Day 92 - Auburn, IN to Defiance, OH - Two Far 2020 - NTF (Not Two Far) - CycleBlaze

August 30, 2020

Day 92 - Auburn, IN to Defiance, OH

Some non-human powered vehicles

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Mike ObermeyerLooks like a relatively flat ride. (?)
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3 years ago

This morning before we left Auburn, we visited the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Musuem.  It is housed in the former headquarters building of the Auburn Automobile Company.  The building itself is an Art Deco masterpiece and is National Historic Landmark.  The museum has many classic motorcars, but the most impressive are the 1925-1937 Duesenbergs, Cords and Auburns displayed in the gorgeous company showroom.  If you have ever entertained Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald fantasies, you'll love it here.

We were welcomed to the museum by Dorian and Hailey, who wanted to hear our transportation story.  Hailey and her boyfriend sometimes ride a tandem, but neither of these young women could imagine not getting tired of a either a lifetime of marriage or all years of cycling touring.  I hope they will find happiness in both of those things in the future.

Dorian and Hailey
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I took a ton of pictures.  I'm going to post the best ones, with first a picture of the information board, then the car.  The first floor of the museum was dedicated mainly to Duesenbergs, Cords and Auburns, all marques controlled by  E. L. Cord.

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This was my favorite car in the museum - beautiful, elegant and sophisticated.
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Mike ObermeyerI'm a car guy, can't wait to see the rest of the pictures.
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3 years ago
Curt & Helene ReedWow! What a jewel!
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3 years ago
A true trunk
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When only the best will do...
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An instrument panel for the passenger as well as the chauffeur - Kerry and I each have our own Garmins on the tandem, so I understand the need for it.
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Curt & Helene ReedThat would be good for me. I am always looking at the speedometer when Curt is driving
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3 years ago
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The other floors of the museum contained classic cars from the 1890's to the 1950's.

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Mike ObermeyerI have never seen this car before. Thanks
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3 years ago
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Mike ObermeyerA friend of mine collects Packards, but I know he does not have a 1930.
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3 years ago
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We spent two hours in the museum and could have stayed longer, but we had 40 miles to ride.

It was only about 15 miles to the Ohio line from Auburn.

One last Indiana barn scene
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Another hay field
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Before we knew it, we were cruising into Ohio.

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Where we saw the most amazing things...

We saw soybeans.
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We saw corn.
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We saw old barns.
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And we saw collapsing barns.
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Mike ObermeyerBeauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
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3 years ago

However, to our untrained eyes, the corn and beans in Ohio looked exactly like those in Indiana and there wasn't much difference in the barns either.  :-) 

We saw what might be a local barn style - there were several barns that had white painted arches on the doors.
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Just like Indiana, Ohio has many small towns. However, when settlers moved to Indiana, they just named their new towns after the ones they came from, as we travelled thru Monticello, Rochester, Syracuse, and Rome among others. Buckeyes, on the other hand, had a sense of humor when they named their towns. This is Main Street, Hicksville, OH.
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Alain AbbateI grew up not too far from Hicksville NY. Maybe the founders of this Ohio town were originally from Long Island.
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3 years ago
Just outside of Hicksville, we saw several egg production facilities such as this.
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And we had a lovely encounter.  Kerry had pulled off the road to check out how the soybeans were doing,  when this couple stopped next to us and said they had seen us at Subway in town.  We talked about our trip and they welcomed us to Ohio and wished us well.

Thanks for stopping. It was nice talking to you. I'm sorry we didn't get your names.
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Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 3,011 miles (4,846 km)

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Comment on this entry Comment 5
John PescatoreHi, Jeanna and Kerry - I have a friend who I've cycled with for years, who lives in Columbus and has a sister who lives in Xenia. If you need any info or recommendations, or assistance, while you are in that area, he said I could give you his email address and cell number.

He and I got mostly washed/flooded out of a full ride from Cleveland to Xenia a few years ago - managed to do the Mt. Vernon to Columbus section. Sunbury was our lunch stop, but Galena looked like a very cool place to eat lunch - several eclectic choices.

Anyway, if you'd like to make contact with Rick, let me know.
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3 years ago
Mike ObermeyerThank you both for all the great pictures today.
It was our 47th wedding anniversary today, I couldn't help checking out all the pics. Thanks again.
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3 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo Mike ObermeyerHappy Anniversary to you both. Our next one will be 47.
I'm glad that you are enjoying our blog.
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3 years ago
Jeanna & Kerry SmithTo John PescatoreThanks, John, for your offer. Kerry grew up not far from Columbus and we have friends and family there. We've ridden Ohio roads and trails a number of times. We really do appreciate your offer, though.
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3 years ago
Curt & Helene ReedGreat Automobiles, I agree with your fist pick
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3 years ago