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Today’s Highlights:
Today we cycled 104 miles from Marysville to Wooster. It was another very long day. Although it felt easier than yesterday, it took me even longer and I was on the road for 9-1/2 hours. The extra time was partly due to a few delays. The first one was because a section of road was freshly tarred and we had to find an alternate route. The next two delays were due to flooded roads. The first flood was around mile 65, and only required a slight route change with a nice steep hill climb. The second flood was at mile 89. Ken and I were together for that adventure. We simply walked barefoot through six inches of water and thought we were done. However, a short distance later the road was flooded up to 15 inches deep, and we waded again through that section. Again we thought we were done, only to be surprised around the next corner where the road was flooded for about 100 yards and it looked very deep. So, we found an alternate route on our own, bypassing the flooded area for about two miles. It was all a lot of fun, actually. The water was nice and cold, and very refreshing to walk through.

Once again, we had perfect weather. All this flooding is due to eighteen consecutive days of rain before we arrived in Ohio. We brought the good weather with us. We also had nice roads today, with very few rough sections. It was hilly the entire ride, with some nice rolling hills, but also some very steep hills up to 13 or 14 percent grade. Since Ken and I only had a two-mile detour, we were on steep hills right up to mile 102. Everyone else took a longer detour on US 30, and at least saved themselves from steep hills for the last twenty miles. I enjoyed the terrain and the challenge. It was just tiring, of course.

Along the way, I saw a crop duster plane make several passes. It was hard to get a picture, but fun to watch. Emma and I were concerned about being sprayed, but fortunately the action was far enough away from us. I also saw some nice horses today, and several llama, some sheep, and longhorn cattle. There were some stretches were I was simply cycling through the wooded areas or plain countryside, with little photo opportunities, but other areas where I stopped quite often. You see a lot of things riding one hundred miles on a bike, and it’s very hard to remember them all. There were many nice farms along the way that I was happy to stop and record. The Ohio countryside is very lush and green, and very pleasant to cycle through.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
We left Richmond this morning at 6:30 and rode our last three miles in Indiana before crossing the boarder into Ohio. The ride to Marysville was 106 miles, and it was a very long day since we had to confront a headwind all the way. I was on the road for nine hours, with 7-1/2 hours of cycling time. Except for the wind, the weather was perfect. Cool morning and comfortably warm afternoon. The humidity had dropped after last night’s storm moved through, so that was nice too. And, there were plenty of high cumulus clouds to lessen the sun on us and provide a pretty sky.

The terrain was not as flat as our Indiana route. There were plenty of nice rolling hills, but nothing long or steep. It was nice to have some variation again. We crossed several rivers today. They were a little swollen over their banks. The river bottoms were more rocky and not as muddy as those I had been seeing recently. The water was also flowing faster. One river flowed through a horse pasture, creating a really pretty scene. Our route was on rural roads, passing by farms all day. We cycled through some Amish areas too, and I saw one of their farms where a girl was riding a bike. That was nice to see. We cycled through several towns. They were not as vibrant as those we saw yesterday on the historic Route 40, but still interesting.

Marysville is a very large town. We first entered it in an older historic section, but eventually reached a busy 3-lane thoroughfare with strip malls and all the familiar fast-food and big-box stores before reaching the hotel.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
Our ride out of Indianapolis started at 7:15 this morning and went down Meridian Street and across Monument Circle where I had walked yesterday. It was nice to see that part of the city again, although this time I rushed through it in traffic. Several of us left together to negotiate the busy streets. It only took a few miles though to get away from the heavily used commuter route. From the city center, we traveled through several populated neighborhoods, and it was at least fifteen miles before I started taking pictures again in the countryside. Most of our route to Richmond was on US Route 40. The farm scenery was pleasant, but I found the most interesting subjects to photograph in the small towns that we cycled through. In each one it was like stepping back in time with their well preserved 19th century architecture.

The firemen in Dunreith set up a SAG stop for us with Gatorade and water and ice-pops. That was very nice and we all appreciated the hospitality and use of the facilities. Cambridge City had a lot going on for a small town, and an interesting history as a transportation hub. It was my favorite town of the day.

The terrain today was mostly flat, and the roads were smooth. The wind was to my side most of the way, but in the last ten miles it shifted behind from the west pushing me into Richmond for an easy finish. Overall, it was an easy seventy three miles, and I arrive at the hotel around 12:30. Two hours later a heavy rain storm passed through, but all the riders had finished by then.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
I had a productive and fun day off in Indianapolis. The best part of the day was meeting Melissa and Sharon (Stacia’s cousin and aunt) and two year old Sierra, and having a home-cooked meal at Melissa’s house. They prepared dinner with an Indiana theme – all fresh local produce, hamburger from their own family’s cattle, and homemade pie made from their own blackberries. It was awesome.

