thought this was picturesque

Good Evening Everyone!

Let me begin by saying that part of the ride today, about a 10 mile stretch was about the hardest that I have ever experienced. We had some really steep grades late in the afternoon that made it hard just to keep the bike moving forward. Roberta H said she looked at the ground and saw ants moving faster. It was hot (over 100 degrees) and humid, plus we had put in over 75 miles today plus 105 the day before. I wanted to get off the bike and go sit under a shade tree, but Mike K and Tom were still pedaling up the road a bit. I didn’t stop. I was listening to my friends IPOD with some great tunes and also thought about the fact that I didn’t attempt this because I thought it would be easy.

I also thought about some of our Wounded Warriors and what they have gone through. Many have given up a lot for their country – a lot for us. The thought kept my legs moving because what I was going through was nothing compared to what many of them endured. Amelia, sent me a quote by President John Kennedy that I would like to share, “A nation reveals itself not only be the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.”  I don’t think that JFK intentionally left out women who should rightly be included – especially as it pertains to The Wounded Warrior Project. I don’t like to make a daily appeal for my Cause, The Wounded Warrior Project, but I try to periodically remind my readers. Please, lets not forget our true heroes who are in need of our help.

My first impressions of Ohio is that it is a very beautiful state. Today, we passed little streams, woods, farmland some Amish folks.  I saw a cute little boy of about 2 with what I assume was his older sister crossing the road. They were very cute in their Amish outfits, but they don’t like their picture to be taken. Other than that they are very friendly and laws wave  to us as we pass. One gentleman in his horse drawn carriage was moving at a really good clip and smiled broadly and waved to us. I do have a few pictures that I will post.

The first SAG was at mile 35 and it was an easy ride until that point. I took it easy, knowing that we had some major climbs and took in the scenery. Mike F left his bike unattended and someone put a “For Sale by Owner” sign on it. Our second SAg was at mile 74 and the morning cool had gotten quite warm at that point – actually very hot.

The next 10 miles were brutal as I described above and then the hills became more rolling and the ride into Wooster wasn’t too bad. I think Wooster is the home of Rubbermaid. I should mention that we go through a to of small towns now that we are further east and the architecture is fascinating. Our cue sheets have a lot of turns as we avoid the major roads and that takes us through the smaller towns. They are often a welcome relief and generally have small stores or restaurants were we can reload before the next SAG.

Tomorrow we are on to Niles and there is some climbing but not as much in a few short miles as today. My Garmin showed 3500 feet of climbing but the last part was rough. I would not want to drive on those roads when it snows. The other side of the coin is that we have some very fast descents and can easily top 40 mph if you want to (I don’t). One more day i

Do I hear a dollar?

n Ohio and then on to Pennsylvania and Lake Erie. One final note, my rookie Larry rode the full 98 plus miles today, on a really tough day. He had the take the SAG a few days but gutted it out today and did an awesome job. Well done my friend – I am proud of you!

I wanted to jump in…

Tailwinds

Chuck