Camping RMNP: Days Four And Five

Day Four or "Goodbye to an old friend"

Day four would be my second hardest day based on elevation and distance but, looking back, it didn't feel as hard as day one and two so I think I'd finally gotten acclimated to the altitude.  Having a half day of rest and camping overnight at over ten thousand feet also helped a bit.

I got up a little later today than the day before.  This would be a trend during my five days of camping - each day I would sleep in a little later.  I broke camp and headed up the Tonohutu Creek trail toward Flattop Mountain.  Since I started at ten thousand feet, the climb up to the top was a thousand feet less than on day one but, despite being acclimated, I stopped to rest at least fourteen times on the way to the top.  The views were beautiful as the sun rose over the mountains.

Ponds and Lakes viewed on the way to Flattop Mountain.

At the top the wind was whipping.  I'd removed my hat and attached it to my pack before I reached the peak.  I wasn't bothered too much by the wind as it was mostly a tailwind and it helped blow me up the trail.  I stopped and sat down in the most sheltered place I could find.  I'd tried to call the Wife the past few days at camp but there was never any service.  I tried again from the top of Flattop Mountain and finally got through and let her know I was still alive.

Beautiful hiking weather near the top of Flattop Mountain.

The way down was easier but not easy.  I only rested five times on the way down.  At the bottom I turned to the northeast and headed towards my camp.  This part of the trail went back up climbing about six hundred feet.

The wind had died down a bit so I put my hat back on.  Somewhere along this two miles section my hat came off.  It either blew off or fell off when I sat down to rest.  Either way, I didn't notice it since I was wearing my Buff under it and the Buff gave the sensation of wearing a hat.  I didn't notice it was gone until I reached camp.  I did go back along the trail for a bit when I went to fill my water bottles in a nearby pond but I didn't see it.  I was a bummed.

Fatigue plays weird tricks on you when you are on the trail.  I lost count of the times when I saw a rock, log, stump, or tree and thought I saw a building, tent, or, once, a trailside shrine with a buddha statue that turned into rocks, logs, stumps, or trees when you got closer. On day four this shifted to people.  A guy asked if I was lost.  I was just checking my map so I said no and ask if he was lost.  He said he couldn't be lost because he had no destination.  Weird.  He was a bit rough around the edges and, to top it off,  he had a gob of snot hanging from his left nostril.  The more I saw him in front of me the more paranoid that I would find him at my campsite.  No reason to believe this.  My site was a solo camp and he did not have camping gear.  I just figured he was one of those "I don't need no stinking permit" types who would just camp where he wanted to and mooch off other people.  I didn't want him to mooch off me.  I'm pretty sure I was wrong about the guy.  But all sorts of weird thoughts go through my head when I'm exhausted.

The campsite was a nice one.  It was the only solo campsite with a privy.  While I was happy to have my own toilet there seemed to be something missing.  Didn't stop me from using it though.

My evening routine was the same as the last three nights.  I was tired after the eight and a half hours of hiking and once again, after eating, I crawled into my tent, read, and passed out.

Total Distance on Day Four: 9.4 Miles (15.1 km) Total Ascent: 2,744 ft (836 m) Total Descent: 2,634 ft (803 m)

Map of Day Four.

Day Five or "Enough, I'm taking the short way home"

I'd thought about day five for awhile as I struggled and stumbled along the trails the past few days.  Day five was going to be an 8.8 mile (14.2 km) circuitous route that passed by Odessa, Fern, Cub, and Bierstadt lakes before arriving at the park & ride where I'd left the car.  It would be mostly downhill.  Knowing now how hard down could be at RMNP, I pulled out the map and found a shorter route to the car.  I would only see one lake, Bierstadt lake, before I got to the car.

Morning reflections on a pond.

I woke up a bit later than normal, thus continuing the trend, and wondered "What is that smell?"  I soon realized it was me.  It took me four full days before I noticed my body odor.  It was time to head home.  I broke camp and headed back down the trail.  I looked for my hat the whole way but it was not to be found.  I followed the signs to Bierstadt Lake and followed the mostly downhill trail. I stopped briefly at the lake and admired it.  I started to wonder if skipping the other three lakes was a smart idea.  After the lake, the trail took a dive and dropped rather rapidly, and steeply, until I arrived at the park & ride.

On the shores of Bierstadt Lake.

I unloaded my stuff into my car and drove to the Bear Lake trailhead.  I asked the rangers there if anyone had turned in a hat.  Sadly it was no but they told me all backcountry lost and found was sent to the backcountry office.  I stopped there on the way out of the park.  No joy their either.

