RAGBRAI is a nearly 400-mile bicycle ride across Iowa, from the Missouri to the Mississippi Rivers. I did not ride in the event. I was part of the support crew for my daughter and her husband. You can read about the entire adventure on our free Substack newsletter.

Days four through seven:
https://catherineandmeridawrite.substack.com/p/bicycles-blueberries-and-baby-goats
https://catherineandmeridawrite.substack.com/p/giant-corn-giant-kybo-giant-flag
https://catherineandmeridawrite.substack.com/p/field-of-dreams-and-bicycles
https://catherineandmeridawrite.substack.com/p/there-will-be-grasshoppers​​

Crewing for an endurance event is exciting and satisfying. You get to be part of an amazing adventure as a support crew. The role is less physical, but also important.

RAGBRAI - Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa - is a recreational touring bike ride from the west border of Iowa to the east. From the Missouri River to the Mississippi. 

My husband, Leonard, and I are crewing for my daughter and co-author, Merida Bass, and her husband, Ron. We packed up Legolas, our Tuxedo kitten, and Strider, our English Springer Spaniel who just turned one-year-old. Expect another Traveling With Pets report from me soon.

You can follow our RAGBRAI adventure, with videos, pie reports, favorite small towns, and more, from me and Merida at: 

Episode 1: https://catherineandmeridawrite.substack.com/p/i-got-crop-dusted-in-nebraska
Episode 2: https://catherineandmeridawrite.substack.com/p/red-firetrucks-white-churches-and
Episode 3: https://catherineandmeridawrite.substack.com/p/warning-raging-angry-sun-ahead
Episode 4: https://catherineandmeridawrite.substack.com/p/barbarian-cyclists-slay-the-wind?

#RAGBRAI
#RAGBRAILIII
#crewingforanenduranceevent
#iowa
#iconicsmalltownamerica

I’ve sneered at electric bikes out on the paved trails around town. Riding something that looks like a bicycle but has a motor smacks of slothfulness. Cheating.

Then my husband bought one for himself. The slacker.

We had recently dusted off our old manual bikes in preparation for a trip where bikes would be convenient. I felt wobbly. Should someone fast approaching seventy risk riding a bicycle?

Not quite ready for my old lady card, I gamely pedaled around the neighborhood. Note: I live in Colorado. On a hill. A steep hill. Our little two-mile jaunt resulted in me walking my bike uphill for half a block.

Leonard extolled the virtues of the electric bike. I was still reluctant. He is famous for buying expensive toys, plus every accessory imaginable. I am cheap. I hate shopping and spending money.

Plus, buying a motorized bike felt like giving up. But honestly, I hadn’t ridden my old-school bike in two or three years. And those rides were infrequent and short. Maybe I had already given up.

Leonard dragged me to the Old Town Bike Shop in downtown Colorado Springs. The store is rather cavernous. The sales clerks are genuine bike enthusiasts, and the low-key sorts of folks I appreciate. No hard sell tactics.
I test rode one. Awkward! And embarrassing. I’m sure I looked more like I needed a walker than a bicycle to the salesperson young enough to be my grandchild.

Under pressure from my husband, I caved. Okay. I’ll give it a try. We took the bikes in our truck to a wide, paved trail. I wanted space to learn how the darn thing operated. Buttons, levers, and gadgets galore!

Wheeling along the walkway, with our English Springer Spaniel galloping beside us, I had a revelation.

I Get It! The bike requires pedaling. The motor definitely assists in a cheaty feeling kind of way. But at my age, this vehicle is a game-changer. An electric bike can potentially add years to my bike-riding life.

I’ve always ridden bikes - until the past five-ish years. I used one as my vehicle in my college years, wiping out in spectacular fashion once. But lately, my nice bicycle hung upside down in the garage, like a blue bat.

As I pedaled along on a beautiful July morning, I told Leonard, “I feel like I did when I rode my bike in my twenties.” The ease of riding the e-bike erased decades off my old joints.

The only problem was our dog. He was delighted to sprint beside us. It was easy to forget he’s just a year old. Dogs shouldn’t run long distances until they’re at least two. Strider would run until he drops. We have to regulate his enthusiasm.

At two miles, we turned around. Running four miles was a lot for our puppy. Letting him run to his heart’s delight might cause him damage.

I told Leonard we need a kid carrier so we can go on long bike rides without hurting the dog. Why did I say that? A wheeled buggy is in the works now, so both Strider and Legolas the tuxedo kitten can go biking with us. All the accessories? I’m afraid to learn what else we can attach to or pull behind our new bikes.