We are lucky on this rest day that our hotel is close to the city center. There is a lot to see within walking distance. I took an early morning walk from the hotel down Meridian Street to Monument Circle where the 285-foot Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Monument is. Along the way, I passed many buildings with interesting architecture, and the stadium where the Colts play. The monument was certainly the highlight. There is a park-like setting around it, with fountains and brick walks. From the monument, I headed to the capitol, then circled back the hotel. The city is very clean and is laid out nicely for pedestrian and biker with wide sidewalks. Check out the pictures for some of the sites.

I returned to the hotel for bike cleaning time and took care of other chores. Then I headed out for another trip downtown. I toured the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, and enjoyed that very much. Exiting the museum, I walk more of the canal path that we cycled on yesterday. I checked out some of the gardens too. I would have liked to see some of the Indiana State Museum, but didn’t have the time. There are many other things to see here too. It’s a nice city to visit or live near.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
I had a very easy sixty mile ride today into Indianapolis, the state capitol. I rode with Ken, and we moved along quickly, not stopping at some of the optional attractions on the route. The entire route was flat. Most of it was on smooth country roads, and the last five miles was on a nice bike path along the White River which brought us right into the center of the city. Even the wind help us just a little. It was primarily a crosswind from the southwest as we headed southeast. We averaged 17 mph for most of the ride, until we had to slow down to navigate many turns through Indianapolis and ride the bike path at a reasonable speed. We reached the hotel at noon.

Most of the route was through farms country, very similar to the past couple days. We rode a few miles through the Eagle Creek State Park, which was a very pleasant ride winding through the forest. I saw a deer there. After exiting the park and navigating through Pike Township, we made a very brief stop at the Major Taylor Velodrome. It was not open yet, but I stopped to take a picture of the track. Some of our riders who arrived there later, when it was open, rode around the track. They said it was fun. I’d rather ride through a forest.

At the back of the Velodrome, we entered the White River Wapahani Trail. It was a nice winding bike path along the White River. When we were close to the city center, it became part of the White River State Park, with brick paths, benches, gardens, and a canal where people can use paddle boats. The Indiana State Museum is there too, and I hope to go back to it tomorrow on our rest day. Our hotel was only another mile away. Ken and I had a delicious lunch at the Tavern on South. And tonight we all had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory, which we all enjoyed. I am already appreciating Indianapolis and looking forward to seeing more of it on the rest day.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
We finished our 250-mile crossing of Illinois in two and a half days, and entered Indiana about half way into our ride today. The timezone also changed at the state border, so we are now on EDT. Our last forty five miles in Illinois were on nice rural farm roads that were very flat and very straight. For most of that stretch there were high voltage power lines on one side of the road and power poles on the other, which interrupted the scenery. Overcast skies also limited photo opportunities. However, it was still a pretty ride through soybean and corn fields. The corn has been getting taller everyday since we started seeing it in Kansas. Today, I noticed corns husks on some stalks.

There were a few unique things that happened today. For the first time on this trip, I passed a large tree farm that had several kinds of trees. There was also a small farm with two llamas and miniature donkeys. I saw a large windmill farm in eastern Illinois, and I hadn’t seen one since central Kansas. Finally, Ken Harris blew by me a few times today, and I couldn’t catch him until he stopped. Remember, Ken turned 70 back on June 16. It’s great to see him riding so well. Steve has also been very fast through this Midwest stage, and I was able to catch a photo of him as he passed by once.

Emma caught up with me at the Indiana border. We stopped for a picture, then rode the rest of the way together. We entered Indiana on a newly paved road, but unfortunately it was very rough pavement (chip seal). I think it lasted about twenty miles, and was tough on the body. We passed through the towns of Covington and Veerdersberg, each showing their patriotism with flag-lined streets. There were also some very tiny towns like Hillsboro and Waynetown.

I finished the eighty miles today with a good average of 16.5 mph, but it still felt just a little long. Over the past six days, we have averaged ninety miles per day. I am looking forward to the rest day after one more ride tomorrow.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
Our ride today took us another ninety six miles across Illinois, from Springfield to Champaign. Part of our route followed the Lincoln Trail, which highlights notable areas and events associated with Abraham Lincoln, the 16th USA president. We crossed the Sangamon River close to where his cabin was, and had our first rest stop at the Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park.

