RAGBRAI day 3

DAY 3: RAGBRAI: Day three took us from Indianola to Chariton—which brought us a variety of “Only on RAGBRAI” experiences in addition to the expected challenges that the terrain of Iowa sets forth to its riders. We left town in a fog (LITERALLY) and rode through the fog for 13 miles. The fact that there was no rain was a welcome phenomenon, and the riders were able to stay “somewhat comfortable” with the absence of sunshine for the morning commute. The first couple of pass through towns on the route were uneventful…and unidentifiable…as our riders rode right past them! By far, the favorite pass through town was Milo—fictional birthplace of Radar O’Reily on MASH! Hot Lips, Radar, and Klinger were in full form (and costume)—and greeted riders when rolling into town.

There were no incidences in the back room last night. Kevin is .making Jeff wear his heart monitor to bed as he doesn’t want to ride all day & spend his nights awake worrying. about the breathing or the lack there of.

Town Square in Milo hosted Karaoke, massages, and pig kissing (photo to come)—with exceptional breakfast cuisine. Our riders spent some quality time soaking in the sun and enjoying the frivolity of the entire RAGBRAI experience. After Milo, our riders stopped in Lacona and rested on a hill…only to prepare for challenging hills to come in the near future. A local restaurant, called Rudy’s—boasted homemade tacos…which we passed on-- in honor of our Quad Cities Rudy’s establishment.

The “town” called Oakley afforded our riders “the quote of the day”—which came from a fellow RAGBRAI rider--directed to an elderly (80-something) couple sitting in lawn chairs on a grassy area in the middle of nowhere—“Where is Oakley?” The woman replied, “You are in it,” she replied. Needless to say, it was a non-eventful stop with only stray dogs and flies interacting with our riders.

Chariton, our host town for the night, was hospitable and enjoyable and allowed our riders to shop for loved-ones and relax in the confines of one of the local watering holes, Sportsman Bar. Beers served from the back of the bar-proper, and the trough in the back of the bar, kept our team happy and jolly for the evening. A local waitress seemed to take a liking to our boys…and threw in an extra ticket and performed favors for the team….what happens at RAGBRAI stays at RAGBRAI.