Valparaiso, IN to Burton, OH

We were met outside Madison by a friend of Brack and Jean Ann Hattler's who provided us with cookies (always welcome) and two of Brack's riding jerseys from the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Pittsburgh with which Brack is associated. Check it out at http://www.mirm.pitt.edu/ We've had two riders wearing the jerseys every day, and this picture is of Trish and Greg Dimmit, the tandem team, in a corn field somewhere in Indiana.

As with the rest of the trip, this section of four days is already a blur. After leaving Valpo (which was a really nice town with great restaurants) we stayed in Kendallville, IN where I (Kathy) saw a friend of mine from grade school whom I hadn't seen in close to 50 years and a friend of hers who is a serious recreational biker. We missed the first night where we cooked dinner in camp but hear it was actually quite good. Long day due to 109 mile ride and turning our clocks ahead for Eastern Time. Next day to Napoleon was 70 miles with quite a bit of heat and humidity, but the Henry County Fairgrounds were welcoming, and a local bicyclist provided free soft-serve ice cream for all (delivered!) from his pizzeria, reputed to be the best in town. Thanks, Clark. The 87 miles into Sandusky were again hot and humid, with 40 of us camped in four tent sites. We are such a good group by now that this kind of proximity feels fine, and as of today (Burton) there are about fifteen tents in a space no larger than most living rooms.

The ride into Burton was fairly long (92 miles) with bigger hills at the end of the day. For the first time since we left Seattle, we were in a big city as we went through downtown Cleveland. I especially liked going along the lake for miles, seeing many large homes. Nice to be in an urban environment for a while. Too many corn, wheat, and soybean fields for my tastest - we've really gone through the breadbasket of the US. Many riders took the opportunity to go to an Indians game or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The weather turned very bad in the mid-afternoon, with thunder, lightning, hail, rain, and heavy winds depending on where you were. For a crew member, it's a bit disconcerting not to know where all the riders are and that they're safe. Some had gone officially off route to attend the game and we were very happy to get them all back in camp later in the evening. Yesterday was probably Bill's toughest day of the trip, with five flats (one new tire put on), and it may be his rim that is the real problem. This led to some delays and frustrations for him. It was terrific to see him pull up at the third water stop on the east side of Cleveland and know that he was all right. We had some lightning very close by - made him jump. Today's a rest day at the fairgrounds in Burton, a lovely little town with a beautiful library with wireless.