Blissful Riding

Drying out from a huge thunderstorm last night.

Day Thirteen: Chariton/Russell to Ottumwa

Chariton, Millerton, Bethlehem, Confidence, Iconium, Moravia, Unionville, Blakesburg, Ottumwa

77 miles, 6 and a half hours in the saddle plus half hour around town

A nicer day today, hillwise...we actually had some flat stretches, and the hills were more of a gradual grade than steep gut-busters (though there were some of those, too). I decided to take it easy and just go at a moderate pace. This was facilitated by a big breakfast at Mama Raphael's Breakfast Buffet...anything more than a moderate pace would have prompted me to enjoy that breakfast again...and again...and again. Let me tell you a little about Mama Raphael (“Are you Mama Raphael?” I asked the kind lady at the front of the operation. “No, Mama Raphael is the one with the mustache,” she replied, pointing me toward the trailer behind.)

So I went to the trailer behind and found a mustachioed man in the trailer and said thank you so much for this breakfast buffet! Everything is sooooo good, and it's such a nice variety of food! THANK YOU! and he said he used to ride Ragbrai and knows what people need.

So this buffet has scrambled eggs, salsa, tortillas, mushrooms, meat, pancakes, oatmeal, biscuits, gravy, granola and other cereals, milk, chocolate milk, coffee, orange juice, brown sugar, raisins...everything you can think of, and I'm sure I'm leaving some things out. I know I'm writing about food again, but It was SO GOOD! And I have had some problems this trip finding food that is not sausage, pork, sausage, beef, chicken, or sausage.

Mark and I motored on, slowly and contentedly, though Mark was actually not feeling quite so good in the stomach and I think has less fond memories of this meal. The road unwound invitingly before us, rolling through corn and soybeans bordered by Queen Anne's lace and tall prairie grasses. Blue sky, puffy white clouds, green fields and grass, and a gentle breeze...it was a fine day, indeed.

We were riding at the back of the pack, with back-of-the-pack stick bikers and many baggers. There were a few more stick bikes than one would normally expect at that hour, due to the fact that today included a 20-mile optional loop, for those who wanted to do a century. Actually, you could always tell a “looper”...they passed us with heads down, arms extended on aero bars, pedaling intently...zooming by as if we were standing still.

Not loopers.

I lucked out again on the food today with a stop at the Pastafari guy, just before Moravia. They were just shutting down; in fact, the guy making the food had just taken a bite out of the meal in front of him when I came up and asked about a veggie pasta. So he indicated the one he had just stuck his fork into and said, “Here...it's free”

“Free! No!” I said, protesting.

“I just took a bite out of it!” he said, and passed it to me over the counter.

I didn't care one whit about the bite...I was in heaven again. Pasta and nice spicy red sauce with grilled zucchinia and yellow squash and I'm not sure what else. SOOOOOOO tasty! I really need to eat better food on these trips. It really makes a big difference.

Mark gets the absolute last scrapings.

Anyway, the most important thing beyond the food was that we caught up with Lauree, Kentucky Jim, Hajdu, and Ohio Mike at this stop. We'd seen them riding by as we were stopped at a country store a ways back, but they hadn't heard our yells. So we got the update: Lauree had stayed in Chariton, and Toby had never made it out of Lacona. KY Jim, Ohio Mike, and Hajdu had ridden on from Chariton to Russell, not on the route but easy to rejoin the next day. And they were planning to go north at Moravia to Albia, visit Ohio Mike's sister-in-law, and then continue past Ottumwa to Agency and spend the night there.

We had a nice sit-down in the shade, eating pasta and chatting. A massage guy nearby was selling his Westie camper, and we all went over to check it out. Mint condition and chocolate color, 1984, previous owner VW mechanic. Hmm. Tempting!

Mark and I decided to stay on the route and be Ragbrai tourists the whole day, so after a nice sit-down and visit, we struck out for Moravia and beyond.

I guess I am not the only one with a sore butt.

Of course we HAD to go there...

More beautiful road and great riding...a few grind-up hills but mostly rollers, a shady stop in the cemetery at Unionville (some lovely old tombstones)...a Greg Leavengood sighting in Blakesburg (now my Ragbrai is complete, though not totally complete because he didn't sing me “Heather on the Hill”)...quick visit with Nick Gevock and Al and his friend Vicky, and we arrived in Ottumwa just before dark.