Day 7: Coralville to Davenport - Last Day of Ragbrai :(

The five of us with Parkinsons Disease.  I'm in good company.  

Today was the last day of Ragbrai and although I will be glad to get back to  the comforts of life and not be soaked in sweat all day, I will greatly miss the experience of Ragbrai.  I'm not sure what it is about spending most of the day riding until your muscles ache and sweating until your soaking wet that makes me want to come back and do it again; but I'm ready to come back next year. Here's a list of some of the great things about Iowa and Ragbrai:

-Iowa is beautiful

-There's nothing like a small town fire station to cool off in when it's 95 degrees and 70% humidity

-Beekmans homemade ice cream

-Tom turkey legs and hard boiled eggs on a stick rubbed in spices

-peanut butter, jelly, marshmallows, and potato chip sandwiches

-Rhubard pie – everyone said try the rhubard and it was Delicious!

-Roadside booths with water and gatorade at the top of every hill (and there were A LOT of hills)

-Meeting friendly cyclists from all over the country

-Meeting friendly people in the small towns in Iowa

-Getting cheered by the locals when I reached the top of a hill and wanted to lay down and die.

-No make up, no hair dryers, casual clothes, flip flops (can't we adopt that dress code for every day

Lastly and most importantly, the friendships developed within the group I rode with.  We all came to support the cause of helping people with Parkinsons Disease.  Most of those people worked hard to raise money to support research into Parkinsons Disease.  The six of us with Parkinsons Disease who rode this week (Karen, Glenn, John, Jim, Andrew, and myself) will benefit from your efforts.  Thank you!! Thanks to Kathy and my husband Pat for being my riding partners (we’ll go faster next year).  The greatest part of this week was spending time with other people with Parkinsons Disease.  There was an immediate bond  within this group.  Karen, your example as an advocate for Parkinsons Disease is an inspiration for us all.  Glenn, your enthusiasm for life and sense of adventure made the week so much  fun.  John, you’re big in stature, heart, and sense of humor.  You also made the week a lot of fun.  Jim, you are quiet but pack with you strength that inspires all who get to know you.  Andrew, I wish you were here longer so I could have gotten to know you better.  Your story is amazing.  It inspires hope  especially for those with Young Onset Parkinsons.  I hate to say goodbye so instead  I’ll say “see ya again next year”  I will continue to ride Redrock, River Mountain, and hopefully some other places near Las Vegas.  Hope to see some of you on the road also.

***The picture is of the dipping in the Mississippi River.  It was an amazing feeling to reach the finish line and lift up my bike.

Davis Phinney

We received a video clip from Davis Phinney while sitting in the shade of a tree eating a peanut butter, jelly, marshmallow, and potato chip sandwich. It made our day. Davis Phinney is an Olympic metalist in cycling and also a person with Parkinson's Disease. The Davis Phinney Foundation raises money to help with research but is also focused on helping people live more rewarding and productive lives with Parkinsons Disease. Check out the video clip.

Day 6: Grinnell to Coralville (back in the saddle again - or seat)

Today was a great day.  It was still hot and humid but not quite as bad as earlier in the week.  I've talked to people who have rode in Ragbrai for several years and have commented that this year has been A LOT harder because of the heat.  At least it's not just me.  Enjoyed riding with my husband again today.  Thanks Kathy.  Today I wore a pink wristband to support friend who had surgery today for breast cancer. There are lots of different charities and fundraisers that set up along the roads of Ragbrai and today I came across a group of three woman from Iowa City who do a breast cancer walk each year for family and friends who have been affected by breast cancer.  I talked with them for a while and took some pictures (unfortunately my iPad will not upload pictures - I will upload pictures as soon as I have the technology to do so).  Today was a day with a lot of hills.  They were hard to ride up and sometimes I thought about
getting off and walking up the hill.  But I kept trudging along to the top.  Of course after I got to the top, there was a nice downhill ride which helped rejuvenate me until the next hill.   Life is a lot like that for everyone.  We all have peaks and valleys.  Sometimes life throws us curveballs and we're forced to decide whether we want to give up and let life direct our path or keep on trudging up the hill and choose to direct the path our lives take.  We can't change some things, they are what they are. But
we can change how we respond to the challenges in life. Today I  thought about several people in my life who are experiencing some of those curveballs life sometimes throws.  They are strong and vibrant people who have much to offer in this life.  So today I want to dedicate my ride to Suzi, Ann, Janey, Angela, Cheri, Karen, Glenn, John, Jim, and Kelli.  I know each of them will make it to the top of the hill.

Day 5: Altoona to Grinell

If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen.  Well, I literally could not take the heat so today I stayed out of the ride.  After two days of heat exhaustion, I needed a day to recover.  It killed me to not be able to ride, but I knew the route was hard and it was going to be hot again.  I didn't want to ruin it for the last couple days.  We had fun in downtown Grinnell just enjoying the Ragbrai experience.  Every town we go to has a party waiting. On the ride into Grinnell, I spent time with John and his wife Sue.  John also has PD and is one of the funniest and most positive people I know as is his wife Sue.
They exemplify the saying "salt of the earth". In the afternoon,  I was able to spend time with my husband, Kathy, and two new friends who also have Parkinsons Disease; Karen, who is an ObGyn in Cleveland, and Glenn, also from Cleveland who was a courtroom litigator.  I'm definitely hanging with the smart crowd.  Both are young onset PDers like myself and it has been so much fun to get to know them.  Strength in numbers.  So even though I didn't get to ride, I still had a great day.  I will be rested and ready to go tomorrow for day 6.

