Getting Ahead!

Day Eight: Farragut to Red Oak

Farragut, Imogene, Emerson, Red Oak

37 miles...4 hours in the saddle. A slow-moving day. Headwinds, hills.

We've arrived in Red Oak! This is the Sunday night town on Ragbrai, which starts in Council Bluffs this year. So finally we have done what has been spoken about all these years past, but never (or very infrequently, anyway) accomplished: gone ahead on the route! Our plan is to relax here tomorrow, do laundry, watch all the riders come in, and then some of the group is going to ride 30-some miles to Corning, which is on Monday's route...but Mark and I are staying here. I've decided I need a rest day and don't want to worry about packing up and leaving. Plus, I want to enjoy all the festivities.

I was moving pretty slow out of Farragut...some days you just feel like stomping it, and some you don't. This was definitely the latter.

Arrived in Imogene to find them preparing for a wedding party, which was going to start at 5 p.m. I thought well, we'll be long gone before then...wrong. Met Terry from Shenandoah there, on his way to Council Bluffs via the Wabash Trace. His wife Caryn is riding the Shenanigans bus, and their two daughters are also riding Ragbrai. These girls have been on more Ragbrais than they are years old...we've watched them grow up. Hopefully I'll see them sometime this week.

Bob, Noelle, Mark, and I rode out of Imogene together east on J18, and decided to try north on highway 59, though we knew it might be busy. Didn't look too bad, and we only had to bail once onto the gravel shoulder for a horse trailer.

Arrived in Emerson, where they were giving away free hot dogs. I had a hot-dog-bun peanut butter sandwich. Along with that, we feasted on salmon, cream cheese, and Rosemary Triscuits, courtesy of our new cooler. YUM.

On to Red Oak via old highway 34. More hills. Arrived in Red Oak after dark, and went to the Rainbow Cafe, where we had 10 minutes to order food if we wanted...but it had to be something cooked in the fryer, as that was the only thing running. I was feeling a little off, actually, with a headache, and couldn't really face another French fry or fried onion ring, so was very glad when they offered to make a chef's salad. Whew. A girl can only subsist on French fries for so long.

Mark and I wound up spending quite a bit of time doing some business on their old computer...thank you so much to the Rainbow Cafe folks...they are awesome!

Up to the park to camp after closing time, where Mark and I got a premium spot on cushy grass by a nice little tree.

**I will have to do pictures later. It's taking forever to do the pics...but I wanted to get this down so I wouldn't forget.