Fun at the Fair

13 July 2012

Today we had fun at the Delaware County Fair in Muncie.  We got there just in time for the end of the first round of cow showings and stayed through the showmanship round.  Saw lots of cows. 

During a break, we wandered into the pig/hog barn and goat barn.  We enjoyed a nice meal in the fairgrounds diner - they had a neat set up.  Then we wandered through the 4-H displays to see how the Wright kids had fared in their hard work.  One got Reserve Grand Champion (so second in show) for her wedding cake decoration.  Everyone did a great job, however.

Tomorrow we're off to Indianapolis (at least that's the tentative plan...)

Mounds State Park

12 July 2012

We had a lazy morning after getting our wake up "happy puppy dog dance" on the bed.  It's amazing how relaxed one can be when you don't have to bike 70+ miles in a day.  A quiet cup of morning coffee never tasted so good.

A trip to Mounds State Park gave us our outing and exercise all wrapped up in a beautiful, and interesting, package.  At the visitor's center we were greeted with "climb aboard" the replica of a dug out canoe.  Rick did his George Washington impression while Meg tried her best to make the canoe move.  Lilly supervised the whole deal.

A variety of trails, with terrains ranging from easy to moderate and even difficult, offered good choices for our activity levels.  We chose Trail 5 which gave us a 2.5 mile walk around the perimiter of the park, and eventually gave us access via the trails to the Mounds. 

The Great Mound, and its surrounding smaller mounds, have a fascinating history, much of which is presented on display boards at the sites.  We were all impressed with the abilities of this ancient culture to design and construct the mounds.  The tacit abilities of the human mind and spirit are awe inspiring. 

A unique site at the park was this Deer Exclosure.  It is an area protected from the white tail deer population so as to study the effect the deer have on the vegetation and ecology of the park.  

On our way home we stopped and picked up lunch at Bird's BBQ, getting pulled pork sandwiches and sides.  We had to gather our strength for an afternoon of chores and errands.  Rick went to help Abe with a friends drainage tile, resulting in a muddy mess.  But all turned out well and everything seems to be running fine.  Nola and Meg ran errands then Nola baked cookies and got things prepped for supper while Meg went to help move vehicles and equipment in assistance with the drainage tile.  It was a real family affair happening on that one.

Once the days work was done we sat down to a wonderful dinner with Abe's parents, Lon and Debi, of boneless pork ribs, salad, local sweet corn, and watermelon for desert.  Not a bad day's achievement for all involved.  Tomorrow is another day, bringing with it a new set of adventures, chores, and escapades.

Day 1 in Muncie

11 July 2012

No miles on the bike today.  Just a couple of miles walking/jogging first thing in the morning to try and stay in shape.  The walk/jog was too much for Nola & Lilly - they had to nap when they returned.

Today was a relaxing day, if you call running an air conditioned tractor relaxing...  Rick enjoyed playing farmer on the bale wagon (until he tried to pick up too much hay all at once and broke the equivalent of a shear pin, now Lon has his work cut out for him to get it fixed!) while Abe followed behind him picking up the square bales.  Nola & Meg took the opportunity for a girly day and went to get their nails shellacked.

We all enjoyed some ice cream at Ritter's at the end of the day.  Tomorrow's plan includes a quick trip to the county fair to drop off a trailer full of animals then we're off to Mounds State Park.  Check back for an update of that historic place!

We Made It!

10 July 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Celina, OH 7:35 a.m., arrive Muncie, IN, 2:30 p.m.

Trip mileage – 1163.4 miles

Today’s mileage – 68.46 miles

Time on bike – 4:29:43

Average Speed – 15.2 mph

Max speed – 29.5 mph

Our last day of biking started with the blare of honking geese as they came into land in the channel of water just outside our tent.  After a wonderfully quiet night it was a bit rude to wake up this way, but they seemed to think it was time for us to “get up and at it,” so we did.  

Another clear blue sky welcomed us into the day with the sun warming the air and another northerly breeze.  There is some comfort knowing that this will be our last day of biking, at least for a little while.  As much as our legs have been holding up pretty well, the bottoms have become just a bit road weary, or should we say saddle sore.  Even with gel seat covers that get swapped back and forth in order to change pressure points, the seat time has added up and is finally taking its toll.

 

Once again our route was through field and farm, with rolling knolls and small towns.  Fort Recovery, OH, was one of the communities we visited, and stopped at in order to enjoy a very impressive war memorial.  Originally erected to honor those lost in the Great Indian War, it has incorporated those brave souls killed in WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.  Both of us were very impressed with this park/memorial. 

 

We knew we didn’t have many miles left in Ohio, and when we hit the Indiana/Ohio border by 9:30 or so, we were both surprised.  It was going to be a fairly quick day if we kept up that pace.  There was no “Welcome to Indiana” sign, so we settled with this street/road sign.

