Day 41!

Burton, OH to New Waterford, OH - 60.6 miles, 4:13

It was a dark and stormy night . . .

I was woken up a little after midnight by thunder and lightning. A little later the rain and wind came. I zipped up my windows and hoped that my tent was secure, while I tried to go back to sleep. It was secure . . . mostly. A tiny bit of water leaked in and got the bottom of my air mattress wet, but other than that, everything was fine.

This morning I carefully packed up my wet tent, hoping that the afternoon would be warm and sunny so that I could dry it out. (It was!)

Today's ride was great. The route took us through small towns, along nice rolling hills, AND it was only 60 miles! It's still amazing to me that 60 miles seems like nothing now. Other riders were saying the same thing during dinner tonight.
I read that the Burton area is home to the fourth largest Amish community in the country. We saw several horse-drawn buggies this morning as we were leaving. There are even road signs for them. I love hearing the sound of the horse's hooves on the pavement.
Our first water stop was across the street from Kent State University. Yes, that Kent State. "Four dead in Ohio."

We rode through the good-sized town of Warren, where there are many beautiful, old buildings. I only got a picture of one.
Later, we passed a steel mill. It's the first I've seen of the "Rust Belt." It was a working mill, though, so can it accurately be described as "rust?"
For awhile, the roads didn't match what was written on our cue sheets, so Janet, Tracy, and I wondered if we were lost. Tracy stopped to ask directions at someone's house, while Janet and I waited. We knew we were on the right route when we saw Nick, the mechanic, drive by. As you can see, this was a beautiful place to ride.

Janet stopped and bought some fresh peaches at a roadside stand. I wanted to buy some of their homemade jams, especially since I missed making jams at home this summer, but where would I pack them? Patty, on the right, is looking at cookies.
The town of Columbiana was the last town of any size (which on this trip usually means "small size") that we rode through before reaching the campground.
The campground, Terrace Lakes, is nice and rustic. It's wooded, secluded, AND most importantly, it's not near a train track OR a major highway! The weather here tonight is perfect right now. It's cool, not humid, there's a nice breeze . . . it's not like I thought it'd be at all. In fact, it's almost like home!

Kevin, Barb, and Darrell are relaxing and blogging after a perfect ride. (You can see my laptop to the right of Darrell, where it's waiting for me.)

Tomorrow, we enter Pennsylvania!