Picture: Iowa has lots of corn fields!!!!

Day 4: Ames to Altoona

Sometimes, as the saying goes, it's better to call sag support than pass out from heat stroke. Today was a hard day. My dry heat body is struggling with the humidity. But hey, I found that cow from the twister movie. Had hard boiled eggs on a stick rubbed in mo'rub and Toms turkey leg (which are much better than the ones in Disneyland). Met some pirates, Arghh. Our jerseys continue to attract attention which is great because we've had great conversations with some really awesome people. The people of Iowa and the people of Ragbrai are so friendly and fun. This is one of the most positive experiences I've ever had (even with the heat issues). Praying for some relief from the heat tomorrow.

Day 3: Carroll to Ames

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Did I mention it was hot.  Thank goodness for the friendly people of Iowa who have water/pb and j/ watermelon/ etc. for sale around every corner.  Pilot Mound had the best pie and the best cooling station and the best welcoming committee.  The town paid for a new fire station with the proceeds from the 1989 Ragbrai and opened up the fire station to Ragbrai riders to cool off and eat some home cooked delights.  Pat took a break today and rode with me.  Oh yea, so did Lance Armstrong.  Apparantly he blew right past me; of course most everyone blows right past me.  But this is not a race, it's a ride (thank goodness or I'd be in trouble).  I made it up twister hill (okay I walked most of the way).  But I was with good company.  Rode through the place where they filmed "Twister".  No flying cows today just heat and humidity.  The picture is of me taking one of the MANY water/cool down breaks of the day.  I am making some great new friends within the Pedaling for Parkinsons group and on the road also.  Lots of people ask about our riding jerseys and want to know more.  I've had some great discussions about the link between cycling and PD while riding through cornfields in Iowa.  Something I never would have dreamed about a year ago.  Up early again tomorrow to try and beat the heat.

Day 2: Atlantic to Carroll (WHO SAID IOWA WAS FLAT)

Not me after today.  Every hill conquered just meant another hilll to conquer.  I'm quite weary of the conquering.  But it was still fun (of course this is Ragbrai after all).  The town of Carroll had a Vegas theme.  Didn't make me miss home.  I'm having too much fun, home can wait.  I get to sleep in an air conditioned room tonight (yippie).  I know that  doesnt seem like a  big deal but TRUST ME it is.  Jay Alberts gave a talk at a local Parkinsons support group; it was great to hear the story behind the story.  Learned some new things about the exercise and Parkinsons Disease.  In so glad I've found the direction I have in regards to managing my PD.  I'm always looking for more information to help me live a more fulfilling life (I guess we're all doing that, no matter our life circumstances),  Off to Ames tomorrow.

Day 1: Glenwood to Atlantic (Here We Go)

I'll have no problem getting up at the crack of dawn to ride, I thought.  I get up early every day.  Oh yea, just remembered,  6:00 Iowa time is 4:00 Vegas time.  Slept longer than I had planned but still got started at a  decent time .  Beating the heat has a whole new meaning in Iowa; it's more like beating the humidity.  I am amazed at the beauty of Iowa.  And it's so true about the cornfields, they are everywhere.  Some highlights of the day; Beekmans ice cream (homemade to perfection), the worlds largest bicycle, riding on back country roads, old farmers who quilt their own clothes, free coke in Atlantic, and most important, making it to Atlantic and TAKING A SHOWER.  Did I mention yet it's really humid here??? It was a great start to a great adventure.  I WILL sleep good tonight (hopefully adjusted to the time zone difference).

Twas the night before Ragbrai

After an uneventful flight to Omaha, we arrived in Glenwood, Iowa Saturday night.
We were welcomed with about a billion percent humidity. I will no longer
complain about the hot weather in Vegas, after all, it is a dry heat.  I
experienced my first tornado/storm siren warning.  We all had to move to a
basement area but it turned out to just be a normal old storm.  Went back outside
to find a stealth bomber flying right over us.  Pretty cool, and in Iowa no
less.  Had a great first day and ready to start riding tomorrow.

Training

Only 12 days, 20 hours, and 12 minutes (as of right now) until the fun begins.  Training has been fun and challenging at the same time.   A few hurdles have been thrown in the way (week off for girl's camp - hiked as  much as I could so I had some exercise).  A "clipping" injury that I won't get into but slowed me down a bit.  My bike is being shipped today,  I miss it already.  Thank goodness for the gym and spin class.  The picture below is of Kathy and I on an early morning ride at Redrock Canyon, my new favorite thing to do.  The earlier the better, it's so beautiful in the morning.