July 6, 2023
Day 13: Fremont, OH to Defiance, OH
In which the wind and and I duke it out all day
Open panting mouth
Endless endless pedaling
I am just the road
-me
Wow, what a long day! I got a good early start (8:00am) but my hotel being north of town and one wrong turn that cost me at least an extra mile didn't help my mood.
This was a mostly flat route, with nothing much to look at. Basically, Ohio farmland. What made the day hard was the 10mph headwind I fought all day. It was a bit cooler than yesterday, and clouds that were supposed to turn into occasional thunderstorms helped. But that headwind...
I'm reasonably certain I couldn't have handled this during the first week of my tour. But my stamina has improved, and though this was long, I never felt I just couldn't go on.
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" -A.A. Milne
With nothing much to photograph, I thought I'd shoot a few wildflowers. Or as some people know them....weeds. I have no idea what these are, but the little pops of color as I ride are nice.
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No deer today, but these vultures were having a grand old time until I came along and ruined it. Mmmmmm.....tasty roadkill!
One thing I did notice in this area - more pro-Trump signs than I've seen in others. But they seem more strident - more anti-Biden content than places I've been through. Several porches or fences featured large "F Biden" signs, which is just a lovely thing to teach young children. I don't expect everyone in this country to share my politics, but starting from there doesn't sound like there's any common ground to be found. Sad!
The wind was a constant throughout the day. Occasionally there would be a treeline along the left side of the road that broke it a bit, but most of the time there was nothing to block it.
These are the first windmills I've seen in Ohio - they seem to be everywhere in Kansas, Nebraska & Iowa - not enough wind here?
Defiance, OH is named for a quote from General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. You can read more about Defiance here
I've been remiss in noting local history as I go. I do recommend reading about the history of Oberlin & Oberlin College here. It was an active station on the underground railroad, as well as a college accepting women and students of color far earlier than most places.
Tomorrow is a slightly longer ride than today, but the wind is supposed to shift and I might have a tailwind - I'm hoping that holds!
Today's ride: 81 miles (130 km)
Total: 700 miles (1,127 km)
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicory
1 year ago