In my nearly seven years of living in Iowa, I feel that I’ve done most of what the state has to offer. From attending multiple state fairs and Iowa/Iowa State football games to traveling from Muscatine to Sioux City, there wasn’t much left for me to do or see, with one giant exception: RAGBRAI.

The thing with RAGBRAI (The Register’s Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa, which I’m sure everyone knows by now) is that you actually have to put some work in to be able to complete it. It’s not like the state fair where you can show up, order your deep-friend butter on a stick and then call it good.

Well, last week I was finally able to cross yet another item off my Iowa checklist when I completed four days of RAGBRAI and finished with the ceremonial tire dip in the Mississippi River. Although my legs are still a bit sore as I write this, I can confidently say I loved it, and I’ll definitely be back for more.