Since I shortened my hike today I was really early.  Too early to check into my hotel.  I stopped at a subway and had lunch (I ate in the car in case my stench turner off other customers).  I got the first of two ice creams of the day and went to the hotel to see if I could check in early.  My room wasn't ready but they were nice enough to expedite the cleaning and I got in fairly early.

A shower never felt so good even the one in my cheap, in need of renovation, hotel.  I cleaned off the grime and laid around most of the afternoon but at 3;00PM I couldn't stand it any longer and drove downtown and found a restaurant.  I had a really early open-face roast beef dinner (I nearly licked my plate clean), had some real ice cream for dessert (dulce de leche and chocolate like on Sunday), and shopped around for a couple magnets that I still needed.

I returned to my hotel and spent the night proving to myself that they hotel cable really didn't have CNN.  It took me four or five hours to convince myself of this.  I finally gave up and went to sleep in my comfy enough bed.

My camping trip was over, it was a mixture of good and bad.  It's alright though as I enjoyed the good and learned lessons from the bad.  I will talk about that in a later post.  I would have to say, despite my exhaustion, and the many evil thoughts I had while staggering down the trail after a long day, my first multi-day camping trip was a success.

All my pictures can be seen in my 2015-08 Rocky Mountain National Park Camp Google Photos album.

Total Distance on Day Five: 5.4 Miles (8.7 km) Total Ascent: 509 ft (155 m) Total Descent: 2,524 ft (769 m)

Map of Day Five.  My shortened route out.

Camping RMNP: Days Two And Three

Day Two or "I thought less elevation would be easier than this."

I woke up early on day two and broke camp.  I put on the pack and walked down to the falls and actually took pictures of it before I headed out on the North Inlet trail heading west.

Most of the morning was generally in the down direction which used less energy but, as I said in my last post, the rocks on the trail made it slow going.  I was pleasantly surprised at my energy level as I left camp but that ended up lasting about an hour.  That's when the crash came and energy drained out of me.

I didn't take many pictures this day or the next but I did take a picture of the last large animal I saw during the camp: a moose.  It was not that large.  Either a juvenile or a female.  Not sure of my mooses.

I stumbled down the trail for about 7.3 miles (11.7 km), and 1,000 ft (304 m), before I reached the North Inlet trailhead.  Here I dumped the moldy jerky in the bear-proof trash cans and used the trailhead bathroom facilities.

This is a shared trailhead.  Both the North Inlet trail and the Lower Tonohutu Creek trail start at the same parking lot.  This parking lot would be my last sight of civilization intil I hiked out on day five.  I turned north and headed up the Lower Tonohutu Creek trail which, incidentally, was primarily uphill.  It was only 3.6 miles (5.8 km) and rose only 900 ft (274 m) but it felt like it went on forever.  When I finally saw the sign for the campsite, after just over eight hours of hiking, I was really relieved.  I was also confused.

When I was planning this hike I had located the Paint Brush campsite on several maps ... and none of the locations matched.  To make it worse, the sign said "Paint Brush #1 Camp"  This confused me since I thought there was only one Paint Brush Campsite (there is only one).  I decided I didn't care and turned up the trail.  This is where is got even more confusing.  I came up to what looked like a campsite next to the creek.  The map on the campsite information sheet showed the campsite was on the other side of the creek.  There was a small foot bridge so I crossed it and followed the poorly marked trail for a while but, when it turned uphill, I said hell no and turned around.  I ended up camping at the first location I saw before crossing the creek.  I suspect that this was not the correct campsite location but ... at the time I didn't care.

View from my campsite (Paint Brush) out across Big Meadow.

As you can surmise, I was nearly as exhausted as the day before and my attitude was a reflection of that exhaustion.  My mood did improve a bit after I put up my tent, collected and filtered water from the creek, and admired the wonderful scenery.  This campsite was at the southern end of what is known as Big Meadow.  It was gorgeous in the late afternoon sun.

I repeated the same activities as the day before.  Took a nap, made dinner, crawled into my tent, read my book briefly, and then went to sleep really early. I slept well until about midnight when I woke up cold and had to break into my base layers to keep warm.  During the night I would look out from under my tents rain fly and I swore I saw snow and frost on the ground.  When I woke the next morning there was no evidence of snow, frost, or even dew.  I think it was just the moonlight playing tricks on my tired mind.

