Day6: Huntington to Fort Wayne

Wednesday June 19, 2019

I finally got the shorter day I wanted. I ended up in Fort Wayne, but I started out heading north on IN 9 to Columbia City. Columbia City, which is 22 miles north, has services, including a Super 8 and a Budget Inn, as well as places to eat, etc. It was about the same distance away as Fort Wayne, but on a much nicer road to ride than IN 24. I ended up having lunch at the Subway in Columbia City and, after discovering that US 30 ran through that town, riding 30 to Fort Wayne as I had done 23 years ago on my first ride across the US.

I rode a total of about 40 miles today, just over half of it getting up to Columbia City. That part of the ride was excellent. IN 9 is flat - well, my average speed was about 12 mph and my max speed was 15 mph ;-} - for most of the way north. Then it becomes slightly rolling and has some curves in it before it gets to Columbia City. There was a new lane being added on my side of the road near town which forced me to ride in the lane going up hill for a while, but that was the only time I didn't have a good shoulder to ride on. Even then I felt quite comfortable with the drivers.

I enjoyed riding through Columbia City. It has a nice small, but not too small, Indiana small town vibe. I end up thinking 'I'd like to live here, but not in the winter!' I still have childhood memories of low gray winter skies.

When I got to US 30, which I rode through here on in 1996, I still had no clue that I'd been here before. I spotted the Super 8 where I'd thought of stopping, along with McDs and Subway on the other side of 30. I stopped at the Subway just before noon for lunch. I got a 12" sub and a meal deal for less than $8 and started checking for other places I could ride on to today. Heading North there was nothing except a B+B within reasonable riding distance, so I started looking East. That is when I finally realized I could ride into Fort Wayne on the same route I'd taken on my first cross USA tour.

After lunch I headed east on 30 and it felt very familiar although with a much higher traffic level. There is a huge Steel Mill roughly 10 miles east on 30. After that is the wide shoulders I was riding on turned bad. I was surprised when they became gravel outside the wide rumble strip and very dirty. I couldn't ride outside the rumble strip, so I was forced to ride on it or between it and the traffic lane. Some big trucks came by within less than foot of my elbow at 60+ mph with nasty wind blasts which went against the pretty strong crosswind coming out of the south. The shoulder gradually - miles - got cleaner and more rideable, but there were always patches of bad truck tire debris that forced me to ride on and inside the rumble strips. I just checked my tires to see if either of hem were soft now. They appear to be OK. Given how much debris I dodged, I would not have been surprised if they were both flat.

It was just inside Fort Wayne that 30 got decent shoulders again. in that part of the ride 30 had intersections with two interstate like roads so I had to deal with crossing high speed entrances and exits in moderate traffic. Not fun unless you like risk taking. Fortunately I do ;-}. Going into Fort Wayne on 30 was a lot more pleasant 23 years ago! I wouldn't ride it again today.

I was expecting motels right after I-69 and I stopped at the first one I saw. That stop involved crossing multiple lanes of traffic while making a left turn. I ended up having to wait in the middle of the road while dozens of cars passed in the two lanes heading west before I could finish that turn. However my room cost $60 versus last nights $90 and, other than not having a microwave to heat water for my tea, this Rodeway Inn isn't fancy but it is generally OK. I brought the second half a the footlong I had for lunch with me and now, because I'm just not up for getting across the intersection of two four lane expressways with traffic coming off an interstate at rush hour in the rain, I'm not that much of a risk taker! I'll get some sort of breakfast here in the morning and use my snack supplies tonight. Note added: The traffic died down and my hunger didn't. I have rain gear so I walked across the street for a very nice dinner. I still spent less for the night than I did last night without supper.

The weather forecast is horrible for tonight and tomorrow morning - inches of rain - but I hope to ride to Defiance OH tomorrow.

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