When Nola was planning the route for our trip, she specifically sought out the town of Farmland because of the Chocolate Moose shop.  This little restaurant, besides having a really cool name, has great food and best of all, wonderful shakes.  It’s always nice to have a destination in mind, and when it includes ice cream all the better. 

Megan met us at the shop and we had a fabulous lunch as she described the rest of our route for us.  No major hills, no surprise, but a few steeper knolls around the reservoir.  For us, that meant pretty smooth sailing.  She also told us that Debi, Abe’s mom, had talked with a reporter from the Muncie Star who was very interested in our trip and wanted to be here when we pulled in.  So we stayed in touch with Meg and made our grand arrival with a welcoming committee made up of Meg, Abe, John (the reporter), and Patti (the photographer).  Crossing the finish line, constructed of black and white checkered crepe paper, brought home the fact that we actually made it.  Whew.

We spent a little while with John and Patty, of course Bottle had to get his two minutes of fame as well, then retired to the air conditioned house for some much appreciated soft seats.  

It has been a very event filled three weeks of biking, one that we will surely remember and tell stories about for some time to come.  We want to thank everyone for your well wishes, help, and prayers as we traveled.  We couldn’t have done it without you.  Please check back now and again as we visit Indiana and do some sightseeing.  We are planning on posting picks and commentary as we go along.  As my new T-shirt says, “There’s more than corn in Indiana, we have soybeans and hogs too.”   

Are We There Yet?

9 July 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Williamstown, OH 7:40 a.m., arrive Celina, OH 3:10 p.m.

Trip mileage – 1094.5 miles

Today’s mileage – 68.15 miles

Time on bike – 4:20:48

Average Speed – 15.7 mph

Max speed – 26.0 mph

Another day of cycling is in the books, leaving us with just one more before we reach our destination.  We are both looking forward to seeing Meg and Abe, as well as the extended family.  Of course, a nice soft couch will feel good too.

After such a successful day yesterday, we didn’t think we would be so fast today; but as you can see we had a quicker average by half a mile an hour.  Not sure where the energy is coming for these fast rides, but the soft rolling knolls are keeping the biking interesting. 

The day started with an azure blue sky dusted with mare’s tails clouds and jet streams crisscrossing high above.  The temperature climbed quickly as we hit the tarmac and made our way west, south, west, and south again.  The step like maneuvers are classic for western roads that go either north and south, or east and west.  If you take a right turn you will eventually have to make a left turn.  It’s actually been kind of fun. 

As you might imagine, our bottoms are starting to feel the road more and more.  We find ourselves taking more rest breaks, as well as gliding and standing on the pedals just to get off the seats. 

We have not been disappointed with the scenery as the farms and fields are always picturesque.  The solitude of some of the county roads we have ridden offer us time to just focus on the world and take in all its beauty, like the farmstead in the distance or the screech of the raptor soaring amongst the clouds.  Unlike in a car where everything passes by at high speed, on a bike you get to see and watch the fields and homes slowly roll by, taking in all the small nuances and special decorations that make each one unique.  It’s been a lovely experience for us.

As we rode through the town of Celina, low and behold what did our wondering eyes see but a DQ!  Ice cream!!!!  With only six more miles to go to get to the campground, we treated ourselves to the cold treats and enjoyed every bit of them.  For those of you who know us really well, to pass up ice cream for over three weeks while riding has been a monumental task.  But today, we relented and savored the moment.

Redneck Wine Glass

There have been so many instances of kindness show to us over this trip that we would be hard pressed to remember them all.  Tonight is no exception.  As we were setting up camp, two separate couples rode up to see if what they heard was true – that two people had ridden their bike from Maine and were going to Indiana.  One couple, Kirk and Nicki stopped to chat and said they would be back later to see if we needed anything.  When they returned, we went to a local eatery, It’s It Bar and Grill, for drinks, food, and wonderful conversation.  It wasn’t long before everyone in the place knew about us, and as we were leaving asked how the trip was going and wished us well for the remainder.

This trip has encouraged us greatly about the caliber of people in America; not the ones we see on the news getting into trouble or being crazy, but the down to earth, everyday citizen who is willing to help and befriend others.  You just got to love this country.

Because there is no WiFi at the campground, this post will have to wait until we either get to Muncie or find internet access along the way.  Please check back again to see how the last day of our ride turns out.  We are certainly looking forward to it.    

Tour d'America

8 July 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart New London, OH 7:30 a.m., arrive Williamstown, OH 3:15 p.m.

Trip mileage – 1026.2 miles

Today’s mileage – 81.01 miles

Time on bike – 5:16:14

Average Speed – 15.4 mph

Max speed – 29.5 mph

We may not make any speed records for the Tour de France, but we had a pretty spectacular day for ourselves today.  Can you tell the weather broke at it was only 85 or so, and we had some relatively flat terrain.  We didn’t use the granny gear once! 

Since we posted early yesterday, it only makes sense to post a day late this time.  Actually, we didn’t have WiFi at the campground, or anywhere near it, so this is what you get. 