Total Distance on Day Two: 11.9 Miles (19.1 km) Total Ascent: 1,951 ft (595 m) Total Descent: 2,122 ft (647 m)

The map of day two.  Doesn't look as bad as it was.

Day Three or "That was a short day?"

I woke up after a weird night's sleep.  Besides thinking there was snow on the ground, I also had multiple dreams where I thought I was suffocating and being smothered.  I woke up several times thrashing around trying to get my breath.

After two very long days, I was ready for a shorter day and day three would be that day.  I woke up a bit later than the day before sleeping in an extra hour.  I broke camp and headed north on the Lower Tonohutu Creek trail.

The trail skirts the west side of the Big Meadow, a narrow strip of wild grasses that runs north and south along the creek.  Along here I passed the remains of an old log cabin.  I wondered just how old it was.  Did it date back to the formation of the park back in September 1915?

Big Meadow in the morning.

Like yesterday I felt energetic for about an hour before every last drop of umph went out of me.  I turned east on the Tonahutu Creek trail and the trail started to climb.  For a short day it was slow but, after four and a half hours, I arrived at my next camp, Renegade, just after noon.

The camp was not far from the creek.  I put up my tent, collected and filtered water, and again, did the same thing as I'd done the day before but with a few minor changes.  Since I was at camp much earlier I ended up reading my book more and I took a longer afternoon nap than on days one and two.  I knew I had to rest up since day four would be another hard day.  I considered doing a side hike to a nearby lake but I decided against it, instead I used my collapsable bucket to bring water to the camp where I gave myself a sponge bath that was probably not very effective.

I dressed warmer when I went to bed.  I was a thousand feet higher than the night before so I was ready for the cold night.  While I wasn't happy that I had to carry the extra weight of the cold weather clothing, I was happy to have them when I was snug and warm in my tent.

All in all, I felt better on day three.  The shorter, yet still difficult, hike gave my body time to recover at the end of the day and I felt I had more energy around camp in the late afternoon and evening.  I actually enjoyed this relaxing afternoon.  All the rest eventually would make day four a better day.

Pictures can be found in my 2015-08 Rocky Mountain National Park Camp Google Photos album.

Total Distance on Day Three: 6.1 Miles (9.8 km) Total Ascent: 1,546 ft (471 m) Total Descent: 388 ft (118 m)

Map of day three.  For reasons unknown I could not extract proper elevation data from my GPS.

Camping RMNP: Days Zero And One

Last week I went camping at Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) near Estes Park, CO.  It would be my longest, and first, multi-day camping trip.  For now I will describe my experience as ... an interesting one with lots of lessons learned.

Here is how it went:

Day Zero or "How I got there."

I left home early, around 6:45AM and drove west.  The drive was about eight and a half hours.  It went without much of a hitch.  I stopped at the backcountry office and picked up my camping permit and we went over the regulations.  It was pretty straight forward and I was already familiar with most of the rules.  There were a couple things that were new to me on this day.

The first happened when I stopped for lunch in western Nebraska near Ogallala.  I told myself I would stop for lunch at 11:00AM but just before the clock turned I changed time zones and lunch jumped an hour away.  I said screw that and found a Subway at a truck stop and pulled in for an 'early' lunch.  As I was eating a pickup pulled in next to my car.  It was a beat up pickup with what looked like a homemade paint job.  In the back of the truck bed was a flagpole flying a full size confederate flag.  To top it all off, a small noose hung from the rear view mirror.  I knew then that I was in Western Nebraska.  I was going to take a picture but ... who needs trouble?

The second thing I saw was at my hotel that night.  I saw my first commercial for marijuana the Republican Party.  I think a commercial for weed would have been less unsettling.

After a good dinner at Penelope's and some dulce de leche/chocolate ice cream, I went to bed early as I would be getting up early on Day One.

Day One or "What have I gotten myself into?"

I arrived at the RMNP park & ride a half hour early.  I had orange juice and a muffin for breakfast as I waited for the first shuttle.  The free shuttle bus took me down the road to the Bear Lake trailhead where I would start my camping trip.

Sunrise over the Bear Lake trailhead.

