June 2, 2021
Day 28: Monroeville, IN to Wabash, IN
Rainy Day Blues
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| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
We enjoyed the hospitality of the citizens of Monroeville and the free lodging provided for cyclists at the Community Park, and awoke early and were on the road by 06:40. We knew that we would eventually run into the rain, so we wanted to move on steadily and buy some miles while they were cheap. We stopped in Hoagland and I got a pre-fab biscuits and gravy from the Marathon convenience store. It was lightly raining, and I walked down a half-block where there was a bench outside of a car repair shop - but because it was raining I asked the clerk inside if I could sit inside and eat my breakfast, and she graciously allowed me to do just that. Doc came down and we chatted with the customers in the waiting room about our little adventure. Then we moved on, cause we knew this day could end badly.
From Hoagland, we rolled through Poe and Yoder and made our way towards Zanesville where the ACA map had a restaurant and store symbol. The restaurant wasn't a breakfast restaurant, and the only store was a Dollar General. There wouldn't be other options until late today, so we had "second breakfast" with what food we could gather from the Dollar General. I sat outside on the sidewalk near the front door to get under the eave and ate a "lunchable" that consisted of miniature slices of turkey and cheese and crackers. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but we had a long way to go and had to fuel up on whatever was available.
We met Anthony, who had just started a week-long tour that will end in Rochester, NY. He's riding a new Surly, and he is new at the long-distance cycle touring game, but he has enough enthusiasm to overcome the challenges. Best of wishes to you Anthony - stay safe out there.
We had a 6-mile trek south into the wind that wasn't much fun, then we turned west for a 13-mile trek and conditions improved; we were rolling slightly downhill with a tailwind and covered the distance in about 1 hour flat; that's flying for us! Unfortunately, the rain commenced hard enough that we had to put on the raingear now. So now we marched on, but the rain would occasionally blow on your face and chill you a bit. No big deal at the moment, but a few hours later the physical effort and the rain/cold was beginning to wear on us both.
The sustained effort was taking a toll on us. We had not eaten in several hours - it was early afternoon and other than a couple of short breaks early-on, we had been on the move continuously since 06:40. I was empty - famished might be a better word - and Doc was chilled and beginning to shiver uncontrollably - we needed to rest and refuel, but there just hadn't been any places for shelter. Assuming we didn't want to trespass, there had been nowhere to take cover for 20 miles or more. Fortune smiled on us, however, when our route took us across the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Salamonie Dam. Right before crossing, there was an overlook with a pavilion and picnic tables. We rode up the sidewalk and directly into the pavilion, and I fired up the Jetboil and made hot water so we could enjoy a teabag coffee. Anything hot would have been helpful to combat the chill. We were soaked, and while the hot liquid helped, the longer we sat still the colder it became. So we each nibbled a bite and then prepared to press on the final 10 miles. We agreed not to stop again, other than briefly for navigation, so we could stay warm from the exercise.
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We had to travel down a busy highway for a few miles to reach the hotel. We rode on a shoulder and it was safe, but it's no fun riding beside high-speed noisy traffic. We arrived tired, chilled, soaked, and empty, but we were very happy to have completed the day.
Tomorrow the rain is forecast to abate and give way to a sunny sky. That's a good thing, because tomorrow we will camp for the first time on this journey. Then we do it again the following day, so tomorrow begins a bit of a run for us. It will be fine - what could possibly go wrong? I hope you all are warm and dry and safe inside shelter tonight - good night all...
Today's ride: 68 miles (109 km)
Total: 1,381 miles (2,223 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 8 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |
Did you order one dinner or two? Early in our cycling career, we used to order an extra meal to share. The waiters were usually confused . . .
Enjoy those blue skies tomorrow!
3 years ago
with the warm wind in my hair' I want to cycle the Indiana plains in the pouring rain. Well done tough guys, keep the sun on your left.
3 years ago
3 years ago