May 30, 2021
Day 25: Westlake, OH to Fremont, OH
Goodbye Majestic Lakes, And I Remember
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Climbing Today; 715 ft Climbing to Date; 47,821 ft
First breakfast this morning consisted of bread that we had left over from our Bob Evans restaurant dinner last night. I had a leftover biscuit and Doc had some leftover banana bread, and since there was no microwave in the Red Roof Inn room, we heated water using the Jet-boil stove and made hot chocolate and coffee. We haven't camped yet, but the jetboil stove has been used several times for hot water for coffee, hot chocolate, and instant oatmeal - several times in motel rooms that didn't have a microwave, and once at a picnic table in a small town when we were disappointed by the only store being closed. So it's already proved it's value on this trip.
We were up at 05:15 and rolling at 06:30. The harsh winds of yesterday had become more of a steady but gentle breeze today - and more importantly, the wind was at our back. Today the wind was our friend - that usually isn't the case, because even when the wind is at your side it slows you down, and when it's a headwind it can be a nightmare for cyclists. The wind made for gentle soothing waves this morning.
This is one of the last views of Lake Erie I had before we turned inland. It was a bittersweet moment as I was glad to be reaching this milestone but sad to leave the shores of this majestic lake.
We wanted to get in some miles and then stop somewhere along the way for second breakfast, and so after about 23 miles we rolled onto Vermilion and stopped at a family restaurant on the edge of town. Vermilion got its name from the red clay here that Indians used to make paint. By the way, I have dictated all this so far using voice-to-text while waiting on breakfast to arrive.
The Nest restaurant was the first place I have encountered on this trip that’s had sourdough toast. Must be sort of a regional thing, all the places up here have had rye toast but not sourdough. Maybe I’ll find sourdough from this point on. It was nice sitting in the restaurant having coffee, and I could have probably stayed another half hour, but even though we started early we still had 45 miles to go, so we needed to get rolling again.
After we left Huron, we ended up on a long westward stretch of 11 miles. It reminded me of some crossings in Kansas where there are sections of 36 miles to 65 miles with no services. Except that this was shorter, and there were lots of houses along the way (few in Kansas), and there were trees beside the road for shade (none in Kansas), and it was 65° (Kansas heat is off the scale) - other than that it was the same.
We have left the shores of Lake Erie now. It's a bit sad, we have ridden alongside the lake for several hundred miles now and it's gotten to be a familiar friend. But now we get to plunge deep into the bowels of middle America, and that can be a dramatic culture shock - but we are prepared for it. If need be, I can always talk slow and act stupid to blend in when the natives appear to be dangerous.
This house has turrets that look like a castle. Why? Maybe an Architect's fantasy?
After pushing through the 11-mile straight section, we were tired and took advantage of a shade tree near the road to sit a bit and have a snack. We have been riding in beautiful rural farmland country.
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2 years ago
These horses were frolicking around as I approached, running and kicking their heels up in the air.
We have been on tour for 3.5 weeks now and have stayed in numerous hotels, a B&B, an AirB&B, and lodge "cabins." Neither of us has turned on a TV the entire time, not even briefly. It's cleansing to get away from the news, but you also get so caught up in the daily routine that you forget what day of the month it is or even what weekday it is. And so it was a bit of a surprise when we tried to change our hotel booking for this weekend and discovered that nothing was available because it was the Memorial Day weekend - duh! But the rural folks know what this holiday means, and flags decorate the graves of those who served.
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With our early start, the gods favoring us with a tailwind, flat ground, and pushing rather consistently, we finished the 69 mile day by 3:30pm. I bought a couple of convenience store hot dogs and other things and ate in the room while working on this journal, and Doc ventured off into town for dinner. A middle-eastern couple owns the hotel we are in tonight - the wife had told us earlier that there was no guest laundry - but Doc later saw the husband and asked him and he said there was - and so, while I have been pecking on the keyboard Doc has laundered our clothes. So now we are good for another 3 days of riding - or maybe a wee bit more if we re-use the least dirty of the dirty clothes to extend our time between laundries.
Oh, one good thing about turning inland away from the great Lakes is that we have already noticed a big decrease in traffic. Today was actually downright pleasant as regards traffic - there was very little on the rural roads once we left the shore of Lake Erie. The tourist traffic will pick up dramatically along the lake from this point forward, so I don't envy those folks who are riding this route from west to east.
Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Remember those who served when our nation needed them. I remember my father who fought in WWII and my father-in-law who served during the Korean conflict, and I honor them for their service. My generation had to deal with Vietnam, and I am thankful that I was not drafted and forced to fight in a meaningless war. I was in college, and my draft number was just high enough for me to miss out. If I had been drafted I would have served, but even in 1971 it was obvious that we were fighting for no real reason. For better or worse, the Vietnam war changed our country and our culture. We haven't had a draft since then - maybe if we did have a draft and the sons and daughters of congressmen were subject to it, then perhaps we wouldn't be involving ourselves in wars that last 20 years. Hey, I'm just sayin', that's all. Take a moment tomorrow and remember those who served in all the wars and conflicts, including Vietnam and Afghanistan, and honor them for their service.
Among a great many other things that I'm thankful for, I'm thankful that I'm safe and free to go on crazy long bicycle tours. What are you thankful for on this Memorial Day, and would it have been possible without the sacrifice of those who served? All I want is world peace - is that really too much to ask? Good night all...
Today's ride: 69 miles (111 km)
Total: 1,188 miles (1,912 km)
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