May 31, 2021
Day 26: Fremont, OH to Napoleon, OH
Memorial Day; Caught in the Midst of Memorial day
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Climbing Today; 440 ft Climbing to Date; 48,261 ft
We really enjoyed rural Ohio today. The morning was cool so we had on leg warmers and long gloves and fleece on our heads, but there was little wind. As we made our way towards Gibsonburg and breakfast, 3 different times a deer bolted across our path. I also saw a fox and a grouse, plus chipmunks and squirrels. There was hardly no one on the roads but us - during the 15 miles to Gibsonburg we were only passed by a few cars.
We had a great breakfast at the Hungry Bear diner, and we were the first customers of the day so we had a good time talking to the owner. Like many other small business owners, COVID hit them pretty hard, but she managed to pull through with support from the community.
Leaving the Hungry Bear, we encountered the start of the Memorial Day parade - the Boy Scouts, cheerleaders, football team, and others were all getting lined up to be led by the local police - we just passed on by and continued on our way, which just happened to be the parade route! Folks were lined up and getting the chairs set up to enjoy the show, and some of them thought the 2 cyclists with touring gear were the start of the parade! My "Evel Knievel" helmet only lended more credence to us being part of it - so that was fun.
Leaving Gibsonburg, we rolled on another 10 miles to Pemberville, and rolled right up into the midst of their Memorial Day service! It seemed impolite to not stop and listen a bit, and so we did - we removed our helmets for the Star Spangled Banner (that's why the video is off-kilter, the GoPro was mounted on my helmet), recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and listened respectfully while they read off the names of local fallen soldiers from all the wars. We listened to a few speeches, including one by the Mayor - she recited a rather standard speech describing our freedom here in the U.S., and that was all fine and dandy - but when she started saying how we had lost our freedoms last year due to travel restrictions and such because of COVID, I quickly lost interest. Required isolation and travel restrictions needed to stay safe from a pandemic is not a "loss of freedom," and I was disappointed to hear her interjecting politics into a Memorial Day service - but, hey, I suppose she is a politician.
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3 years ago
We rolled on towards Bowling Green (Ohio, not Kentucky) and I waved at a boy on a bicycle with training wheels riding in his driveway. He grinned from ear-to-ear and waved back, quite proud at having been recognized by a fellow cyclist. Our age difference is about 65 years, but we briefly connected and it made me smile.
Approaching Bowling Green, we rode past Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and then past the Bowling Green airport. Seems like another lifetime now, but I once flew small aircraft - in those days I could have never imagined that there would be a time when I didn't fly. But life moves on, priorities change, and flying is no longer important to me. The closest earth-bound experience to flying is bicycling; sometimes on a bike I feel like I'm flying at low altitude.
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We had lunch at a Big Boy's in Bowling Green, then commenced the final push of the day. It seemed like a bit of a march to move on to Grand Rapids, but we finally got there. From Grand Rapids to Napoleon we were cycling alongside the Maumee River. It's a very wide river in places and almost seems like it's a lake, and there were lots of pleasure boats out enjoying the holiday.
We rolled up to the Napoleon Inn and Suites, a very nice hotel. As of tomorrow it will become a Holiday Inn Express, so we are staying in it the last night before the name changes. There is an Indian restaurant immediately adjacent, so we took advantage of the proximity and ate dinner there - the food was good, but of course it was a bit spicy.
We are moving on - not rapidly, but steadily, and the pace is about all that I want at the moment. If all goes well, we will reach another milestone late tomorrow. G'night all...
Today's ride: 62 miles (100 km)
Total: 1,250 miles (2,012 km)
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Some useless trivia, that yellow cross on the road early in the video is there for aerial photography. The plane takes a series of photos and they are joined using the cross marking providing a stereo picture. Looks like you'll be 'buying the miles cheap' for quite a while then you can 'release the beast' on the mountains.
3 years ago
3 years ago
It’s not by design, I don’t know why it’s that way. I’m new to video though, and I have learned how to do this while on this tour, so I may have some setting set incorrectly.
Bud
3 years ago
Thanks. In my “civilian” life before retirement I worked as a geologist and as a civil engineer so I am familiar with Ariel mapping. But most people wouldn’t have a clue why the crosses are painted on the road, so it was good for you to point that out. Thanks for following, best wishes,
Bud
3 years ago