Thursday, May 29, 2003 posted by Steve Largent at 5:05 PM
As pleasant as the back roads of Ohio were, Indiana was better. The state has a reputation for being flat, but the route Chris chose for us was anything but flat. Although the general terrain is as flat as expected, our route took us from "spine" to spine". The spines are something akin to small mountains, maybe 500 feet higher than the rest of the ground, the tops are very narrow (the roads generally cover the entire "top" and the steep sides start at the road's edge). We'd ride the spine for a mile or two, drop down, across another flat area, and then climb another spine. The grades getting up the spines are STEEP! Anyway, we crossed Indiana entirely on county roads, and we were able to find camp sites regularly often by scenic lakes and county parks. In Brownstown, Chris was so tired he didn't want to ride 3 miles out of town to a campsite, but convinced the Fairgrounds to let us stay there. That forced a shower in the cold hose of which there have been several, but no nights without a shower so far! In Batesville, Indiana the mayor found out we were coming from the nearby Bedford Chamber of Commerce. On this rainy day she arranged with the Salvation Army for us to use their gym, showers, and sleep on the wrestling mats. They major was extremely gracious, taking us out for dinner, and even taking our cycling clothes to her home where she washed them for us. She called the local radio station which interviewed us.
A thief in Washington, Indiana stole my sunglasses (yellow lenses only as it was a rainy day) and mirror! Fortunately, he left everything else! We were just in a restaurant, but it was a good lesson to keep my stuff either locked or with me. I suppose it is a cheap lesson.
Illinois offered some great county roads too, and they were finally on a grid so I know which direction I'm headed without studying the maps! Ohio, builds its roads at any angle, even a 16th of a direction, I believe, and traveling all four directions of the compass every day and traveling all those quarter or less directions, I was beginning to think the sense of direction had died. Indiana's roads, outside of the spines, may be on a grid, but our direction was always toward the next spine! Wednesday (28 May) was the first real head winds weve had. We were glad to reach an occasional hill as it would provide some wind protection and allow us to get our speed up above 10 MPH, and the head winds never allowed anything above 9.
David Rejoins the group! After traveling on his own for a few days speeding down U.S. Hwy 50 with few stops, David called to let us know hed like to rejoin the group. His departure amounted to little more than a side trip. Today (29 May) was a layover day in St. Louis and we are enjoying being back together, but Ill save stories of how we spent the day for the MO section of the story!
Having a great time and hoping the head winds go away as we move west where a westerly wind is normal!
Happy Cycling for Fun, Fitness, and Transportation!
