Off to Ohio to get my bike and visit my friends on the farm

April 19, 2023

When I ended my trip last fall, it was at my friend's farm in Ohio. Because my travel plans were so hectic, I ended up leaving my bike there at the last minute. I figured if all else fails, Ohio is a great place to start another bike tour. What was suppose to be a week long stay before catching a flight to Rome, Italy turned into a three week stay. Why you ask? Well, I needed a new passport and submitted it in time including paying for expedited shipping. The government got slammed with passport requests so as I kept watching, my status wasn't changing. I followed all their directions and arranged for it to get shipped to me in Ohio, at this point paying for overnight mail. Finally, I saw the status say "approved" and next thing I know my friend in Arizona is getting a notice that it's going to be delivered. Even though I talked to someone, and they confirmed they had the new Ohio address, it mysteriously disappeared out of their system. Had they mailed it correctly, I would have had it in time for my flight.

So now, what the hell am I going to do? I was flying on an award ticket purchased using frequent flier miles. Had the weather not been so bad in Ohio and Pennsylvania, I'm pretty sure I would have headed towards the GAP and C&O trails again and continue to Florida. At one point, I even purchased a ticket to Orlando and was going to head north instead because of the weather. However, when I woke up in the morning, I knew my heart was in going to Europe. I looked and looked and finally made the decision to fly to Venice instead of Rome. It just meant spending some extra time on the farm, which I actually really enjoy.

Also, had to get reacquainted with my bike, it needed a new rear cassette, chain and some brake cables. And then an ongoing seat issue. Let's just say at the last minute, I once again swapped out my Brooks B-17 saddle and am starting this trip with a new one.

I got 80 miles in while at their house and I'm counting them because as far as I am concerned, my trip started. I actually got to explore the towpath trails not far from their house. Super fun. On a side note, I was really concerned about pain levels I was still experiencing in my foot and my surgeon recommended a steroid injection to break up the scar tissue. Literally, got that the day before I left Idaho. Let's hope the foot holds up in Europe!

Today's ride: 80 miles (129 km)
Total: 80 miles (129 km)

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