Sunday, June 20, 2010

Ohio, Indiana, Michigan

6-20-10 Day 16: Columbia, Ohio to Assyria, Michigan: 82 miles in 5:20 hrs: Rt 20 west to Rt 327 west out of Indiana thru Orland, Indiana, thru Bronson, Michigan thru Sherwood, Michigan to Rt 66 north to Assyria, Michigan.

Last night was the antithesis to the night before at Eagle Lake Campground. At Eagle Lake we were in an upscale place where the people disappeared at 9 PM and went to bed……..to Nettle Lake where it was a complete unadulterated party machine. Contrast like Icecream Social in Hudson to Arsenal Fest in Ravenna. These folks were stumbling drunk by 9 PM and whooping it up as if it were December 31, 1999. I mean screaming, loud music fire works, everything. So…….another night of negative sleep value for Judy and I. Jared had plugged in his Ipod and just got in his own world. Probably got in 5-6 hrs sleep max.

We packed up, ate breakfast and got us back to yesterday’s end point by 9 AM. Got moving with Judy for the beginning of the ride while Jared did support duties. Now I had looked at a map last night, and determined that if we did a series of county and township roads we’d knock about 15-20 miles off of my planned itinerary. But I did not know the name or numbers of the road. So we winged it. Made it through Indiana with a light westerly headwind in 2 hrs and took a north on Rt 327 into the unknow instead of riding all the way to Lagrange Indiana and then going north.

Now just to go back a bit. We had met a fellow cross country rider yesterday, Adam, who had started in Boston and was riding to LA. And let me tell you……this guy gets about a million hard ass points for the way he was doing it……not even toe clips, circa 1980’s 10-speed and a ton of gear loaded on front and rear panniers. And this guy was not the most svelte fellow in the world. It had taken him 4 weeks to get from Boston to where we saw him 25 miles east of Montpeiler…..and he was walking due to saddle sores! Dude did nothing but free camp at firestations and in the woods and had probably lost, according to him a good 15 lbs or more over the first month.

He looked like me from the 70’s when I first started touring, but at least I had toe clips. I was ahead of where he is right now with all the technology and advances in cycling 32 years ago. And I told him that he got major kudos from us for the way he was doing that trip. He’d already going through a bunch of broken spokes. Jared gave him an apple and he jumped in with Jared and I…..and he was OTB in 5 minutes. I felt for the guy, and I wish we could have helped him out for the day, but his schedule was for 40 miles/day…..yup. We just had to keep it rolling, and so that was the last we saw of Adam.

And Judy and I were wondering if we’d pass Adam this morning because he was aiming for Angola yesterday as the destination and us just the Indiana line. But no Adam. Anyway, went up Rt 327 and then just kind of winged it with all these unnamed roads on the Michigan state map. And we did pretty danged good not having any road numbers or names. Got through Bronson Michigan and then Judy switched with Jared for the bike. Jared and I blew through Sherwood, which had seen a tornado touchdown from Friday night’s storm and where trees were just splintered and scattered all over the place. Clean up crews were still pulling stuff down and sawing downed trees. The we went up to the Rt 66 jcn, my home for the next 3-4 days of riding.

Went into Battle Creek, and had to deal with this pseudo freeway section where we couldn’t determine whether bikes were legal or illegal. But we made it, with Jared flatting out in the middle of the freaking freeway. Then through Battle Creek, which is kind of a crappy place – But NOTHING like riding through Erie Pennsylvania!

Then up the road another 10 miles. What we saved in doing our little short-cut was nearly 15-20 miles of riding, and we were through Battle Creek by 2:30 PM. Just wanted to get out of there and have a start spot for tomorrow that was totally away from the city. This seemed like a mellow ride compared to the last two days for sure, and I almost felt like I was cheating by just going 82 miles, yet I’m still ahead of schedule by about 10 miles.

Had to pack up the bikes and drive 15 miles northwest to find a campground, and this place, well, it makes last night’s place look like Shangri-La. We’re camped next to a mosquito infested creek and three-quarters of the campers in this place look like they should be condemned. Judy kind of shuddered when we pulled in, same with me, but…….nothing else around anywhere. Sometimes you just have to take what’s available and this eve is a case in point. Right now we’re all sitting in my van, with the AC going full blast, me blogging and working on the computer, and staying inside away from the mosquito swarms out on our picnic table. I have a hunch I’ll be starting up the van, cranking the AC and letting this thing get cold this eve because we CAN NOT open any windows.

Tomorrow is the last ride with company. Judy and Jared will go the day with me and I’ll get a campsite and get set up and then they’ll head back home. From there it’s just me and my little heavier than hell yak.

This is all rolling farm country up here in Michigan but will get hillier as I go north. Great berm on Rt 66 and easy to ride on with a 29er. I used to ride this section of road way back in the 70’s and 80’d when I’d tour in around the Great Lakes. Great section of road to get you to the UP of Michigan. Four days and I’ll be crossing into the UP and ride along the north shore of Lake Michigan. Well, shower time and beer thirty. All the best……Pete

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