Monday, May 19, 2014

Icy Start, Sunny End (Day 37)

I cycled 69.4 miles today, with 2,238 feet of climbing. 7.25 hours on the road.

When we got up this morning, everything was covered with ice. 


Including the tents and the bikes that hadn't been covered.

[photo credit: Barb Wade]

Packing up was a drag; all that ice-covered stuff got shoved in gear bags to be hauled to the next spot. 

I felt like a slug today. Yesterday, I had felt strong--maybe due to the day off the day before. I struggled today, but I just kept pedaling anyway. 

Zoe with her husband, Ron, (and their tandem bike) at a rest stop early in the day:


More beautiful countryside today. Great cycling weather--cool and sunny. 



A little over 30 miles into our ride, all the laundry hanging out indicated the we were back in Amish country. Notice how their clothes are all standard colors, unlike the clothes of us "English."


Also notice the unique wear pattern in the road--from the shoes on the horses that pull the carts. Some roads were completely torn up along this track. 


One of the Amish carts--when no one was around. 


I saw so many Amish people outside today: a couple in a horse-drawn cart headed the other way, a man driving a horse-drawn wagon full of children and ducks (I so wanted a picture of that!), a harness shop, a sawmill being run by a man and two young boys, a couple of women and children pulling wagons of plants, various children doing chores (raking, mowing, etc.), lots of women hanging laundry to dry (Monday must be laundry day); in addition to a logging supply shop and a couple of woodsmith and carpentry shops. Every Amish person I passed gave me a smile, a wave, and a "hello." I also saw an Amish man running a gas-powered weed-wacker, and another one checking his mailbox for mail, which reminded me not to make assumptions. 

I stopped in Windsor, Ohio, for a lunch break. I forgot to get a picture of the little park I was in, but I did take this. I wonder if my apple trees at home are in bloom yet. 


After lunch, I was on a long, straight, very-rough road for about eight miles. There was nothing to see along it, and the extreme vibration was making all my sore parts miserable. Thought I was going to lose my mind!

Thankfully, we finished today's ride with 14 or so miles on the Western Reserve Greenway Trail, which is both scenic and mostly flat. 




At some of the street crossings, there were UGRR informational signs posted on the trail. Here are some interesting bits:






Tonight we are camping at Hide-a-Way Lakes Campground, north of Austinburg. 

Today's route, part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3. Can you tell we are getting close to Lake Erie?


No comments:

Post a Comment