I hoisted up my pack (it weighed 37 lbs - 16.8 kg) and it dawned on me that it was really heavy.  I headed for the trailhead, saw the sign pointing towards Flattop Mountain, and promptly went the wrong way.  I have no excuse.  The arrow was huge, obvious, and very clear.  In my excitement, I just temporarily lost my mind.  A half hour, and a very nice little lake (Nymph Lake) later, I realized I was no longer seeing signs for Flattop Mountain.  I checked a map and realized my error and booked it back to the trailhead.  In the end I ended up wasting an hour/two miles/400+ ft of elevation.  I wasted this on what I expected would be the toughest day of the five day camp.  Not a real good start.  Fortunately this would be my only navigational error.

On the right trail I headed up the side of Flattop Mountain.  There were quite a few people on the trail as this is a popular day hike.  I went up the mountain slowly.  Very slowly.  Two things were slowing me down.  First was the weight of the pack - I was just not used to it.  The second was the elevation.  I'd started at around 9,500 ft (2,896 m) in altitude and I was working my way up to 12,300 ft (3,749 m).  I live at around 1,000 ft so I was gasping for air at the trailhead.  Add some exertion and I was huffing and puffing something awful.

One of many beautiful views on the way to the top of Flattop Mountain.

My goal was to get to the top before the afternoon thunderstorms kicked off and I made it to the top at noon.  On the way up I saw deer, marmots, and pika (The cutest things that sound like squeaky toys).

At the top I sat down to rest before I started down the other side.  I pulled out a bag of turkey jerky I had in my pocket and found it moldy.  Turns out all the jerky I was carrying was moldy.  There went a large source of protein.  Fortunately I did have some extra food that I'd brought in case I couldn't cook hot meals (due to rain, say) so I wouldn't starve ... much.

The North Inlet trail marked by pairs of cairnes.  Not the two cairnes on the horizon.

I started down the other side catching the North Inlet trail to the south and west.  The trail was marked clearly by pairs of cairnes.  Another trail, the Tonohutu Creek trail, went north and west and was marked by single cairnes.  I would be returning to Flattop Mountain on the Tonahutu Creek trail on day four.

I was tired at this point ... very tired ... but I figured that downhill would require less energy and I would be fine.  Oh how wrong I was.  You see, I discovered why the Rocky Mountains are called the Rocky Mountains.  They are ROCKY!  Rocks of all sizes everywhere including on the trail.  You were constantly watching where you placed your feet and stepping over rocks and lowering yourself down large stone steps all the way down the side of the mountain.  On top of that, natural springs flowed across, and on, the trail in spots making foot placement a little more complicated.  It was a slow, tiring descent.

A bull elk giving me the eye.

The only plus was that I passed a bull elk on the way down.  He was only five feet from the trail and eyed my warily as I passed by taking his picture.

Before I got to the bottom the rain finally arrived.  I'd expected it for a while since I saw it in the distance from the top of Flattop Mountain.  It wasn't terrible and didn't last long.  More of a nuisance rain but i did have to put on my rain jacket briefly.

The canyon or valley I would be going into and across on the way to my campsite.

At the bottom you cross to the other side of a canyon/valley (not sure the difference) and turn west.  My campsite was about another mile or so from this point.  Also at this point exhaustion set in.  I could feel the energy drain out of me.  I emptied my water bottle (two liters) along this part of the trail.  When I stopped walking my legs would shake.  I think my body had used up all its reserves.  I was in pretty sad shape.  I was relieved when I saw the turn off for the side trail that would take me to my campsite.  When I arrived at the campsite, I'd been on the trail for eight hours and thirty-five minutes.  I was pooped.

The campsite was near a fairly large waterfall.  While the campsite was set a ways back from the water, you could still hear the roar of the waterfall from your tent.  I walked into the campsite and dropped my pack.  I put up the tent in a hurry since rain decided to start just as I arrived.  I rushed putting up my tent, got my gear undercover, and climbed into the tent in time for the rain to stop.  Like I had energy to spare.  The little rain that we did have just made it easier for the dust and pine needles to stick to everything.

I walked back to the falls, collected water and used a filter to fill my water bottles with three liters of water (one for the evening and two for the next day).  I have to say that the mountain spring water tasted mighty good.

After an hour nap, I ate a meal at 6:00PM and climbed into my tent soon afterwards.  I was asleep by 7:30PM.  I was exhausted and it didn't take long for me to be out.  I woke up a few times during the night, mainly to add another layer to stay warm ... which I did.

I can't say I enjoyed this first day.  I hiked longer than I expected due to my silly mistake and the pack weight and altitude just sapped my energy.  The moldy jerky was a disappointment.  The added protein would have been handy.  I'd hoped to do a side hike to a couple nearby lakes but my legs saids "no way pal" as I drifted off to sleep.

