Goodby Indiana...almost

Tonight we are in Richmond Indiana and a little less than 3 miles from the Ohio state line. I looked at the map after we got in and we are almost due south of Detroit which, of course, is where I grew up. If Michigan didn't have those two big lakes on either side our route could just as easily have taken us a bit north and I would be on a real nostalgia trip. As it is going through Indianapolis last night and then again when we left this morning still provides such a strong midwestern feeling I'm certainly feeling my roots. Many of the names on stores e.g., Krogers, Speedway, Marathon and some of the signs, e.g. a store advertising the price for a "six-pack of pop". I may have to order a Vernors when we go to dinner later tonight.

It took a bit of time to get out of Indianapolis this morning and I was glad it is a Saturday and we didn't have to contend with commute traffic. And once outside the city guess what we saw? Surprise: corn and more corn for as far we could see...again. It really seems like we have seen nothing but corn for weeks now. Although, to be completely honest, we do see soy beans occasionally and the infrequent horses and cows.

Sounds boring and in a way it lacks the drama of some of our western states but it is not too bad. We had another beautiful day for a ride: cloudy and cool for a couple of hours and then the sun and lots of blue sky. The roads were good, not much traffic and mostly flat and winding with only a bit of climbing. The small towns we almost flew through - most have maybe one traffic light and some only a four-way stop. In one town we saw Amish for the first time. We tend to think of the Amish only in Pennsylvania but many have emigrated to the midwest in the last few years. We passed a couple of horse and buggies and got a shy wave from the driver in his straw hat and plain blue shirt.

I rode most of today with Tom, Hank and Champ with whom I've ridden quite a bit over the weeks. Today we were joined by our newest rider, Sue who joined us in Champaign. Her claim to fame is that she rides a recumbent. She had an auto accident a couple years ago that resulted in a whiplash injury and she can no longer ride a conventional bike. I've seen recumbents many times but usually in passing and my prejudice has always been that they look heavy and clumsy. Sue puts those notions to rest...she stayed with us all day and handled the hills with ease. I took the picture at the SAG where she was demonstrating for a couple of fellow skeptics.

Somewhere around mile 70 we pulled in Centerville - how many Centervilles might there be in this United States - three traffic lights large and home of a great little lunch place. I had my usual root beer float (real ice cream) and a cheeseburger that was like something I might have made myself on the grill at home. And we met Jason who is five years old and has a red bike with training wheels that he says will come off soon. Jason allowed Champ to test ride his bike and then Jason himself posed for me before heading off down the sidewalk with his mom. One of the real highlights of this journey is meeting some very friendly people - America is filled with really good people.

And finally the car picture...There were several restored antiques around the hotel this morning and that one really caught my eye. The saying on the back and the fact that it is a 1938 Chevrolet which is one of the earliest cars I can remember - my dad had a '39 when I was young and my Aunt Mary had a '38. The owner came out just after I took the picture and he was indeed a grampa - bent over and at least 80 he was very proud of his toy.

Today was 83 miles and about 5 1/2 hours on the bike...Tomorrow we head into Ohio and are looking at 104 miles (followed by 97 the next day). They keep telling us that Ohio is surprisingly hilly - I guess we are about to find out.