50+ miles today

Made it to Fletcher Lake, Indiana, today.  Wind was brutal, cold, misting, so the sleeping bag nestled in my tent feels mighty fine.  Exhausted!

Nickel Plated Trail, a rails to trails, just outside Denver, Indiana.

May 1, 2014

Most certainly Huntington, Indiana, has been the highlight of the trip.  So many fine people, such a great community residing in a beautiful setting. Attending the prayer breakfast at the University this morning was spiritually uplifting. I was given the opportunity to share a bit of the details of my trip with the group there and express how much I appreciated their support while traveling through their fair city.  Huntington will retain a special spot my heart, and I look forward to returning here with Andrea after completing my trip.  After attending the prayer breakfast I was given the opportunity to visit one of the middle schools where I was interviewed by a journalism class. Such fine students, so poised, and obviously bright. What an honor!

Chris Bucher took time out of his busy schedule to service "Traveler" ...the name that I've given my bicycle. He refused any compensation for his work and now has my bicycle in good working order and ready to hit the road again. He did inform me that I've worn out my chain...not surprising in that I expect to go through three chains on this trip and possibly four.  Tremendous pressure is placed on the drive system for my bicycle as it's loaded down with not only my weight but about 40 to 45 pounds of gear.

 The time came to say goodbye to Everett Carroll (the chief of police) and his beautiful daughter as I begin to to take steps to resume my trip. Goodbye Huntington, Indiana. You will retain a warm spot in my heart through the remainder of my trip and in the years to come.  Also a special thanks to The Harold Press and the Huntington County TAB for taking an interest in my trip.  Goodbye to all for now and I will look forward to seeing you after my trip.

New friends - Huntington, Indiana

Near Zanesville, Indiana

The winds have been absolutely brutal on this phase of the trip. It's beautiful country, fairly flat, and would generally be easy bicycling if it weren't for the wind blowing in my face at 30 miles an hour.  I decided to hotel it tonight in Huntington, Indiana. The people here are incredibly friendly! I went to a coffee shop to get a latte, asked about hotels, and the proprietor directed me to a bicycle friendly hotel that only charges bicyclists $30 per night! On the way to the hotel I was stopped by a gentleman who turned out to be the chief of police and who was asking about my trip.  He said both he and the Mayor are big bicyclists and invited me out for a beer and dinner.  I will let you know how it goes. As I have traveled through a number of towns, I end up making the news. I guess folks are fascinated with a stupid old man riding a bicycle across country!  In any event, there have been about three towns where my picture has been taken and I've been told that I would be the front page in the next newspaper. I'll have to go back and see if I can find the articles sometime down the road.  I believe I will take a rest day as my knees are pretty sore from peddling into the wind. This could change if the wind turns the right direction, bicycle weather is perfect, and I get antsy to hit the road.  We will see.

One never knows how, when, or where new friends will be made.  In this instance in Huntington, Indiana, I was approached by the police chief who is an avid bicyclist.  After chatting for a bit he invited me for an evening out for dinner, beer, and socializing with his friends.  Dinner was attended by the mayor, his wonderful wife, the police chief, and another avid bicyclist. I'm ashamed to say I would destroy their names if I tried to post them at this time so I will have to do that later.  We had a great evening of dining, drinking, and telling bicycle stories. We traveled many of the same trails, had many of the same experiences, and all in all it was just a wonderful evening.  I was very touched in that the mayor presented me with a medallion that will be a wonderful memento from my visit in Huntington, Indiana, and a great keepsake from the bicycle trip where I have made so many new friends.  The mayor invited me join a morning prayer breakfast where I will have the opportunity to meet more of the citizens from this wonderful city.  All in all it was a great evening, full of laughter, and a sharing of like interests. What a joy and only an experience that one can gain by stepping out of their comfort zone and traveling across this great land at 10 miles an hour.

 

Into Indiana

Indiana Stateline

 Wind is severe, very difficult bicycling, sore knees, be glad when I get to Monroeville!

As soon as I pulled into Monroeville, the town librarians made a point to direct me to the hostel where I would have a roof over my head this evening.  They were so nice and caring!

Needless to say, upon arriving at Monroeville I was totally beat and I must confess that I look better than I actually felt at the moment this picture was taken.

These gentleman made certain that I was comfortably situated at the hostel. The gentleman on the left served with the 196 infantry, was twice wounded before returning home to resume his life in Monroeville.  The one on the left loves old cars and travels all over the United States to show his Hudson.  Thank you citizens of Monroeville for your graciousness, hospitality, and great accommodations.

Ottawa, OH

Another storm

I got caught in the middle of a storm in Ottawa, Ohio.  Asked Denny, who works for the Putnam County Fairgrounds, for directions to the local hotel but found that it seemed to be closed for the season. I biked back over to the fairgrounds to see if I could hole up in one of their barns. Denny, another road angel, was gracious enough to let me use one of their offices where there is a couch. I'm out of the rain, out of the cold, and about to get into a warm down sleeping bag.  Really too bad that I couldn't keep going, the wind was coming from the east and I was making great time. Knocked out 20 miles in no time at all but had another 45 to 50 miles to go to reach my destination.  I was pretty well frozen, so I had to find a place to stay. I'll stay here for the night, see how tomorrow looks and attempt to make it to Monroeville, Indiana.  It's amazing how gracious people are when times are tough. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the citizens of Ottawa, Ohio, and the staff of Putnam County Fairgrounds.

