This could have been an easy trip to skip. The weather in Ohio this year has been particularly wet and gloomy. And who wants to ride a bike and camp in that? But if you expect things to work out well, somehow they do. Attitude counts! It cannot change the weather, but it can make whatever happens much more pleasant.
There is an informal contest to have the lowest possible number for the adventure. The numbers start at 1 and go into the 3000's. I thought I was just under the wire with 2996 last year. But I saw numbers above 3300. This is because they do not reuse the numbers of people who cancel and roughly 10 percent do that. The lowest number I have seen personally is 6. To get a number well under 100 you have to work on GOBA! My approach is to see how high a number I can get. To get 3131 I had to wait so late that I had to mail it at the central Columbus post office to insure acceptance. And there are nearly 200 people with larger numbers!
The first 36 miles were a very pleasant ride with rolling landscape and picture perfect towns like Gettysburg and Versailes. The last 15 miles were an enervating slog into an unceasing wind across the flattest farmland imaginable. Only the thought of finishing kept me going! Today's ride was the longest of the entire trip. So much for easing into this ride. The other positive note was that it did not rain, despite the threatening skies.
The destination today was a park in the center of Troy. The downtown square is a wonderful place with restaurants, shops and sculpture everywhere. The feeling is European, not American. What a pleasant surprise! The sculptures are of people doing ordinary activities and are very witty. They are here through July. With a library and a lively downtown within easy walking distance and a great park to camp in, this is a great layover location.
Monday was no bicycle day for me. I slept late, read the Sunday New York times at the library, waited until noon to do my yoga, bought a book and then read the book. A new (to me) Tony Hillerman mystery titled The Wailing Wind. It was a perfect day.
Tuesday started way too early, well before the crack of dawn. I didn't even look at the time. I packed up, did my yoga and headed down the road. AM snack was at 8:15, lunch was at bit after nine and PM snack was at 10:20. But all grumbling ceased when I arrived at camp just before the rain started. Tent was up just as the rain started and I had a dry tent pitched only 20 feet from the yellow baggage truck. There was no sense in going any farther. I was first customer in the massage tent! And the good news is people will not get up early tomorrow morning.
Walking up the long, steep hill from the AM food stop, I had an interesting discussion with an owner of a 3 wheeled recumbent bike. The first amazing fact is it takes 500 miles on one to get used to it. The second amazing fact is there are 81 speeds! How in the world do you manage that? He bought his direct from manufacturer in Australia, Green Express. He said the best approach is a Google search. There is no problem with downhill speed, but it weighs 20 pounds more and is harder to get up the hill. The reward is nothing hurts from the waist up!
There was one amazing hill between New Carlisle and Springfield that gave me all I wanted. I skipped the Grinnel Road/Grinnel Hill exercise, taking the Springfield Xenia bike trail instead. And I got the last chocolate crissaunt at the Emporium in Yellow Springs. Again thanks to the crazy people leaving at the crack of dawn!
Arrival times for the 53 mile trip varied between 8 AM and 9 PM. After talking to the last person to arrive, it is clear that only the destination is important to me, not the journey. This is something I have to change! On this day I made the trip in 4 hours, averaging 13 mph with stops. That is way too focused on speed.
Wednesday was another layover day. My only plan was a ride to Cedarville to meet Patricia and Master Ethan for lunch at the Main Street Station. We both arrived without a hitch and we had a great meal. Back at the fairgrounds I read the Yellow Springs newspaper article about a photography show at Glen Helen. So it was back on the bike and back up the trail to Yellow Springs. By chance, the lady at the gift shop today schedules the art shows at Glen Helen. I made arrangements to leave some work with her for a decision on giving me a show there in 2004. My lazy day turned into another 40 miles on the bike!
I did manage to stop and take some pictures today. More grass pictures and a series of pictures of Oldtown Creek in the early morning fog. I need to stop much more often.
The first leg of the trip from Xenia to Middletown was the best ever. There were long, sweeping downhill runs with a short uphil stretch and then another beautiful downhill. I could not stop to take a picture for the life of me. The ride was too exhilerating. And I can repeat this from the Xenia station, as this section ends at the Little Miami bike trail in Spring Valley. This will take you back to the starting point.
The next leg follows the bike trail south to Corwin. And then the payback came due. There were miles of uphill out of Waynesville. There was little sun and nothing really to stop foe today, so 11:15 the tent was up and my official duties were done for the day. So much for my leisurely pace. I am definitely getting in at least an hour earlier than I did last year. At 11 so few people had claimed their bags that finding them is very difficult. Imagine a jumbled pile of 1500 bags. There is no sense getting in any earlier, as then you have to unload those 1500 bags. That would not be good for my back!
The most critical element of the day is timing your shower. Apparently most people shower soon after the tent is set up. There are long lines through the afternoon. I prefer showering after dinner when it is cooler and the clean feeling lasts until bedtime. A related issue for women is the communal aspect. Each shower stall has a curtain, so you can shower in private. But the disrobing, drying and dressing is done with 10 or 12 other people. Women who competed in high school sports are accustomed to this, but many woman apparently are not.
The most vexing event today occurred at 5:30 AM this when a taxicab focused his lights directly on my tent. Lacking something to smash his headlights, I simply shook my fist at him and tried to go back to sleep. But to no avail! Thursday night I forgot to check for lights and found my tent lit by a powerful sodium lamp in the adjacent parking lot. First light problem of this trip!
Friday morning broke clear and cold. The north wind that swept the clouds away brought cool air from Canada. For some reason the bathroom lines were horrendous. I did a third of my yoga standing in line for my turn. I think everyone is anticipating the end and rushing to meet it. It was a beautiful day to ride. But spending the first half climbing hills and the second half bucking a 15 mph headwind sapped everyone's energy. No conversation, no warnings from riders overtaking me. But I definitely arrived too early. They were still unloading my truck and it was beyond a mess. And, as usual, the tent bag is the one missing. That is what I need to find first!
It is clear that my front derailer must be replaced. More shifting trouble today. I am thinking a complete overhaul would be a good idea this fall. Repaint the frame, repack all bearings and replace all the cables and it will be ready for another year. It will be some time before I go to a recumbent bike. I love being up where I can see the countryside. I'll go to the recumbent bike when balance becomes an issue. And hopefully that is at least a decade away.
Brookville has the best welcoming signs ever. They were everywhere. And they have lots of food available at Golden Gate Park, unlike the other venues where we have camped. The clear weather is such a change from the gloom over most of the trip. And there is NO humidity. What a welcome change!
Conversation bits:
"How far are you going?" "300 miles" "MY GOD!" "You people are all innocent by reason of insanity" "AIEEEE" (woman who forgot to lock toilet door) "Use ice, not the blue packs for injuries." "How about frozen peas? That is what my wife uses." "They really worked well for my husband's vasectomy!" "If you eat dinner at her house, DON'T EAT THE PEAS!"Best T-Shirt slogan:
Sleep Eat Ride Repeat