As you age, or hey, if you’re a young whipper-snapper with physical challenges, an electric bike might keep you on the trails longer and more frequently.

But yeesh, the price! Cheap me remembers buying automobiles in my youth for less than the price of these bikes!

I won’t quibble about the price. Much. Leonard and I began our marriage climbing 14,000-foot mountains. It’s only fitting that we keep enjoying the Colorado outdoors. Even if we need a little assistance now.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
You can read my series for free about our first trip with pets in the series, Traveling With Pets.

You can find the Colorado Authors League award finalist novel I co-authored with my daughter, Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation, at:
Basecamp Books and Adventure - 3918 Maizeland Rd, Colorado Springs, CO, United States, 80909

​E-books and paperbacks available at the usual places. Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Paperbacks available at the Barnes & Noble location: 1565 Briargate Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80920
Paperbacks available at Hidden Gems: 5020 N Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80918

Upcoming Events:
From Joe at Basecamp: We are super stoked to announce the first ever (and hopefully annual) Basecamp Book Bash!!! On Sunday August 16th from 12pm to close, we will be hosting dozens of local authors and bookish vendors. There will be prizes, giveaways, contests, food, drinks, and more.
1st Annual Basecamp Book Bash!!!Sun Aug 16 2026 at 12:00 pm to 06:00 pm 3918 Maizeland Rd, Colorado Springs, United States, Colorado 80909

​Also in August, the Local Authors Showcase hosted by Douglas County Libraries:
Join the audience. Meet local authors and hear about their books. Each author will spend five minutes discussing their work, followed by a book sale and signing. Registration required.
Local Authors ShowcaseSaturday, August 15
1:00pm - 3:45pm20105 Mainstreet, Parker, CO 80138
Event Hall A & B - Parker

Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation is a finalist in the Colorado Authors League category for humor and satire. 

My co-author Merida Bass had the gumption and self-confidence to enter Book One in the Ninja Grandparent Placement Mysteries. Honestly, most of the quirkiness and laugh-out-loud moments are her contribution to the novel.

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony July 19th.
You can find Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation at:
Basecamp Books and Adventure - 3918 Maizeland Rd, Colorado Springs, CO, United States, 80909
Basecamp Books and Adventure's Facebook
E-books and paperbacks available at the usual places. Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Paperbacks available at the Barnes & Noble location: 1565 Briargate Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80920
Paperbacks available at Hidden Gems: 5020 N Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80918

What inspired me to begin writing? What is something people might be surprised to learn about me? It's all on "A Word With" on Dru Ann Love's amazing and popular blog.
drusbookmusing.com/word-with-catherine-dilts/

#drusbookmusings
#writinglife
#writinginspiration
#sinccolorado
#theninjagrandparentplacementmysteries

Book Three in the Ninja Grandparent Placement Mysteries.

Granda's Celtic Captivity

Liam Boyer has a secret that could cause him to lose his fife-playing role in the band, Plaid Melodies. But hiding the truth becomes the least of his worries when he is kidnapped by a mysterious ninja and placed with a lonely widower and his young son.

A Small Town Midwesterner Rides the Subway

Subways are the stuff of grim news headlines. They feature in action-adventure movies like Die Hard: With a Vengeance, starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. Places of darkness and danger.

Why would I, with my deep suspicions about big cities, travel to the East Coast? How could I even consider endangering myself and my only biological child by riding a subway?

To attend a writers conference I hadn’t been to in a dozen years. The drive from Colorado Springs to Bethesda, Maryland, is 1,629 miles, crossing more than half a dozen states. It’s a trip taking a minimum of two days, one-way.
​
Four days of travel? My husband was surprisingly game for the drive. I insisted flying made more sense. Plus, I was attending Malice Domestic with my daughter and co-author. She didn’t have the time to spare from her busy family and plethora of tuxedo cats. She had to fly. Sure, she’s capable of traveling alone. But this would be more fun.

Despite my dislike of flying, we booked tickets months in advance. There are no direct flights from our city to Bethesda. There was a layover both ways. The trip ended up taking half a day. 

I had researched in advance the options for travel from DCA to the hotel. The recommendation was to take the subway. It was less than $5. Merida’s husband was aghast that we’d risk riding the subway rather than take a taxi or van. Until I revealed the price: $50 for each passenger. Ron is as frugal as his mother-in-law. He agreed we had chosen the most practical method of travel, although he still feared for our safety.

We found the Metro, following signs inside the airport. A kind local woman explained how to purchase a card, and load it with enough money to get us to our destination. Then we hopped on a train. It swooped underground. We were on the subway.