A restful night was had at the campground in New London.  We got a nice shaded site and “borrowed” power from one other one to get the computer and cell phone ready for today. 

The sun was filtered for most of the day through some high overcast, and it seemed like we had a north breeze blowing for the majority of the day.  That made for some comfortable riding.  We initially figured it was going to be a 70+ mile day, but as we changed the route a bit to take advantage of a grocery store that wasn’t initially in our route, it came out to be 80 miles.  That’s okay though because it gave us a chance to re-provision since there is very little, food wise, around the campgrounds in New London and Williamstown.

One of the great pleasures of this ride has been the opportunity to visit, even briefly, the small towns that are the heart and soul of this country.  We took a break in the town of Plymouth at a very pretty park commemorating those lost in the wars from the Plymouth/Shiloh area.  The care that is taken to keep this park clean and beautiful is heartwarming, as it shows the dedication people have to our fallen service members, not just in our own hometown but all across this great land of ours. 

It really has been a wonderful day for riding.  The vast majority of it has been farmland.  We pedaled along county roads bordered on one side by vast fields of dark green corn stalks crowned with golden tassels that stretch for acre upon acre, and lush green carpets of soybean plants on the other.  Inter mingled with richness of greens and gold, are harvested fields of wheat glowing the color of polished brass. 

Off in the distance, a stark white reflection catches your eye and as you focus you realize it is the sun reflecting off ancient gravestones, markers remembering all those who came to this land to make it their home.  You can’t help but wonder what their life must have been like, the triumphs and setbacks.  Large maple and ash trees shade the cemetery, offer a quiet and cool place to rest. 

Further down the road we are reminded of the age we live in.  Two large banks of photo-voltaic solar collectors stand astride the small landing strip at the local airport.  Their bright metal and glass formations are reminiscent of a military parade ground with troops at attention waiting for inspection. 

We are now just two riding days from our final destination, the home of our daughter and son-in-law, Meg and Abe, just south of Muncie, IN.  In conversation with her, she was able to research our route for the 9^th and she was able to get us on a bike route around Lima, OH.  Technology sure is handy when it works. 

We've gotten lucky this a.m. and passed an unsuspecting McDonald's to post our blog from yesterday.  With any luck, we'll have wi-fi at the campground tonight.  Meanwhile, keep us in your thoughts and look forward to a big finale when we finish!

Fun in Cleveland, then HEAT!

7 July 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Cleveland, OH 7:50 a.m., arrive New London, OH 5:00 p.m. (est.)

Trip mileage – 945 miles (est.)

Today’s mileage – 60 miles  (est.)

Time on bike – 4:45:00 (est.)

Average Speed – 12.7 mph

Max speed – 30.0 mph

Laura and John

Josh & Rachel

We had an extra special time in Cleveland.  Our new friends Laura & John introduced us to their friends Josh & Rachel, which was fortuitous for us because Josh is a masterful bike mechanic and wizard of a wheel smith.  He agreed to come to L&J’s house to fix the broken spoke, which was great because that made for a wonderful dinner party.  Of course Bottle had to get into almost every picture we took. 

Poor Twodles

It was a sad sight to see old Twodles on his side and no wheels.  Thank God that no one thought about the old days when they shot lame horses.  I just couldn’t think of doing that to our trusted steed. 

We did have such a fabulous time in Cleveland with everyone.  After dinner, when the wheel was fixed, Josh and John took Twodles out for a spin and put him through his paces.  They may be hooked on tandem riding now!

Words can’t express how much we appreciate all that Laura and John have done for us, and the warm welcome and friendship they have extended.  We love you guys and hope to see you in New England soon.

The weather predictions weren’t wrong for today; hot and humid with temps in the high 90’s to 100.  Man, riding in the sun today has been brutal.  Everyone we have had the opportunity to speak with has wished us well and really encouraged us to “stay hydrated.”  At one of our rest stops, under a beautiful old oak next to a barn, the farm owner came out with two bottles of cold water for us, after seeing us lounging under his tree.  We had a great conversation with him, once again reaffirming our belief that people are warm and loving creations.

Our travels today have taken us across any number of railroad crossings.  This shot was taken at a crossing we did not have to traverse, as we turned just before it.  What we have learned is that rail traffic is much higher out here than back in the NE.  They travel quite fast through the towns, and carry just about anything.  Trains are a very well utilized form of transportation of goods out this way.  Tony D., this one is for you pal!

Maybe the highlight of the day, or at least Rick’s day, came when we stopped at a grocery store and saw this massive cow and calf.  With Rick’s history of AI, we just couldn’t pass up a photo op on this one.  He even kept his pose “clean.”

Laura's green thumb at work!

This post is going up early as we have the opportunity to use the WiFi at McDonald’s about two miles before our campground.  That is why the numbers for today are estimates.  They will be updated and verified tomorrow morning when we come across internet access again.