Day 39!

Sandusky, OH to Burton, OH - 90.5 miles, 6:33

(I think my bike computer was not working for several miles, which is why my mileage is less than expected.)

Today was the most urban ride we've done. After we left camp, we rode along Highway 6, which runs along Lake Erie. We got to see the houses of the rich (nouveau?) who can afford to build their tract mansions on the shore of the lake.

This was my first glimpse of a Great Lake! Lake Erie is huge! It looks like an ocean, but it doesn't smell like one. There are waves, lighthouses, and sandy beaches, just like an ocean. Here are Patty, me, Tracy, Pauline, and Janet at a rare public beach in front of Lake Erie.
One funny thing: men in tractor-like vehicles ride along the beach and smooth down the sand. That's a good thing. Apparently, no one in Ohio wants to look at or walk along a messy beach. The seagulls like the messy sand, though. Oh, maybe that's why they smooth it . . .

The further east we went, the nicer the houses became. Does my bike match? Would I be allowed to live here?

Today, at about noon, we entered our biggest city so far, Cleveland, OH.
After lunch at a great little cafe, Janet, Patty, and I became urban cyclists. It took all three of us to navigate the city streets, watching for traffic, buses, parked cars, pedestrians, while at the same time reading the directions on the cue sheet. Riding in downtown Cleveland was quite an adventure, and I'm not using the word "adventure" in the most positive sense right now.

We rode through all sorts of neighborhoods in Cleveland, both urban poor and old money rich. We went by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, through Little Italy, by Case Western University, then on into Shaker Heights. Eventually, we left urban and suburban Cleveland and entered the countryside. There was NO corn! Instead, there were hills, polo grounds, secluded homes, and woods. There was also the birthplace of James A. Garfield. (Did he play polo, I wonder?)
We are camping tonight at the Geauga County Fairgrounds in Burton, OH. This is a very cute little town, and I'm looking forward to exploring it tomorrow - a REST DAY!

Day 38!

Napoleon, OH to Sandusky, OH - 94.1 miles, 6:15

Since breakfast was at 5:30 this morning, I got up at 4:45 and packed up my things and my tent in the dark. I've been setting up and taking down my tent for so many days now, that anything's possible. I can do it by "feel."

When we left Napoleon it was threatening rain, and it sprinkled a bit, but never did really rain. Thank goodness! We've been really lucky on this trip. We had one thunderstorm at night in Montana, but everything was dry by morning. Then, one morning in South Dakota it rained really hard, but fortunately I'd gotten my tent packed before then. (I'm probably jinxing things by even talking about rain!)

Anyway, the light sprinkles and the clouds kept it fairly cool, and since it was a really flat ride (the flattest so far), it was really pleasant. We rode along rural roads, past the ever-present corn fields, and through some small towns.

Bowling Green was the first "big" town we came to. Janet and Tracy are posing next to an interesting muffler sculpture we found next to a gas station.
Here's a view of downtown Bowling Green.

Here are some views of and from the road.


In the town of Fremont, Janet, Barb, Tracy, and I stopped for some ice cream treats. I had my second root beer shake in two days. YUM! (If you want to know how to make a Big Rider happy, offer her ice cream.)

Rutherford B. Hayes' hometown was Fremont, Ohio. He was, as you know, our 19th president. Here's a picture of his museum and library.

Here's his home. It's located on a large, beautiful, tree-covered lot called Spiegel Grove.


The rest of the ride was warm, flat, and uneventful. Things got more suburban/urban as we neared Sandusky, which meant that while there was more to look at, there was also more traffic. Cars in cities are not always kind to bicyclists, so it's a little more stressful riding in urban areas.

Also, as we were nearing Sandusky, I also noticed two yards that had the same yard art: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves! Is this a new landscaping trend? Are they replacing the classic pink flamingos? I will do more research and report back as I ride through Ohio.

Finally, as I heard the sound of a freight train, I knew I was near our campground. (Most of our camping sites have been near trains and/or freeways.)

As we were relaxing at the campground, having cold drinks and snacks after our ride, a young cedar waxwing flew down and sat on a chair next to Amy, one of our support staff. (Thanks to Janet, our resident ornithologist, for identifying the bird.)

Here's a view of part of our campground. My tent is the blue one in the middle.

Tomorrow we go to Burton, OH, and then we have a rest day on Friday!

Day 37!

Kendallville, IN to Napoleon, OH - 71.9 miles, 5:10

First, a message to Zach, the rider from 2004: Ash says "hi," and he told me to tell you that 2008 is much better than 2004. I can't argue with that!

Second, I have to say that after the long days of riding we've had lately, 70 miles seems like a very short day! Adding the fact that the route was mostly small rollers and flat countryside, it was almost like a day off. Okay, it wasn't really . . .

We left the campground this morning, and it was cool and misty outside. It was a great morning for riding, but not great for packing up a tent. All our tents were soaking wet with dew. They'd have to dry out in the afternoon at our destination.

Here are some last views of Indiana:
I've finally gotten brave enough to take pictures as I'm riding. I've seen others do it, but I was worried that I'd either drop the camera and/or crash and burn. So far, neither has happened. Here's what I see all day long:

We're in Ohio, our 10th state! There aren't the huge welcome signs on the small, county roads that we travel on, so once again the Big Ride staff pointed out and painted the state line for us.
Barb and Darrell are at the border.
Ohio is the land of muddy creeks, barns with dates on them, and the state motto is "Our roads are better than Indiana's." I haven't quite determined what the State Roadkill is yet. It's either kitten or ground hog. Some views of Ohio from today:That's a cemetery behind the clover field.A barn with the family name and date on it.
Janet, Barb, and I stopped for an early lunch at Lester's Diner in Bryan. The food was great!
Bruce (from Auburn), Pauline, and Ash were there, too.
A view of a portion of downtown Napoleon, OH.
We crossed over the Maumee River.
We're staying at the Henry County Fairgrounds in Napoleon. Other than the persistent flies, it's a pleasant place to camp.

Day 36!

Valparaiso, IN to Kendallville, IN - 112.6 miles, 7:52

We sadly left the dorms at Valparaiso University this morning. These will be the last dorms we stay in on this trip. We'll be camping the rest of the time, even on our rest days. Please send dry weather this way!

At our first water stop we got to see the great "art work" that Sharon, our new ride leader, added to the truck. That's me, Sharon, and Janet.

The ride was fairly uneventful today. It was warm and sunny, mostly flat, with a few small rolling hills, which is perfect for a century-plus day. Here are some of the sights we saw:
Your guess is as good as mine on this one:

Once again, some nice local folks set up a rest stop stand for us near Waterford Mills, IN. Loretta Miller and her family provided us with cookies, milk, and cold water. It's so nice to see how kind people can be, and it makes us want to give back even more. (Loretta's in the middle.)
We rode through more Amish country and saw many horse-drawn buggies. As we were riding through the town of Millersburg, we were behind one, so I took a quick picture. I've learned that I'm faster than one horsepower! After the picture was taken, we all managed to pass the buggy.

We're here in a campground near the town of Kendallville, IN.
It has a great old downtown area, and there are many nice old homes in town.
The mayor and some other folks provided us with a great barbecue dinner, and they'll be giving us breakfast tomorrow morning. (The mayor is the woman in green.)