Pictures can be found in my 2015-08 Rocky Mountain National Park Camp Google Photos album.

Total Distance on Day One: 11.7 Miles (18.8 km) Total Ascent: 3,539 ft (1,078.7 m) Total Descent: 3,474 ft (1,058.9 m)

The map of the day.  The little hump on the left of the elevation plot is my mistake.

The Passing Of A Traveling Companion

I returned from my camping trip in Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday without an old friend.  On Thursday, as I hiked to my last campsite of the trip, a nasty wind blew off my trusty Tilley Hat.  Normally I would have noticed it immediately but I was wearing my new Buff under the hat to keep sweat from running in my eyes.  The Buff feels surprisingly like you are wearing a hat.  I didn't notice the hat was missing until I arrived at my campsite and tried to take it off.

The next day I checked at the trailhead and at the backcountry office where all lost and found items are taken.  There was no sign of my old friend.  I was a bit heartbroken.

Me and Tilley Hat go back seven and a half years.  He was a Christmas gift from the Wife (though I picked him out personally) back in 2007.  Since then me and Tilley Hat explored the trails of California, Nebraska, and Iowa.  We traveled the world together going to Jordan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, India, Morocco, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar.  We completed two Caminos together in Spain.  We nearly completed my first multi-day camping trip ... but it was not to be.

I hope the Tilley Hat wasn't jealous of my new AT Buff.  I hope it didn't leave in a fit of spite, having to share the same head.  If Tilley Hat is still out there and can see this, you will always be my first and you will always be the better of the Buff.

I will now test the Tilley lifetime warranty and see if I can find a replacement for my trusty Tilley ... at half price.  No matter how new it is, or how cost effective, it will never be the first.

Tilley Hat

Dec 2007 - Aug 2015

Last Exploration Of The Summer

I've had a full summer.  Our New England Trip and then RAGBRAI.  Today I'm heading for my last big experience of the summer:  Rocky Mountain National Park for a four night, five day camp.  This will be my first multi-day camping trip so wish me luck.

My pack is coming it at around 37 lb (16.8 kg), a bit heavier than I'd hoped but that includes everything.  Food and water stuff, sleeping stuff, tent stuff, clothing stuff, toiletries stuff, first aide stuff, and, my luxury item, my tablet and external battery.  My luxury item probably adds the extra weight.  Also, as usual, I'm probably carrying more water than I need.  I'm carrying two liters.  I'm sure after day one that will probably be reduced to one liter (it's a lesson I've learned repeatedly but I'm always overly cautious the first few days when it comes to water).  As I drink and eat the weight will go down,

The weather forecast is, of course, changing as I get closer to the park.  There are thunderstorm chances everyday but the latest shows the longest expected period of precipitation is an hour.  I hope that forecast is right.  If not, I hope it overestimated the rainfall.  If not that, I will have a learning experience that will serve me well on the Appalachian Trail.

Unexpected for me were the forecasted temperatures.  The highs are in the mid 50s to the lower 60s.  The lows at night will be dipping down into the 30s with 32°F being the coldest.  It also appears it will be windy which I'm sure will make putting up my tent a breeze.  These temperatures are another reason my pack is heavier - I had to pack warm weather clothes including my base layer, my half-zip, and my rain jacket.  This added a few pounds too.  On the other hand, the cool weather will make the hiking more comfortable.

It will be an interesting first day for sure.  The most weight on the day with the most elevation climb.  Hopefully my RAGBRAI leg muscles will help me get through.

I hope to take more pictures than I did on RAGBRAI.  It should be easier to do at 2 mph than at 12 mph.

One interesting side note.  The Wife insisted that I buy bear spray.  This is the first time she has condoned me buying anything remotely hazardous.  Watch out world!

Planning The Next Adventure

Well, we returned from New England almost a month ago and I've finished RAGBRAI so it was time to see our travel agent to put together next year's international trip.  We'd discussed a couple options. The first option was a return to South America where all our international vacations started back in 2006 (Peru).   The second was Turkey, Israel, and Egypt.  We dismissed this second one because of the political situation in the area.  Instead we returned to our first choice.

The vacation will include the following destinations roughly in this order:

• Quito, Ecuador and a small boat cruise through the Galapagos Islands.
• Santiago, Chile and Easter Island.  Since we have a few extra days in our itinerary we will be spending a couple extra days in Santiago.
• Iguassu Falls (Brazil) and a short cruise down the Amazon River.
• A few days in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  We'd hope to go to Rio after Easter Island and before Iguassu Falls but we couldn't make it work out so we moved it to the end and added the Santiago days instead.