By now, partly due to the time change, it was nighttime. Night? On a subway? Yikes! And yet, it was not crowded, and people were friendly. We likely took the wrong train, but a college student directed us to the correct connection. We met Ruth, who chatted with us until her stop. I can’t lie. Riding the subway was still a little scary, despite Ruth’s assurances that we were in a safe area.

Finally, we reached our destination. Thanks to modern technology, we knew exactly which way to go.

The hotel lobby was nearly empty. Folks who had already arrived for Malice Domestic were wisely in bed. When we made the hotel reservation, they only had a room with one king bed. Thankfully, we were able to switch to two separate beds.

We notified our husbands that we had arrived at the hotel safe and sound.
​
The two-hour time zone difference was going to be rough. We managed to crash, even though we were both bubbling with anticipation. Who would we meet this weekend? Were our brief moments in the spotlight going to be worth the time and expense? 

Despite getting home late the night before, I was determined to arrive at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference early. I had not yet attended the pre-session meditation led by Johnny Worthen every morning. 

I was hesitant because I have my own firmly held religious beliefs. But I'd heard enough hints about Johnny's faith that made me comfortable trying this. If it got too woo-woo, I could exit the room.

Instead, it was a lovely time to collect our thoughts and gather our energy for the final day of the conference. Highly recommend. Would do again.

Somehow the first session of the day slipped by, filled with hallway conversations and working on the puzzle in Zeb's Lounge. My daughter surprised me with her depth of knowledge as I listened to her compare notes with another fan of classical literature while piecing together a cows-and-flowers jigsaw puzzle.

My final day at PPWC wasn't all fun and games. I attended a two-hour session called Write Lore Your Readers Won't Forget, led by Stant Litore. I wasn't sure how it would apply to my light mystery stories and novels. It turned out to be exactly what I needed to learn. 

Lore is the stories characters tell themselves about their families, their town, their nation, or religion. It's the backstory explaining how characters interpret their world. There is a parallel between folk lore and present action. 

The lore can be wrong. Or passed down for so many generations, the meaning is not understood. Maybe now it becomes vital. Not accepting the existing lore can make a character a hero - or a villain. 

Time for lunch. Could the conference really be reaching its conclusion? Mary Robinette Kowal inspired with her journey as an actress, puppeteer, and author. 

"Rejection is a transient state," she told us. I began my day with Johnny Worthen's calming, thoughtful, and inspiring meditation session, and ended with a Mary Robinette Kowal's rousing speech firing us up to accept the challenges of our profession.

PPWC 2026 flew by. Three days packed with knowledge, inspiration, networking, and entertainment. 

Plans are already in the works for PPWC 2027. 

After a fun Saturday lunch speech by keynote author Pippa Grant, we headed into the afternoon of day two of the Pikes Peak Writers Conference. 

I was the moderator for Rock Your Reader Magnet, presented by Debbie Maxwell Allen. She began with a definition. A reader magnet is a free digital item given to readers in exchange for their email. Of what use is a reader's email? It's the number one way to drive sales to your books. The magnet gives a free taste of what you have to offer.

The magnet can be a variety of things, from a free short story set in your fictional world, to a character's letters, journal entries, or tweets. Recipes printable as a pdf, A side story that's not fleshed out in the novel. Debbie gave us the specific how-to info for how to make this happen.

I was on a kick with Business of Writing workshops. I went to Best Practices: Author Bios & Photos with Chris Mandeville. I've written a ton of bios for myself. I haven't been completely satisfied with any. Chris presented a system to ensure your bio isn't boring or stodgy, yet conveys your personality honestly. Even your author photo should convey a sense of who you are.

The last session I attended on Saturday was Deeper Reading for Deeper Writing. Johnny Worthen reminded me why I was an English Literature major in college. The all-too-short hour was a graduate-level class on literary analysis. Johnny stated that reading is not a passive act. Human minds are meaning-making machines.

You just had to be there, so I won't say anything more. People didn't want to leave at the end of the hour.

We had a gap between the last session and the banquet. Plenty of time for hallway conversations, and working on the puzzle in Zeb's Lounge.

The keynote dinner speaker was Reavis Z. Wortham. The Western author entertained with stories of his writer's journey. The audience was in stitches. And in horrified sympathy as he described losing his entire first novel manuscript to a computer fail. Reavis is a great speaker. He inspired us to be persistent.

My husband came to the hotel for Bar Con. We hung out with my critique group. Then it was time to head for home, way too late. Despite only getting a few hours of sleep, I was determined to arrive at the conference bright and early Sunday morning.