There’s nothing like riding all day in not so perfect conditions (see: heat, rain) before getting to your final destination… All you want to do is hide somewhere in comfort.
Air conditioning, warm showers, good food– maybe even a nap.
If Steve had somebody riding with him today, they both would have ended up daydreaming out loud together about the massive feast (every type of food imaginable) they would have at the end of the day. The ice cold lake that looks prime for swimming in… etc, etc…
I’ll have to remember to ask him if he daydreamed out loud to himself throughout the day. That could have been an interesting discussion. 🙂
However. There is a flip side to this.
Getting to your final destination only to find that nothing of which you daydreamed is possible. No massive feast, no warm shower, and a nice hot tent to sleep in. Arghhh…
I’ve been there before a couple times with Steve/Dad, thanks to RAGBRAI. If I remember right, we seemed to end up with the first scenario for the most part. Thankfully.
There was once.
Somebody will have to fill in the blanks on what year and town of RAGBRAI this was, but what I do remember is the insane heat wave. Livestock warnings were being issued as the heat index hovered around 110, but thousands of cyclists continued to ride.
All day we looked forward to the house that we were going to be staying in that night. The thought of air conditioning alone kept us pedaling. While I don’t remember particular conversations, I’m sure we may have even gone past the point of daydreaming and instead hung our heads and rode in silence, trying to block out the heat for just that much longer.
Finally we reach town. Every block seems like a mile as we look for the place we’re staying. The longer you look, the longer each block seems. You try not to get frustrated, but it’s so darn hot.
Then, the house on the hill appears. The friendly lady who you are staying with walks out to greet you on the driveway, inviting you in to relax—
Huh… what? NO! what? AHHHHHH!
In all reality, it ended up being better than it could have. There were many fans blowing air through the house and it was able to cool off enough at night that it wasn’t really a big deal. But the mental shock that one gets when greeted with a statement like that…. wow.
Anyhow… Stay strong Dad! Keep up the good work.