R16 25 Merry Christmas Beavers

"Dear God, why is she driving?" 

That was the response Steven got when she sent a snap chat of me to El Cap. (He says "that's appropriate.")

Yes, Steven and I had wheels! We didn't need to eat Kraft Mac and Cheese for dinner. We could go out on the town! Of course, driving Mark's fancy Outback after having not been in a car for 3 days was a bit of a challenge, but we managed. 

Sara and Mark had given us a few recommendations and we found our way to the Bowling Alley/Pizza Joint where we managed to scarf down a massive pizza in record time and make a few friends with the locals (they were not prepared for the shit storm in their future). 

Then, because it was about 5:30, we decided to go out for a beer. We managed to pilot the Subaru around the cordoned off streets and festival parking to get to the Keg Creek brewery, which was packed with cyclists, Bike World staff, and locals out to get a glimpse of the brewing chaos. We tucked inside and ordered a couple beers--The Mayor and I had been in this exact same brewery during my second ragby, and they had just opened, so they didn't have any of their own beers--now they had a salted lime gose which was amazing. Like a margarita. 

Tasty salty  beer that is not Bud Light Lime!

We did a bit of chatting, but mostly just stared at our beers in a bit of shell shock. 

We might need this.

After we left the brewery Steven and I decided to stop by the grocery store to find some fresh supplies for Saturday. We didn't know when the beavers would arrive and we didn't plan to leave the air conditioned splendor of Mark and Sarah's house. We found a bunch of tasty treats at the grocery store and some additional supplies at the Big Lots next to that. And then we popped into the liquor store at the end of the strip mall. We bought a 6 pack of good beer and found that they delivered. Good to know...

After our supplies we decided we better get Mark's fancy car home so we drove back to the palace and settled in for an evening of beers, dogs, and reclining on the Love Sack. 

I bet El Cap that there were more breweries per capita in Iowa than Minnesota. I was not correct.

We had just settled down in the basement for some Tiny House Shoppers or some other bad and mindless television. It wasn't late in the evening when we heard the dog Rocky start barking, angrily upstairs. Then we heard the front door open and someone heavy walking around on the first floor. Steven and I looked at each other. If it was Mark and Sarah (who weren't supposed to be back for a long time), why would Rocky be barking so crazy? 

The two of us crept up the stairs, peering around the doorways. We got to the first floor and looked out the front door. There was a car that hadn't been there before. Rocky was out in the front yard, circling angrily. Who was here? 

Then we heard someone coming down the stairs from the second floor. "Hello?" we called up. On the landing we saw a large serious looking man. He looked a bit like Mark, enough so that we wondered if perhaps it was Mark, like we didn't recognize him well enough to know it was him. "Hi," he said and looked at us suspiciously. 

"Hi," we said. "Uh who are you?" we asked. 

Rightly so he asked who we were right back. It turns out it was Mark's brother. He lived in Pella, but he was also in the National Guard on a weekend in Omaha, so he was staying at the house for the evening. "Oh, okay," we said. "We'll see you later." And then we scurried back downstairs still not convinced we weren't going to be murdered in our beds. 

That night I slept on the bed in the private room. Steven on the couch. There was a huge thunderstorm that blasted the evening air with lightning. It brought with it a break in the intense humidity and an end to our adventures on the #RideOut. Tomorrow our friends would be arriving in the Beaver Ark and then the rest of Ragbrai would begin. 

Single serve vodkas? Yes please. 

It had been an extremely challenging three days on the road. I found new wells of suffering and pain and self doubt that I couldn't reach the bottom of, but I was so grateful I had Steven with me. Indeed it wouldn't have happened without her, and as I am getting older, I am realizing that the greatest gift of all is the gift of quality time with the people you love. I love you Steven! Thanks for both getting me into and laughing me out of some of the stupidest things of my life. 

Or stupid.

And Merry Christmas little beavers! I hope the great beaver in the sky brings you all the sticks and mud and ponds you need to have a happy, healthy, and busy year!