Today might have been one of the most thrilling days of my life. Seriously.
We left Washington early… before 6:30am, but happened upon a local coffee shop before leaving town. Yes!
I imagine it’s quite comical seeing me on the back of our tandem holding my handle bar with one hand, and my coffee in the other each morning!
The sky started out overcast again today, for which we were thankful. And we missed the rain that some others didn’t. I didn’t break a sweat once today. I welcomed that!
As we peddled, I wanted to take as many photos as I could. This would be my last opportunity to capture our RAGBRAI adventure. I desired to soak it all in, and to not miss one moment. We only had 49.5 miles to enjoy our last day of this incredible journey.
Our first town was Columbus Junction. We captured the crowd from above.
Letts was a fun, little town. I inhaled a delicious breakfast at the local bar/restaurant. Cheapest meal we had all week for $5! Goodness, those people were so friendly and knew how to throw a party!
Arden Creek Winery was our next stop. We didn’t stay long, as it was crowded and busy.
As we approached our ending town of Muscatine, people lined the roads and streets, cheering us on. Some were clapping. Others were ringing cowbells and honking all different kinds of horns. Some were yelling phrases like, “Great job!” or “We’re glad you’re here!” or “You did it! Congratulations!” You would have thought we won an Olympic medal or something. Being encouraged in that way by complete strangers did something for this heart of mine. You couldn’t have wiped the smile off my face for anything!
As we rounded the last corner, the mass of people dipping their bike tires in the Mississippi was enormous. (At the beginning of the ride you dip your back tire in the Missouri River on the west side of the state, and at the end you dip your front tire on the east side in the Mississippi River.)
Such a sense of accomplishment overcame me in that moment. We did something pretty incredible this week, my guy and I. Something we’ve trained for and prepared for, for months. Something we wanted to do, and we went out and did it… together. 450.5 miles, in 7 days, on 2 wheels, on 1 tandem bicycle. This was something to celebrate!
I’ll share a wrap-up of our week soon. Enjoy some extra pics of today!
Thanks for cheering us on all week! I’m going to bed, and I might not wake up till Monday.
Blessings,
Julie
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I imagine your experience was incredible and you came away with so may stories. I was talking to my brother who is in town and lives in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. He provided some perspective for me about the whole experience and what it is like for small towns to welcome so many riders. Congratulations on a job well done! You deserve to sleep until Monday!!
What??!! Your brother lives in Mt. Vernon, Mary? That’s less than 30 minutes from me. Oh my goodness… such a small world! If you ever come to visit him, we need to meet!! Yes, it was an incredible experience… and the stories! I want to remember them forever. Thanks, Mary, for all you do to encourage and bless others, including me!
Congratulations on completing one more ride!
Thank you, Sabra! I appreciate your continued words of blessing and encouragement!