Rochester to Dinwiddie, Indiana Friday, May 14, 2021
The spacing of the lodging options did not really work out today, my choice was to go 40 miles or 75 miles. It was supposed to be a beautiful day without much wind, so I opted for the longer trip. A bit concerning, because I hadn’t done this much so far on this tour, but worth a try. I surprised myself by getting out before 8:30, unheard of for me. My potential traveling companions, Ben and Christine of Namibia, Africa, had told me they wanted to get out by eight, so I presumed they had left before me.
Darn, I have been looking forward to company for once. I kept hoping I would catch up to them, but the road was always blank ahead. My sister Anne called, and warded off my loneliness by talking with me for half an hour as I rolled through the pastoral countryside. Along the way, I crossed the Tippecanoe River twice, further downstream was the battle that made William Henry Harrison famous and gave him that nickname.
23 miles in, at the tiny town of Monterey, I finally mailed my old iPhone back to Verizon, so I could receive credit. It had spent two more days in rice, and still wasn’t functioning well enough to transfer those Indiana High Point photos. I was just about to leave the post office, when I looked behind and there were Ben and Christine! They had left after me and were trying to catch up.
We rode for most of the day together. We were happily well matched in temperament and pace. They served me a healthy lunch of bagels, peanut butter, honey, beef jerky, and apples. I reciprocated by offering them a very unhealthy snack of ice cream and soda. It was great. I heard much more about their careers (Ben is a civil engineer, Christine is a journalist and editor), families, and what it was like to live in south western Africa, and in suburban DC. My knowledge of South Africa is quite rudimentary, but I’m so curious, it was lovely to have them fill in some details.
They had initially planned to camp without facilities, 15 miles before my motel, but elected to join me at the motel after all. Those last 15 miles were pretty grueling, it had been a long day, but we got into the Super 8 before six. We had Italian meals delivered and talked for hours more. It made me realize how much I miss human contact. I’m meeting and chatting with people constantly, which I love, but they’re always brief interactions. My nightly talks with Jane are nourishing, but over the phone. Talking and sharing experiences with thoughtful and intelligent people with such different backgrounds, well, it just feeds my soul. Sadly, Ben and Christine will be heading west after this, they plan to bypass Chicago on their way to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. I will miss them, and wish them luck.
Here is the link to Ben’s blog. https://bcbiketrip2021.blogspot.com As you can see, he is much better at taking photos than I am. He’s gotten into a rhythm of stopping for a photo every few miles, and it’s really not much of a disruption at all. I hope I will take his technique to heart.
One other cool thing about today. For the first time in my life, I crossed a time zone on my bicycle. Just an unmarked county line, but I glanced at my iPhone and watch, and they had already set themselves back. So we got a bonus hour to help complete this long day.
Distance 74.8 miles, 1,283 total. Time 11 1/2 hours with stops. Elevation gain 735 feet.
The Ends of the Earth 