Day 5:
I'm up at 5 am. My perfect camping spot has 1 loud drunk and I can't sleep. We eat an amazing breakfast - you name it, they had it. Short day, only 45 miles. We stopped along the way a few times, but end up in the destination town for the day, Chariton, at 1 pm. 15 mph average.
At the Chariton pool, Justin and I meet a nice couple from St. Louis on their 1st RAGBRAI. Both husband and wife wish they could ride, but one of them has to drive the truck each day to support their daughter and son-in-law.
Now we find the best camping spot that we have the whole trip. On top of a hill = breeze. It's also conveniently located by the pool and toilet, and far away from the entertainment and noise. Justin and I go to Hy-Vee for a beer and food run. We ate dinner at our one and only church meal - roast beef, potato salad, and cake all for $7. Not bad but we waited nearly an hour for it while almost passing out from the heat as the basement of the church has no A/C.
We head back to camp, which is now "Camp Bagger" - there are four other self-supported riders. We all hang out and discuss the finer points of the Tour de France and the lack of bike shifting knowledge on RAGBRAI.
Every year it's the same thing. You get to a massive downhill and everybody thinks they're Lance Armstrong. Then you transition to the uphill and they're all a bunch of slugs that throw their chain off or break it while shifting under tremendous pressure. I joke that they should have a shifting seminar before RAGBRAI begins.
Justin and I head downtown for tacos/burritoes and find the band Hairball cranking out another great 80's hair band song. "Cherry Pie", "Dr. Feelgood", you name it! We head back to camp after a beer and look forward to our 100-mile day ahead of us tomorrow.
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