In her second year of participating in the Ragbrai ride, senior Morgan Beemer rode across 428 miles of Iowa countryside with her family.

Beemer said her family was originally introduced to the Ragbrai ride by family friend Jim Caffrey and has continued to do it for seven years.

For the ride, Beemer was a part of a team dubbed Team Gourmet. Beemer said every night after a long day of riding, they sat down to a gourmet meal prepared by members of the team.

Beemer said she enjoys the leisurely ride that comes with riding in Radbrai.

“I love just being outside and in nature,” Beemer said. “On Ragbrai it’s so cool because they shut down all the highways and you’re just going past farms and the pretty countryside.”

Although sometimes seen as a casual activity, Aimee Beemer, Beemer’s mother, said the event instills one with a confidence that can’t be bought and makes one determined when faced with new challenges. Aimee said she saw the same determination required for the ride in Morgan when she initially voiced she wanted to participate.

“I loved the fact that the minute Morgan turned 16 she decided she wanted to do it,” Aimee said.

Cited by Aimee and also mentioned by Caffrey, the pair believe the ride can be deceiving at times from it’s laid-back nature. Both said the ride can quickly turn into a difficult task when faced with headwinds and the hilly routes across Iowa that Ragbrai takes.

Even though occasionally faced with adversity, Caffrey said Ragbrai has allowed him to get out more and exercise.

“I love the experience,” Caffrey said. “It’s allowed me to exercise a lot more, ride my bike a lot more and get out a lot more.”

Aimee said the atmosphere and the people she meets on the ride is one of the many reasons she keeps coming back.

“I will do it every year if I can. I will do it forever if I can,” Aimee said. “I always say it’s like a combination of a summer camp, state fair plus a fraternity party all rolled into one week on your bike. That’s what it feels like. It’s very fun.”

Beemer said she will continue to participate in the week-long trek not only because of the social aspect, but because she finds the ride rewarding.

“I plan to ride [in Ragbrai] as long as I can,” Beemer said. “It’s definitely a very cool achievement because it’s a little below 500 miles in a week.”