To the Putnam County Fairgrounds staff:

Kindness and fellowship come in many forms but the most gracious form arises when a fellow being recognizes that another is in trouble and steps in to assist.  Recently retired, I decided to travel across United States by bicycle.  The purpose of this trip is to rediscover America as well as to honor nine fallen soldiers with whom I served in Vietnam as I carry their names across this nation.  You might say this is a trip of enlightenment, and one where I am rediscovering America and how great and giving a country we really are. While traveling on highway 224 I hit a terrible rainstorm and very cold weather. I approached Denny Kuhlman, an employee for Putnam County Fairgrounds, and asked for directions to the nearest hotel.   Upon arriving at the hotel I found it to be closed and therefore found myself with no place to stay.  I approached Denny to see if I could set up my tent in one of the barns. Not only did he offer such assistance but he opened up one of your office buildings where I might stay for the night.  Not stopping there, he made certain that I had transportation to a restaurant where I might get something to eat and offered his own personal heater so that I would have some warmth through the night as well.  I just want to send my heartfelt thanks for the hospitality shown to me by Denny, employees of the Putnam County Fairgrounds, as well as the Ottawa community as a whole.  It is communities such as yours that make America great. I have supplied my blog so that if you wish you can follow my travels across the United States. I have discovered, in my trip so far, the gracious hospitality that so many folks across our great nation so willingly offer as the need arises.  Ottawa represents some of the best of what I've seen so far. It is obvious that the citizens of this community show genuine concern, hospitality, and an abundance of graciousness.  Thank you for opening your doors to me, and I do hope that someday my wife and I may return the favor. Avid RVers, when not bicycling, I plan to take my wife back here at some later date so that she might meet the people of this wonderful town.  Again, thank you so very much.

Stephan Speer

Decatur, Illinois

Crankyspoke.blogspot.com

Managed to bicycle about 75 miles today. Conditions were perfect, wind was at my back, not too hot or too cold, and it was just a beautiful day for a great ride. Traffic was reasonable, back roads were beautiful, and I even passed an ADM plant today.

Started out in New London, Ohio, and finished up and Findlay, Ohio. Could've gone another 25 miles easily but I would've ended up in the middle of nowhere. Storm is on its way and did not want to get caught in the open. I would've loved to have done a century, felt great when I quit and could've kept going.  Should not be long before I'm in Indiana. Once I hit Monroeville, Indiana, I will be on the Northern Tier and the maps will be much easier to follow. Google bicycle maps leave a lot to be desired! Finally just said to heck with it and kept going west. Great day for biking. I'll see how this storm affects things tomorrow.

Confession time

I will not name names so as to protect the innocent. But this is the story:  on this trip I have approached churches on two occasions to see if I could pitch my tent on their lawn when a storm was coming my way. On both occasions my request was declined. Two days ago while traveling across Ohio I encountered a severe storm. Strong winds, very cold, and heavy rain were my companions. To say that I was miserable does not even begin to capture my feelings. I looked at one of the apps on my phone that shows campgrounds in the area. I was pleased to see that 20 miles away from where I was, while the storm was hitting its peak, there was a campground.  I called them, told the proprietor that I was frozen to the quick, and asked if they could put me up for the night.  He readily agreed recognizing that I was in trouble. But in the course of the conversation the proprietor brought to my attention "we are an alternative lifestyle campground."  I had no idea what he was talking about.  Short of drawing a picture for me, he pointed out that they practiced a gay lifestyle.  I asked if it would be a problem if I stayed there in light of the fact that I was straight.  The proprietor said no problem at all, we understand your situation and will be glad to assist you in anyway we can. They were extremely hospitable, friendly, and made me feel at home.  Now let's consider, I had two churches turn me down and an "alternative lifestyle campground" accept me with open arms. I believe there may be a biblical message here. I have pondered this for the last 70 miles as I've considered these turns of events.  For me, this experience has enlightened and opened my awareness to kindness in its many forms.  To the folks at the alternative lifestyle campground, you know who you are, and you have my sincere thanks. The lessons garnered from this experience will remain with me and I hope guide me to make good decisions when it comes to kindness and hospitality in the future.

New London, OH

Yesterday was a tough bicycling day. The wind blew straight out of the west, there was heavy rain, and a fair amount of traffic.  Places to stay were few and far between.  I found a campground with rustic cabins, a little bit of heat, and a few amenities. It's early in the season so finding such facilities is a bit difficult.  I feel myself getting stronger each day; my legs feel like iron now, my knees still give me a little bit of a problem but it is manageable.  Biggest challenge that I've seen so far is that when it is raining like crazy, the wind is roaring, and there is nowhere or anyone around, one is simply on his own and dependent upon his own wits.  Looks like more rain today and it is still pretty cold. Still drying out from yesterday. May have a rest day today; still deciding.

Home Sweet Home for tonight