1. I've been in the motorcycle bar, it's not that scary...at lunch time. Good luck with the ride! I think you are both insane but I hope you "enjoy" the ride!

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  2. Ride on, bro! See you in CR, or somewhere on the road from M-town.

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