Miles 3034 to 3120, 86 miles (+2 more bonus), 3000 feet of climb (+776 more bonus), max speed 39 mph, avg speed 13 mph, all back roads, some very rough. A few significant hills.
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| If only I had been thinking... |
Overall nice ride today. At Route-Rap last night Michelle said yesterday’s ride was a signature day, much like the first day. What she meant was that yesterday’s ride was the one that most people remember (and not because of its charms). It was the second half of a double century and the road got worse and worse and worse and worse. Today was the opposite; just a nice ride. I didn’t want today to stop (even if it was in the 90’s). It is hard to pick out my favorite picture of today. I really liked the yuccas in bloom, the town celebrating the 200th anniversary of the canal passing through town, the osprey nest (I originally thought it to be an eagle), the country roads that tunneled through canopies of trees, and the train tracks recaptured by nature. I do have a significant regret: the Rector at the Russian Eastern Orthodox church had invited me inside to see the sanctuary. All I could think was I had tar on my shoes, the clips would have scuffed the marble floors, and I stunk from 30 miles of riding through the hills. I declined, and kicked myself later - I could have always taken off my shoes. Oh – Our second SAG was at Noah Ark’s, an animal rescue mission.
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| None better than this one! |
He was out at his mailbox inspecting it for damage. A tractor had come by and the implement it was towing had clipped the mail box post. The tractor lost. This was no ordinary mailbox and post. In his earlier days Dick was a machinist and this durable mailbox was his handiwork. He told me about some juveniles that 35 years ago had tried to dent it one evening driving down the road with a baseball bat. He still has the half a bat, and the kid probably still feels the sting of being on the business end of a twang that bit back. Then I asked about his kids. He and his bride had five boys and all of them now successful vocationally, all with great families, and all with a heritage of faith. He told me that his wife is now more homebound and that a local pastor visits once a week to talk and pray. For 89 years old this good old boy sure does get around. And yes, the post only looks like wood. Hit it with a bat and you might find your twang twinged too.
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| Happy Yard |
It was just too pretty to pass by. Another magnificent garden spot in Ohio, and I pulled over in the grass to enjoy the colors and organization. When I started to take a picture, I found out I was not alone. Rhonda Monroe peeked around the corner of a playground and came over to introduce herself. I told her who I was and commented on their garden. She said much of it was her husband’s work, and soon Don, who worked 30+ years in a steel mill, was walking up towards us from his work on a new chicken coop. The picture does not do the gardens justice. Don and Rhonda have 12 grandkids that visit often, and the official reason is to feast on ‘dippy eggs’. Now with chicks growing up to be hens (one granddaughter is teaching them how to fly) dippy eggs may be happening more often! One of their passions is gospel singing and their church has events weekly during the summer. Their stories of local quartettes and bands reminded me of similar events and good eating at Norm’s Barn down in Limestone County. What a delight! MawMaw and PawPaw were the diamonds of the day.
Bottom Line: The special folks I met today remind me how wonderful my grandparents were to me.
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