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!