In Which Sprinkles Don’t Dampen Day 2 Rides

It was the best of rides, it was the worst of rides

OK, that would be a Tale of Two Rides, and since I rode three times today, it’s doesn’t fit all that well. Also, how was it the “worst” of rides? It wasn’t--no injury, no broken bones, no tragic breakup, no super-loud obnoxious country music fan with a giant towed boom box--so that part is fake news.

I did not quite get to 50 miles today, partly due to rain and partly due to my morning meeting. But I came close. I rode 10 miles in the morning on my hybrid bike; 35 miles with my sister in the late morning and afternoon; and almost 4 miles this evening, taking my young grandson home. To the nearest hundredth of a mile, the total for today was 48.94—not too shabby. A short not-RAGBRAI day.

Here is a rundown of the rides:

I had not planned to make this not-RAGBRAI week a musical one, but I sang a biking song Sunday on day 1, and I did it again today. The sound quality is better, which is probably a shame. In the morning, I left home about 7:20 a.m., planning to ride for an hour or so before a 9 a.m. meeting.

And early in the ride, I cycled down the Lindale Trail, which fortunately was empty, singing my version of a Katy Perry song, which I call “Waking Up on RAGBRAI.” This one is for you Brian Steffen:

The sun was shining early in this ride. I used the hybrid bike because it was handy in the garage, and I knew this would not be a long ride. I cycled down to the MMU campus, mostly because I figured it would be a handy restroom stop about midway through the ride.

It was a good ride, and it was nice to get those 10 miles in the morning before the meeting. In fact, it was exactly 10.00 miles, according to my bike GPS computer, which was a nice coincidence. When riding, I only see the miles to the nearest 10th, so I did not plan it that way.

Rising sun at Blair's Ferry Road--Blue sky for now, but not long.

Shadow of me on my hybrid bike waiting to cross Blair's Ferry.

Sunshine over Collins Aerospace pond on C Avenue.

Just a bit down the road--same pond, slightly different view.

Newly paved Mercy Drive leads up the MMU hill.

Clarence, my hybrid bike, parked on Rohde Family Plaza at MMU.

The pond, on the ride home. Weather is changing. This is about 8:30 a.m.

After a morning contest meeting—I’m on a subcommittee of the Iowa College Media Association looking at revisions to our annual student media contest—I texted my sister that I was ready to ride. She was already on the road somewhere in Cedar Rapids. I got the road bike out and was starting to pack it when she pulled into my driveway.

We decided to do a tour de Marion today. She was due home by 3, so we didn’t plan a super long ride. We headed over to Lowe Park via the Lindale Trail and Boyson Road, and then went over to 35th Street to ride north to the corn-bird statues on Tower Terrace Road.

Cate was suitably impressed by whatever these are—angry corn or deformed birds. I am not sure. We rested there for a few minutes and each ate snacks we had brought (by chance it was an apple for each of us).

We decided to also check out the art alley in uptown Marion, which a Gazette columnist had suggested naming after the Cherry sisters, an early 20th century singing act that drew a scathing review which caused a famous libel lawsuit more than 100 years ago. The case helped establish that it is legal for reviewers to be harshly critical of a performance. It’s such an interesting story, and this art alley would have a touch of whimsy if it were “Cherry Sisters Art Alley.” City of Marion, please reconsider. Todd was right.

Anyway, it was sprinkling when we checked out the art, and just before we got there, Cate checked her weather app. It looked like it would sprinkle for a while, but never really rain, so we decided to carry on.

And it worked out. We got justly slightly damp, never wet, and a cloudy day is not the most unpleasant RAGBRAI riding day (sunshine and temperatures near 100—which I have faced in the past—are far more daunting conditions).

We pause at whatever this is. Roundabout art in Marion.

Above and below 2 images, art alley in uptown Marion.

It was getting to mid-afternoon, but Cate said we had time to swing over to the park loop in Robins, so we did. It was just a few minutes before 3 when I parted from my sister near her house, and I deliberately took a slightly indirect route home to get a few more miles.

Not 50, mind you, but I was well over 40 for the day at that point.

I came home. My 4-year-old grandson was there, and he wanted to have breakfast for supper. He likes my homemade waffles, and I figured, what the heck, especially when my wife said there was a package of sausages to go with the waffles. So waffles for supper it was. He, the grandson, was a little prickly about where I was allowed to sit, so to mollify him, and to get just a few more miles, I bribed him with the promise of a bike ride home—let me sit where I want, and you can ride the bike with me. He agreed.

He wanted to check “the duck pond,” a pond on C Avenue at Collins Aerospace. He also wanted to check the koi pond, which is up the hill in our neighborhood, so we rode by both, and he spent a few minutes watching ducks and fish. Then, I took him home.

I guess it was C Avenue pond day. In early evening, the rain clouds have cleared up. View of pond as grandson and I circle it around 7 p.m.

My bike buddy watches ducks on the pond. Tag-A-Long hitch is a good reason to ride hybrid bike.

It was a nice day. A bit shorter than Sunday, but I expected that. I’m not sure how much riding there will be on Tuesday—rain is in the forecast, and I think my sister and I, despite our intentions of doing a stay-at-home RAGBRAI-like ride, are willing to call a really wet day a “driving” day. We do RAGBRAI with a family team, and our sister and brother-in-law from Des Moines generously supply a support vehicle, which teams members take turns driving. So, each RAGBRAI week, for us, has one or two “driving” days where we don’t ride.

We’ll see. We will touch base in the morning—we may get a quick ride in before the rain rain rain comes down down down in rushing, rising rivlets (a Disney tune reference, by the way, part of the music of RAGBRAI).

Play us out, Katy: