Day 126 - Rensselaer to North Judson - Two Far 2021 - Sooo... Far

August 12, 2021

Day 126 - Rensselaer to North Judson

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In what has become the recurring weather pattern recently, we woke up to a rainy morning. There was heavy rain with thunderstorms during the night. We checked the current forecast and radar and decided there would be plenty of time for today's ride before the late afternoon storms started again.

By 9:30, it was clear enough to ride. There were some puddles to avoid, but no places we couldn't easily maneuver around.

We were on very quiet back roads almost the whole way.

Of course, there were old barns to photograph.

I was not happy when a turn led to this unexpected road surface. Happily, it was only for a mile.

It is hard for Kerry to be sure that the route avoids every inch of gravel. This surface was firm and not hard to ride. And, none of the puddles extended all the way across the road. I was still very glad when we reached pavement again.

Collapsing barns It's hard to see, but there is hay in the one on the right.

We are on a different overall route through Indiana, but are going through a few places we visited last year. Some of you may remember the day Kerry left a stop without his helmet and we had to ride back the next day to retrieve it. This is the store where it was forgotten. We had to stop to say hello there.

Image not found :( — The store was dark inside, but unlocked. The three employees were sitting in the dark. We found out the the earlier storms had knocked out the power in the town. I'm not sure why they couldn't lock up and go home, but they were minding the store.

We noticed one addition to the Medaryville downtown. This mural of a sandhill crane on a local business is dated 2021.

There wasn't much to photograph today, so here is one more road picture. It was almost like being on a bike trail.

Just before we reached North Judson, we saw the World of Motorcycles Museum. It looked like a fun place to check out, so we turned to go the quarter mile over to it. A couple of hundred feet after we turned, here comes a mean looking, barking dog running in the street after us. We yelled NO and GO HOME at the dog, then let the owner, who was standing inside her open front door, know that she should COME GET HER DOG, not just stand inside the house and call him. Kerry used more persuasive language than I did.

After that little bit of excitement, we did go to the museum. It is adjacent to a large Harley-Davidson dealership, Kerstings. The Kersting family owns the museum and the dealership.

The museum had hundreds of motorcycles, thousands of motorcycle related items and some cars, as well. Here is a small sample.

This is a reproduction of an 1885 Daimler, said to be the world's first motor vehicle and first motorcycle.

A 1946 Harley Davidson Servi-Car. Kerry said these were used to sell ice cream.

A 1954 Whizzer. The sign said it was originally sold as a kit to motorize a bicycle. It must have been influenced by all the 1950's TV Westerns.

There was a section of classic cars and trucks.

I think this 1931 Oldsmobile is gorgeous.

This was my favorite today. I don't really like the baby blue - I want British racing green - but I have often wished for an MG.

These are two guys we met at Kersting's. They took pictures of us and we took a picture of them.

Vern and Ben - it was nice meeting you both.

More stormy weather is expected tonight, with good riding weather in the morning. This nighttime rain works for us!

Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 4,756 miles (7,654 km)

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John BaumillerBless you two love birds on your travels. I pray for continued safe travels and experiences for you!

John J. Baumiller
Security State Bank
South Dakota
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