We'd hoped to add a few days in Havana, Cuba to the end of this vacation but things didn't work out for that either ... but ... we will be going to Havana in March of next year during the Wife's spring break.

Nothing like two international vacations in the same year.  At one time we thought the South America portion was going to be less than three weeks long and we sort of felt disappointed.  It turns out it will be around twenty-six days which makes us feel much better.  We've become such travel snobs.

RAGBRAI 2015 ... Done ... Check

The end of my RAGBRAI ... dipping my front tire in the Mississippi River.

Just over a week ago, as  most of you know, I participated in the week long cycling regatta across Iowa known as RAGBRAI.  It was a long week and it ended with many mixed feeling on my part about cycling, Iowa, and large groups of people.

Note:  I was going to include cool graphs and GPS based numbers in my post but operator error caused some problems during the first day's ride and an accidental reset wiped out numbers for the last day so I will not have any cool graphs and numbers.

When I started drafting this post, I was doing my usual day by day narrative.  Then, while I was trying to fall asleep, I decided a narrative wouldn't express all that I felt about my experience.  I will instead do a list of the GOOD and the BAD of my RAGBRAI experience:

• The Brother-in-Law (BiL) joined me on my RAGBRAI.  His four time RAGBRAI rider experience helped me get my bearings (GOOD).
• The Niece (the BiL's eldest daughter) joined us for the first day.  She was using it as training for a triathlon she will be doing in September.  It was her longest bike ride and she did it with flying colors (GOOD).
• While the temperature and humidity were not as bad as the week before RAGBRAI (GOOD) it was still hot and humid enough to make things miserable when there wasn't shade (BAD).  The wind was also cooperative either not blowing hard or blowing in a good direction (GOOD).
• The first stage was the longest and had the most elevation climb (BAD).  It was the longest ride that I have ever done (and is still my personal best) and I think I tackled it well (GOOD).
• There are lots of opportunities to eat and drink along the way (GOOD) with a good variety of crappy food (GOOD  and  BAD) to eat to keep your body going.
• Unfortunately I ate too much crappy food selections along the way which, in turn, made me all bloated and crappy feeling on several of the stages (BAD).  I ended up gaining a few pounds over the week despite the five thousand plus calories I burned each day (BAD).
• My energy level reflected my inconsistency in eating I think.  Some days I felt good, others I had to dig deep to find the energy to pedal.  The shortest day was probably my worst day (BAD).
• On the bright side I kept myself well hydrated (GOOD).  On the dull side I drank enough Gatorade to float the Titanic and I'm not that fond of Gatorade ... especially now that I'm done (BAD).
• The campsites we stayed at offered only limited shade so, in the afternoon after ending the ride for the day, tents were put up in the sun and instantly turned into roaster ovens (BAD).
• Roaster oven tents meant no afternoon naps to help recover from the six to nine hours of bike riding (BAD).



The crowd of bikes enter town.

• Each host town (the towns at the end of each stage) and many towns along the route offered entertainment.  There were concerts and food/drink/biking gear expos at all of the host cities.  Sioux City offered Huey Lewis and the News.  Coralville offered Cheap Trick.  Most of the others were good local indie bands. (GOOD)
• Since I was unable to nap during the afternoon, or find any comfortable and cool place to power down, I rarely partook of the evening entertainment.  I experienced only thirty minutes of Huey Lewis and only twenty minutes of Cheap Trick.  The other bands ... no minutes at all really (BAD).
• I probably should have done what other riders did in the afternoon and take naps along the route.  Every farmyard with trees and every cemetery lined in trees looked like a bomb had gone off - there were riders laying down in every piece of shade.  I did nap once in one town in the shade of a tree in a park (GOOD).  The thirty minute nap didn't do much to revive me but the caffeine I drank afterwards did.  Unfortunately I did not stop for naps more often (BAD).
• There were a few exceptions though.  Fort Dodge and Eldora offered food in an air conditioned cafeteria (GOOD).  Coralville offered movies in an air conditioned high school auditorium with real auditorium seating (GOOD),  The most popular part of the high school building experience for many were the plug ins for charging their phones(GOOD but I also find this kind of BAD for some reason).
• Each day we were provided with shower service.  Twice I used the services of shower trucks which were semi-private (GOOD).  The other days where we showered in high schools or college facilities you showered while surround by a dozen naked old men (BAD).
• Each day I was exhausted, which was to be expected, but it was always hard to fall asleep since, after crawling in your tent, you sweat buckets for the first hour or so before it finally started to cool off.  You would invariable wake up in the middle of the night cold requiring you to pull out the sleeping bag at 3:00AM (BAD).
• Talking drunk people or, as I noted in my notebook "Noisy God damned ... inconsiderate Asses" were a problem in Eldora including one drunk guy putting his tent up next to mine at 2:15AM.  Fortunately for him he had his super powerful headlamp to light up the place (BAD).
• The riding experience was not quite what I expected.  You were constantly amongst other riders.  You had to be constantly aware of everyone around you to ensure your and other's safety.  This meant the ride was not a relaxing coast across Iowa but an hours long exercise in concentration. This can be stressful (BAD).  Fortunately I handled the bike traffic better than I expected having never experienced it before (GOOD).
• Crowded roads meant even more crowded towns.  We had to dismount when going through towns, not because we wanted to, but because it was impossible to ride through the congestion of hundreds of bikers in search of food and drink (BAD).



