The Land of the Above-Ground Swimming Pools

Leaving Cleveland. 

Everybody's got their own above-ground pool. Or personal pond. It's crazy.

Tuesday morning we woke up to some ominous clouds overhead and a forecast of thunderstorms for the day. Because the Cleveland Hostel was such a nice place, and cheap, we thought about taking a rest day. After crunching some numbers, we realized we're already a full day ahead of schedule. So, Dad said, "I'm done being wishy-washy, we're taking a rest day" as well as "I'm off the fence, enjoy your day off".

It's the land of above-ground pools.

Love those DQ gift cards. Thanks, Darin.

So we lounged around for a bit, until dad came back upstairs from the front desk to report that the only room that was available for Tuesday night only had one bed.

The excitement over a rest day plummeted. So we packed up and grudgingly headed out of Cleveland. At least we were able to take a short day of only 44 miles. Along the way we met a couple who was also touring, and convinced them to book the open room at the hostel. At least they were appreciative.

We also met a British guy at lunch who was apparently touring through all 48 states, no bike shorts, no helmet, just a camo baseball cap. So I guess he's more hardcore than us.

Biking through the corn.

Outrunning that storm.

Most of that day was spent trying to outrun a storm. After getting rained on while riding (again) we ended up taking shelter at a laundromat while the rain really started pouring down. As soon as it let up, we raced to Firefly Beach where we got the cash discount for a "cottage" and food at the tavern nearby. Thankfully we had a roof, because it rained all night long.

BGSU

The next day we rode out to Bowling Green, Ohio, still trying to outrun storms. We avoided some rain at a Subway for a while, then took off to beat the rest. We pushed through the last 20 miles in only an hour, which is flying with a fully loaded bike. Once in Bowling Green, we stayed with Matt, Heidi, Elizabeth, and Noah, a family who offered us food and a shower and a chance to camp in their backyard. We were lucky to get the chance to spend a night in their company. The hospitality we've received has been incredible.

Everyone in Ohio keeps seeing our "OREGON" sign on the back of the trailer and asking "are you going to Oregon, Ohio, or Oregon, the state?"Apparently Oregon, Ohio is a big destination for cyclists..?

The next morning we took a brief bicycle tour of Bowling Green State University, then headed out. Dad really wanted to go 90 miles because apparently there was free camping in Monroeville for cyclists.

So of course, we went 93 and made it all the way to Monroeville, Indiana. It was an exhausting day, but in the end we were all happy we had made it. Even got to see the Campbell's factory in Napoleon, Ohio. The Monroeville city park had a community center/shelter thing that was opened up for us to sleep in and shower in, and the town was super friendly to cyclists. It even had a Whippy Dip for ice cream! Such a wonderful place.  Bravo, Monroeville - well done.

Indiana did not greet us with a "welcome to" sign. Extraordinarily disappointing.

This morning we slept in since we rode so much yesterday and have ended up off route in Wabash 68 miles later. There was no where good to camp after Monroeville, so we're in a cheap motel.

Failed sign, failed jump. Welcome to Indiana.

Mom got the first official tire flat of the trip today! Luckily it wasn't bad enough to stop us for long.

We also made friends with a guy named Ben from Rhode Island today. We got to ride with him and he followed us off route here to Wabash for a while. The motel we're in has an outdoor pool, the highlight of our night. It's finally getting to be a little too hot to be pleasant riding temperature, and that pool tonight was just right.

Money found: $0.00

Roadkill Report: Bird, Disgusting Snake, Squirrel, Deer, Raccoon, Twin Raccoons, Deer, Possum

Wabash Cannonball!