As I type to you all from a hard plastic picnic table in Richwood, Ohio, I’m replaying all of the events of the past three nights since the last blog post by Nichole.
Chronologically this post begins with the amazing taco-themed meal that was prepared for us by Molly and Sean Williams and brought to us on Wednesday at our stop in Stockbridge, Michigan. It was delicious! There were plenty of beans, chili, tortillas, veggies, rice, and more to go around. They went out of their way to accommodate the vegans and vegetarians of the trip, and we really appreciate it. With dinner came the arrival of our last two riders, Shayna and Kara. They were ready to go and fit right in with our group. We also saw the arrival of a whole mess of free bagels, donated to us by the Big Apple Bagels of East Lansing. They were a day old, and were going to be thrown away anyway, so by obtaining these bagels we saved them from going to the landfill, saved ourselves lots of money on the other kinds of groceries that we would have needed, and got to enjoy tons of guilt-free bagels (you’ve got to carbo-load, right?)
The next day we set out for Ohio, which seemed so far away. Sometimes we forget that if you spend enough time on a bike you actually get somewhere. Bryce’s knee was giving him trouble, so he and Anna operated the SAG (Support & Guidance) vehicle that day. We all had so many bagels. I don’t think that anyone could ignore all of the beautiful fields of wheat we passed that day. We finally crossed the border into Ohio just a mile or so before arriving in Metamora. We were all hoping for a picturesque “Welcome to Ohio” sign and the photo opportunity that it would bring with it, but taking back roads lead us past one of the least picturesque signs, which seemed to put more of and emphasis on county’s border than on the state’s. Never the less we all had a blast and took several pictures. For dinner we had rice noodles and fried veggies, and I think that we all started to realize the collective hilarity of Shayna and Kara, and the relaxing vibes that follow.
The next morning we packed it all in the truck and headed for Findlay, Ohio. Little did we know that there would be a serious headwind and that bagels do eventually get old. Very old. En route we met up with and talked to a fellow cyclist, Pat Squire who was tediously painting route markers for Mad Anthony Wayne’s River Rally, a 100 Mile trip that shared a lot of the same roads as our route. As we neared our stop for the night, we found it increasingly hard to press on in the wind. We all got tired, and most of us were getting irritable when we finally pulled into Findlay. As we rode up to the Komosinski residence, we all were surprised to see a newspaper reporter for the Findlay Newspaper taking our picture and later interviewing several of us. The next morning we saw the picture of an exhausted Nichole on the cover and the whole story that continued on A3. Luckily for us, the Komosinski’s were amazing and had some serious hook-ups. What kinds of serious hook-ups you ask? How about sleeping inside, an in-ground pool, a hot tub with some amazing jets, and amazing hospitality. We had it made and slept better than ever, especially those of us sleeping on a waterbed! The next morning we all packed up and headed off to Richwood with stormy-looking skies.
Until next time, this is Joe for the MI chapter of The Trek to Re-Energize America.
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