Deena, I moved from Emmetsburg to Algona 2 years ago, and both places are close to the route for day 2, so I'll be riding along familiar roads. A lot of people just ride for 1 day, or even just part of the day, so as long as you have a way to get back and forth from the ride, you're fine.

Mom on bike, you're right about not being alone. I camp with a bike club from Emmetsburg, but since everyone rides at his/her own pace, I never make any arrangements to ride with anyone. But, other riders are pretty friendly, so you end up with 10-minute conversations with other riders as you move along. Since there are a lot of people, it might help to do a 1-day organized ride somewhere else first, just to get the feel of having other riders around. Because of the number of bikes invovled, riders signal their intentions so nobody near them is surprised by any moves. You'll get used to people calling out, "On your left," "Rider off," "rider on," "rumbles!" "slowing," etc.