In Which Final Rides Feature Heat

Rental bikes downtown July 18. Getting across downtown was a challenge today--the trail is diverted by construction and the Third Street bike lane was also closed. Almost all east-west routes were closed.

Hot, hot, hot! A bubble of hot air has settled on Iowa, a with high humidity and highs in the 90s, it has felt like triple digits.

Of course, long bike rides are over before RAGBRAI. I did ride Tuesday and Thursday, but shorter rides. I did some hills Thursday—going up the MMU hill three times, but not doing lots of miles.

And today I was home by early afternoon.

Am I ready for RAGBRAI? I feel ready. The packing is going OK, and it remains to be seen what I leave behind. I’m not sure how much I will blog during the ride—I had thought of bringing a laptop, but my wife is persuasively arguing against it, because in the past I have not had much time or opportunity to use the computer, and it’s bulky and inconvenient to carry.

So I think I may try a few, short phone posts—we’ll see. Anyway, my back is half packed, I have a spare tube on the bike, a new bottle of chain lube and a readiness to go. RAGBRAI, here I come!

Hot rides this week featured some pretty sights along the trails:

Duck on Cedar Lake July 16.

July 18--Pond on C Avenue in the morning.

Lowe Park flower July 16.

Milkweed at Lowe Park July 16.

July 18 at Lowe Park, dragonfly.

July 16, young bunny by Cedar River Trail.

Monarch on trail July 16.