Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Special-Live-Blog-Treat from Ohio!

I'm sitting here in a wooden rocking chair on the porch on an abandoned antique store in Logan, Ohio, stealing wireless from who knows where. I really wish I had a bathroom, because my morning coffee from Lancaster, Ohio, is catching up with me.

Today I'm driving the support vehicle, so I have some time to relax while I wait for the riders. It's been a great trip so far, we spent the first week as a group of just Michigan riders, then met up with the Northern route (17 riders) last night. We're just entering the rolling hills that mark the beginning of the Appalachians, and we're officially in the South (I can tell from the accents, which gained a twang as soon as we went south of Columbus).

Taking my time this morning, as I said I grabbed some coffee in Lancaster from a local coffee shop. We usually make coffee or tea in the morning, but our eggs and potatoes took up both burners on the camp stove so I took a side trip. At the coffee shop I met a kindly old gentleman, obviously one of those slightly-crazy regulars who just love to talk to anyone. Saul asked me if I was getting ready for work, and I said, no, I'm biking from Michigan to Washington D.C. He asked me all about it and as I was finishing my coffee, he told me how wonderful it is to be kind to everyone you meet and just have a conversation, even if you'll never see them again. He kept handing me pieces of the newspaper but then he just kept asking more questions about our trip! It's nice to meet kindred spirits on the road. You can never predict when it'll happen, but they're out there, just waiting for you to sit down and share some coffee with them.

Well I wish I were on the road this morning, as the weather is perfect and the scenery is so beautiful. I just called my brother asking if they are in Logan yet and he says, "No Marci, there's hills, there's hills! We're at 10 miles!" which is way below the average pace of the last two days.

So the group that left at 6:30am (in order to buy tickets for a midnight showing of Harry Potter) just rolled up to my antique store, which means that our 8am group of Michigan riders probably won't be here for another hour and a half. I helped fill up some water bottles and we took turns using the bathroom. Yes, an actual gas-station bathroom, not our usual road-side stops of trees, shrubs, cornfields, riversides, etc. I guess I'll just keep waiting here, rocking on my porch, admiring the farm stand across the street, and cherishing this warm breeze and free wireless internet. From the road, peace!

~Marci

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like one of the good old days, Marci! Glad you're having a great time, while making so many memories.
    Caryn
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Harry Potter!" Did everybody get to go? Have you learned how to use "Apparition" to get up the mountain hills?

    ReplyDelete