80 Guest Blog: Masinga Week Part 3

A Note from Norman: Welcome back beavers! We are in part 3 of Masinga's 5 part recap of her first riding ragbrai. Stay tuned! Oh, yeah, photos are Masinga's, captions are mine!

ENTRY 3 – Three Cries Allowed - CRY #1

When I pulled into the grocery store parking lot in Forest City I was ready to shut down.  I didn’t want to talk to anyone.  I was pissed.  I felt like they were angry with me not knowing anything about our host in Forest City, even though I arranged the stay.  It’s a funny thing, when you say do you know someone who lives in one of the overnight town, it’s a convoluted statement.  One of my co-workers knows a guy who is from Forest City and we could stay with his parents.  OK.  The address is Forest City. I forget that small towns are a different beast.  Gorgeous house!  But we definitely needed the lift out to the house, there was no way we were up for the ride out to their fortress on the hill.  I retreated to the front porch to watch the sunset in quiet solitude.  It was what I needed.  Tomorrow was a new day! And a short one at that.  I slept hard and woke up ready to ride. This is where I really start to forget things.  Made it through Wednesday.  Yay! 

Pretty good!

Pretty sure Masinga won the RD Boyfriend challenge with this one.

Thursday, we had a joiner.  Jake.  Let me tell you a little story about my 2014.  I set out on a mission to let myself go on dates.  So I did.  I had a spreadsheet so Goldie, Norman and a chosen few could ask questions and keep all these guys straight.  In the midst of that, Norman tells me she’s got a guy she wants to set me up with, would I be up for her handing out my number to this dude.  Sure, why not?  Couldn’t hurt. Until he comes on RAGBRAI after not using my number.  Sweet!  Commence a silent ride for a handful of miles.  Sorry if I wasn’t very good company Jake.  I still liked having you there!

Licence and registration, ma'am.

Somewhere along the way, I took a turn for the miserable.  I think there was a hill and I was ready to be done.  Lo and behold Norman and PBear were at the top, along with the Dirty Lemonade stand.   I pulled up and apparently I had the most pathetic look on my face just as cloud of dust blew around my head.  PBear laughed.  I started crying.  She then shared her theory that she allows herself three cries.  If I didn’t get to the first one until Thursday, I still had one more left for each of the remaining days.  I quickly fell asleep that night, but woke up terrified as the wind started blowing and the storm slowly rolled in.