A jokester farmer leaving toilet paper next to his corn field ... at PP Avenue. 

• Crowds also meant lines at the porta potties (BAD) resulting in many to use the convenience of the local corn fields (BAD).
• A considerable variety of bikes participated in RAGBRAI.  You had your regular street bikes, various recumbents in various configurations, and more tandems (i.e. bicycles built for two) then I ever expected to see.  Then there were the oddballs like the guy rollerblading, the unicycle, the homemade bamboo bike, and the elliptical bike.  The variety gave you something to look at while you rode (GOOD).  The variety of people also was staggering with the number of amputees being very inspirational including the one woman pedalling her bike with only one leg (GOOD).
• On the first day I saw so many flat tires that I knew it would be inevitable to have some type of breakdown along the way.  On day two my chain got jammed and had to be replaced (BAD).  Fortunately it failed in town where there were bike repair tents (GOOD).
• On day five my luck really ran out.  First I woke up to a flat tire with a sheared off valve stem (BAD).  It was the rear tire and I really wasn't sure how to do it with all the gears shifting stuff back there.  There usually was a bike repair tent near the start of the stage so I started to walk.  After an hour or so I gave up and turned my bike over to see if I could change the tube myself.  Fortunately a member of the Air Force cycling team showed up (GOOD) and helped me replace the tire (they were doing it all along the route - really nice people).  I ride a hybrid bike with larger tires.  When the Air Force guy pumped up the tire he didn't take that into account.  See, my tires should be around 75 psi.  Road bikes, like he was used to, are usually in the 100 to 130 psi range.  I thanked him, he left, and I got on my fixed bike.  A few feet into the ride I heard a rubbing noise.  I figured it would wait until I found the bike repair people.  Well, about 200 to 500 feet later there was a big BANG!  A hole blew in the tube.  This resulted in a hole being blown in the tire (BAD).  I sighed, laughed a little, and continued to walk my bike.  I found the bike repair tent about 2.8 miles (4.5 km) from the starting point for the day.
• Later in the day as I approached a slower bike I squeezed on the brake and heard a "TING!" and there was no brake (BAD).  I pulled off to the side of the road without any major issues.  Fortunately the brake cable had not broken and had simply slipped out of the mechanism.  I was able to repair it in a few minutes.  This would also be my last major issue with my bike (GOOD).
• I didn't suffer any accidents, coming close only once that I recall when I took a turn to sharp and dropped my tire off the pavement.  I recovered but it woke me up (GOOD).  I saw either accidents or the aftermath of accidents along the entire way.  Ambulance sirens were heard at least once a day (BAD).
• The scenery along the way was fields of corn and soybeans as far as the eye could see.  It was both beautiful (GOOD) and monotonous (BAD) at the same time.  The fields were broken up by farm houses which often had a food or drink stand close by.
• The entire route, but especially days one and six, reminded everyone that Iowa is not a flat state.  The hills, especially those right before Coralville, were killers (BAD).  I ended up walking two hills on the way into Coralville and I can blame only one of those on extenuating circumstances (I was behind a truck and a bike ahead of the truck threw a chain forcing the truck to stop and me to lose all my momentum.).  Fortunately those were the only hills I had to walk (GOOD).



Some fun along the route - Hay Bale Minions.

