Decisions

Today was a day of choices. Do I do the 100 mile route? Do I take a nap? Do I tell anyone I skipped the extra 26 miles?
The answers, no, yes & yes.

An early start this morning got us on the road by 6 & finding us heading into a gale force headwind that was bringing with it some menacing looking clouds. These black blobs left as quickly as they came in with no rain at all so I felt as though the day would turn out to be a good one, and it did.

On the third day of RAGBRAI there is always an option of doing some extra miles at one point to equal 100 miles for the day. I have done this once during RAGBRAI and got a patch but would like another, if not for any other reason other than to rub it in Schultz's face. This year was going to be that year until I decided a nap was in order. I got to the halfway point of the 87 mile day I had to make the call and after biscuits and gravy at the American Legion for breakfast. I made the right call. The rest of the day was filled with heat, rolling Iowa hills and a wind that wouldn't quit and I was getting a little tired of it so the extra 26 miles would have been a mistake.

We rolled into Forest City about 4 and got cleaned up for dinner. Tonight was an Asian beef stir fry along with a pea pod salad, crab & mushroom wontons, lamb wontons,  grilled zucchini & a clear Chinese noodle dish that was phenomenal. I am still full and very grateful that my dinner didn't come from a food vendor in town that would have been on a stick, and not like we had last night.

Tomorrow is an easy day with short miles, good forecast (hopefully with no wind) and relatively flat ride but its after 10 and I need to go to sleep or I'll fall off my bike tomorrow.