RAGBRAI - Day 4

I am sitting in the air-conditioned library in Charles City Iowa, in a comfortable seat and not having to pedal!



We have had 4 terrific days of riding, with good weather, OK winds, and wonderful scenery. The first day was hilly, the second day we added the Karras Loop to the 80 mile day to get to 100 miles and yesterday was a hot riding day as the temps rose into the 90's. We spent last night in Clear Lake, Iowa and the lake was a lifesaver. We stood in the water for a while, letting the water lap away the heat of the day. Many bikers just parked their bikes near the beach and jumped into the water in their biking clothes! There was a delightful breeze off the lake which kept us comfortable and we really missed it when we walked back to our campsite.



Today we had a short day, only 54 miles, and got an early start so we arrived in Charles City around 10:30 AM. Jim and I found a campsite in the shade and spread out our stuff to claim enough space for the other's in our small group to set up tents.



Last night we read of threats of a thunder storm and we hoped it would happen because when we climbed into the tent to try to sleep at 9:30 PM, it was still 85 degrees with 78 % humidity. Being in the tent was like being in a sweatbox! But we fell asleep because we had ridden 66 miles that day. Around 2:00 AM we awoke to rain hitting our tent, lightening illuminating the tent and thunder filling the silence of a sleeping campground. It rained hard for about an hour with an impressive sound and light show, then the storms moved on and we went back to sleep.



The roads were still wet when we started out this morning, but that did not pose a problem and dried out fairly quickly.



So far today my food intake has included a banana, cinammon/apple/nut french toast, gatorade, a fruit smoothie, a handful of almonds, a handful of raisens, a chicken kebob, pasta salad, and 2 shnickerdoodles. Tonight we will go to a local church that is having a Taco Bar for dinner. You can imagine how much I got to eat on my 100 mile day!!



Tomorrow we ride 82 miles to Waterloo, where there is a big water park. I am hoping we can play there during the afternoon!



I guess that is all for now. I have a time limit on this library computer.



Hope all is well.