Day 3 to Des Moines

With cloudy skies, cool temperatures and only 1,308 feet of climb, Tuesday's 50-mile ride to Des Moines couldn't have been easier. Ok, there was some wind to contend with, but that's splitting hairs.

Highlights of the day, for me, were lunch at Chubby's outside of Van Meter and a stop at historic Valley Junction in West Des Moines. I'd like to return to the latter some day when I'm not on my bike.

After a swim, I made my way to the home of Bridget and Steve Van Every '75, our hosts in the capitol city. Everclear, Live, Filter and Sponge are on tap tonight as this year's big RAGBRAI concert, but I'm pretty comfortable right here.