The terrain today was flat. We traveled on some main roads, although they were very quite on this Saturday morning, and also on some small country farm roads. The scenery was primarily farms, with the main crops being corn and soybeans, but also some occasional wheat. The most notable difference today was the thick cloud cover. We have not had rain this entire trip, and we are in our 35th day. Today it looked like it might rain, and I did actually feel a few drops just before reaching the hotel, but I won’t count that as being rained on. So we had some nice cloud cover and a break from the sun, with brief moments of blue sky showing. Photo opportunities were minimal today. It was just a pleasant ride through quite farms.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
Today’s ride was 106 miles long, from Quincy to Springfield. That distance is a challenge regardless of the other elements involved. We had a mix of terrain, from long gradual hills during the first half, and long flat roads into a light headwind during the second half. The morning was warm and a little humid, and the afternoon was hot. Two highlights that stood out for me were crossing the large Illinois River about half way through the ride, and seeing the Illinois State Capital building in Springfield near the end of the ride. Most of the route was on major roads, so although we still cycled through farmlands, it did not have the landscape intimacy of the country roads we enjoyed during the previous few days. It was refreshing to get to the flat lands again and see the farms stretching to the horizon and the big sky fill with high cumulus clouds in the afternoon.

The last several miles took us through the center of the city, and directly in front of the capital, courthouse, post office and other government buildings. It also took us through a less attractive neighborhood with stop lights at every block for three miles. The last seven miles were slow going.

My pace today was average, finishing in about eight hours elapsed time. There were no major hurtles today. It was just a long, tiring ride.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
We completed our journey across northern Missouri over the last three and a half days. There must have been one thousand hills in that three hundred mile ride, and I enjoyed almost all of them. There were no mountains or canyons or grand vista, but it was beautiful in a simple and peaceful way everywhere. Three hundred miles of thriving green fields and meadows and farms. Small towns and lone farms spread miles apart. Quite country roads, where if you stopped, only the songs of birds and insects could be heard. And friendly, down-to-earth people.

Today started out special, because it is the 4th of July. Tommy and Emma decorated their bikes in celebration of the occasion. A few other people carried small flags, but that paled in comparison to Tommy and Emma’s creativity, so they easily won first and second place in the contest. Other than that, the day was like others, with ideal weather for cycling. It started out comfortably cool and ended pleasantly warm, under another clear blue sky. Our route was on quite country roads. Most were in good condition, but we did have some rough sections today. Overall, Missouri had excellent roads for us. We cycled passed farms and ranches all day, and rode through some Amish communities. I saw some people traveling by buggy again, and a couple young men working in their sawmill.

The hills diminished around mile seventy when we reached Canton, Missouri, near the Mississippi River. Our route turned south and followed the river. hence we enjoyed some flat riding in the final twenty miles. The Mississippi is swollen now and the fields between the river and road were flooded. Even the railroad tracks were under water. In the town of La Grange, some parks and lots on both sides of the road were flooded. Because of the flooding, Michelle rerouted us to a high bridge over the Mississippi River, and unfortunately we had to be shuttled across since the bridge was not safe enough to cycle on. Midway over the Mississippi, we entered Illinois. We continued our cycling in Quincy Illinois on Maine Street, where there were many fine old mansions. Some were decorated for the 4th.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
It was another ideal day for cycling. Missouri has been wonderful so far. Perfect weather, no wind, peaceful country roads in very good condition, and lush green scenery.

Our morning started comfortably cool with low-lying fog. We cycled back through the town of Chillicothe, and then escaped among farms after a few miles. The morning fog created a soft glow across the fields. It quickly lifted though, and we had another beautiful calm sunny day for our eighty one mile ride. Again for an entire day, we cycled through lush green farm and pasture land, with rolling hills in all directions. It is amazing to see this type of landscape for hundreds of miles, and that its inhabitants are such good caretakers of the natural resource. Farms and ranches are very well tended. There are more trees now, and more variety too. I have seen sycamore, maple and lots of oak. Near the end of the ride there was an expansive oak forest. We crossed over several rivers. They all are rather small, slow moving, and muddy. However, near most there was a road sign that warned of impassable roads during high water. That’s surprising since right now those rivers are far below the road level. Some high cut riverbanks indicate the potential. I occasionally saw a Great Blue Heron at some rivers, and more commonly the swallows. There are many more birds here compared to our first entry onto the plains. Red winged blackbirds chase us down the road if we happen to be passing a nesting site. Vultures are overhead in midday. Birds are heard all along the way since it is so quite out here. It is very seldom that a car or farm truck passes by. I have not seen much wildlife except for the typical farm animals, but I did get to see two deer near the end of the ride.

We only passed through a few towns today, and like yesterday each had 200 people or less. Linneus and Purdin were among them. Our destination, Kirksville, has a population around 17,000.

Pictures Of The Day:

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