R17 11 RideOut Day 2: Purgatory

Day 2

Freshly snacked and Advilled-up, we rode west into the building heat of the day. The landscape was dried out, brown, and withered--it had been another extraordinarily hot summer in Iowa, with little rain. But, of course there was a hot wind blowing, because, you know, the ride out. 

I rode with Steven and the Mayor out of town, and then I rode alone. And then I rode with the Mayor a bit. Just riding along...

When at the bottom of the hill I spotted Steven. She was stopped. This was strange. Why would she stop at the bottom of the hill? Better to make it to the top of the next hill and keep the momentum. 

She also wasn't stopped in any semblance of shade. Also strange. Usually if we take a breather, we'd do it in the shade. Certainly if she was going to wait for me, she'd want shade, but no. 

Just Steven at the bottom of the hill in the full baking sun. 

I pulled over and quickly realized why she chose to stop here:

Purgatory Creek 

Yes folks, we hadn't made it to hell, yet. But we were in #RideOut Purgatory. Day 2, baking heat, and the lingering remembrance that we decided to do this for fun.

Here's another purgatory face.

The Mayor looks good in that vest. 

She was having a hearty chuckle and wanted us all to stop and take a picture with our best "purgatory faces."

Here you go. 

Though the Mayor and Steven seem to be pretty cool and collected in Purgatory, whereas I am what? Is that my dead beaver face? 

I think this speaks to a conclusion I would soon come to about Steven and the Mayor and the nature of "fun," but more on that later. 

Eventually, we got back on our bikes and continued our relentless ride away from purgatory.