July 19, 2026 – Today’s ride is from Onawa to Harlan, listed as 59.3 miles (96 km).
Day 1. Onawa to Harlan
Two trains and fireworks interrupted my sleep as I lay in my sweaty pool in my tent. Although we had 10 members of our cycling club, I made no plans to ride with anyone. However, just rolling out of Onawa, I caught Lou, Sue, and Dave, and we rolled together until the first town, Turin, pop. 89. Town fact: It was here in 1955 that Turin Man, a 10,000-year old fossil was discovered, making it the oldest human remains found in Iowa. The eight miles to Turin may well have been the only flat stretch on RAGBRAI.
The main and only road was crowded with vendors. Cyclists dismounted and walked their bikes.
I had seen ads for cinnamon rolls and thought I would grab a roll in this tiny town. I came to a stand and bought a roll for $2. I put my bike down and saw a bench for two. Almost like a love seat. There was a guy sitting there, and his body language stated that no one should sit with him. I sat down.
He was quiet at first but noticed the LIVESTRONG logo on the bottom of my Cyclists Combating Cancer kit. He asked if I was riding for LIVESTRONG, and I told him I wasn’t. I explained that CCC is usually the top fundraiser for LIVESTRONG.
While awkward at first, he soon warmed up. He is a prostate cancer survivor and followed the same journey I did. He is from D.C. and started with George Washington University Hospital and ended up at Johns Hopkins three years ago. I have 14 years on him.
I lost my friends here and would ride the remaining 49 miles “solo.” That is, as solo as riding with 20,000 other people can be. Leaving Soldier, I came to a kid’s lemonade stand. My mantra is to stop at a kid’s lemonade stand. I stopped and got a lemonade. It was very good. It rivaled Chick-fil-A’s lemonade in authenticity. I bought a second cup for my water bottle.
I rolled through Dunlap, stopping to admire a guy’s collection of pedal tractors. It was just outside of Dunlap where Mr. Pork Chop was set up. This is a RAGBRAI tradition. “Look for the smoke.”
Earling was a town on a hill. Town fact: This was an old railroad town best known for a 1928 exorcism. It was here that I would buy my first Smoothie.
It was only six more miles to another small town, Westphalia. This town was founded by German Catholics and named after the province of Westphalia in Germany. Their motto is A German Drinking Community with a Farming Problem. They are very proud of their German heritage
As I was leaving I saw a sign for a Garden Railway. Since I couldn’t see the train from the road I started to walk around yard when a woman beckoned me to come in. What a cool setup they had.
I went to our campsite in Harlan and pitched the tent before any shower. Sweat was pouring off me.
After a shower at the shower truck, I made my way to the shuttle, which was at least a quarter mile (400 m) walk. I was looking for the First Christian Church, which the youth advertised a pasta dinner. It was standing room only until I got downtown and people got off. Although the driver said we would go to the church, we didn’t. After 45 minutes on the shuttle, we were back to where I started. I got off the shuttle and was ready to find something close or not at all.
I found our group of four; I called us the Fab Four because we were the ones from the club, not with family members riding, and decided to go uptown (or downtown) to St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Spaghetti 
$15. This time I could navigate us to the shuttle, and this church was a popular destination. I hope the Christian Church had many guests because I couldn’t find it.
The line outside in the sun was huge. Someone in front of us left and told us it would be one hour. A girl from the church handed out bottles of iced water plus bananas, and we all maneuvered the line to find shade. Once inside, the line snaked around the fellowship hall. We were about 3/4 of the way there, and I saw a “10-11 year old girl sitting at a table by herself. She was not standing in line while her family did. I asked her if her “mean parents were making her bike across Iowa.”
In an instant, her face lit up. She had a HUGE personality. She immediately started talking about today’s ride. Told us about her family. “I’m K—-,” she said. “I am riding with my dad on a red Co-Motion Tandem bike. You should find us.” All four of us were enamored with her personality, and she then joined her family to get her meal and sit down.
It was an hour from the time we started until we got our food. But it was worth it. What wasn’t worth it was the walking we had to do to get to the shuttle. I wore my old Adidas sandals without socks and soon had blisters on my big toe. I went barefoot as much as I could until I got back to camp. The blisters would be with me the rest of the trip.
It was hot today. 
(87°/31°C). The headwind: 94%. I’ve never had a ride where it measured 94% headwind. Yet at times I welcomed it as a breeze.
TOTAL MILES: 58.9
MILES WITH PWCC: 9.0 (from Onawa to Turin)
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