• Along the RAGBRAI route there is always an optional loop that would allow you to ride a century (i.e. 100 miles).  I chose not to take the optional loop (GOOD).
• Besides the heat and humidity, we had rain.  There were only two days of rain.  The first on day two was minor and didn't last long (GOOD).  The second on day six going into Coralville was a deluge.  I was totally soaked through and, due to hazardous road conditions, we had to take the downhills slow which made going up the other side of the hill that much more difficult (BAD).
• My bike headlamp flew off on a hill going into Coralville.  I did not stop in the rain to retrieve it (BAD).
• Speaking of lost things, I left my good sunglasses on the grass in Eldora.  I'm sure some high school kid who volunteered to clean up after us is enjoying my $180.00 sunglasses - I wasn't going to use them on the ride but forgot to take them off after the Wife dropped us off at the starting point.  My bad (BAD).  My cheap sunglasses that I'd meant to wear on the ride ended up getting scratched to the point of being useless.  I wasn't easy on my sunglasses (BAD).

So, what is my overall opinion of my RAGBRAI experience?  After my first Camino I felt my adventure was incomplete and I needed to do it again.  After my first RAGBRAI I can say with certainty that I am not fond of cycling.  The bike will soon be moving to the basement where it will most likely become a permanent trainer.  Training for RAGBRAI has improved my annual blood test numbers so I will try to keep it up ... in the basement ... with Netflix.  

Will I ever ride RAGBRAI again?  No.  I have no need for another RAGBRAI.  I have never felt that exhausted for so long.  Each day I was weary.  Before I started I expected to feel a sense of satisfaction each day upon arriving at the end town.  In fact I didn't feel satisfaction, I felt relief.  Relief of it finally being over.  The relief didn't last long as the lack of even basic comfort at the end of the day sucked the fun right out of it for me.  I didn't like the crowds.  It was hard to make friends when they would be lost in the crowd the next day.  I rarely ran into the same people twice.  Having said this, a lot of people seemed to be having fun.  Maybe it was all the beer vendors along the route.  Or, maybe, it was just me.  I'm not happy when everyone around me is having fun while I'm not.

There is one situation that would make me reconsider riding RAGBRAI again.  My Camino friend KSam has said that RAGBRAI was on her bucket list.  If she chose to do it I would consider doing it with her but ... I suspect my reconsideration would still be no.  I would support her and take her and her bike to the start and pick her and bike up at the end.  But riding with her ... we'll have to see if it's true that time heals all wounds.

I took few pictures ... too dang tired to take out the camera ... but I have posted a few in my 2015-07 RAGBRAI Google Photos album.

Book: Emily St. John Mandel's "Station Eleven"

The nineteenth book of the year for me was Emily St. John Mandel's "Station Eleven".  This was a delightful book and I'm really not sure why.

The book is a post-apocalyptic story about the north eastern United States and Canada after a virulent flu wipes out the world population.  In a matter of a few months all civilization is ruined.  No more electricity.  No running water.  No fuel for vehicles. All after a flu with a 99% lethality rate sweeps around the globe.

The story bounces from present day (i.e. 15 years after the devastation) to just a week or so before the flu strikes.  The characters lives are interwoven in a complex and interesting way.  In the end, almost everyone we have followed closely in the pages of this book are connected to a famous actor and a graphic novel illustrated and written by one of his ex-wives..

I liked this book a lot.  I'm not sure why since the action is rather muted but this is appropriate in a world where nearly everyone is gone and you can go for days without seeing other living people.  I was sorry to see the book end and I wonder what will happen next.

I gave this book five stars of Goodreads.  Sometime simplicity and understatedness is just what I need from a good story.

Photograph: I Can't Hear You!

"I can't hear you!"

by Bruce H.

BooK: David Mitchell's "The Bone Clocks"

The eighteenth book I've read this year was David Mitchell's "The Bone Clocks".  This was an interesting book about two factions of immortals - hereditary and acquired - who are waging a slow motion war through the decades.

The book follows a young teenage girl who involuntarily plays an important role in the war.  The timeline of the book jumps ahead years or decades ahead introducing new characters but inevitable connecting them with our protagonist who grows up as the book progresses.  The end ties all the ends together nicely.

In general I liked this book.  I wasn't as keen on the 'world' Mitchell created in the book.  Nothing specific, I just didn't get into it as much as I would have liked.

Even with my lackluster opinion of the book's 'world', I still gave the book four stars on Goodreads.  It was entertaining, it just could have been better.

Note:  I composed this post before I left on RAGBRAI.