jalil wondered aloud, "do raccoons have some sort of problem with crossing roads?"
from a bike, one sees a tremendous amount of 'road kill'...mammals: from a tiny shrew to a rather large deer; reptiles: turtles, frogs, and snakes; birds: colorful songbirds to large hawks; invertabrates: ubiquitous grasshoppers to hundreds of butterflys--including the monarchs who just settle down near the road when their trip is finished; and one of my favorites, tools and assorted equipment: cresent wrenches, screwdrivers, bungie cords, and rolls of duct tape.
not so amazing, and just as sad, is the amount of trash...i was attempting to keep track of the little flossing sticks after noticing easily a dozen or more one day in ny state. the next day maybe half, a dozen, tapering to only one yesterday in western ohio.
day 10 (70 miles)--into our first hard rain: setting out from twinsburg quieted jalil right down. not that he is a ever a noisy person, but it was obvious, even to me, leaving his family had a strong emotional impact.
what started out a fine day riding away from cleveland and into the countryside. jalil's mom had warned us about a hill "we might have to walk up!" we assured her that our hill practice in vt and ny would make anything ohio had to offer 'cake!' she was right about it being steep--the steepest we encountered yet, thankfully it was short--and although we did not walk we were definitely out of the saddle and heavy breathing by the time we topped out.
later, with a couple of crazy detours and a torrential down pour, we got pushed way off our intended path and very wet. it may have been for the best though as we met alex who took us to his house, back close to our path, and let us sleep in a dry shed. i helped him bleed the brakes on his girlfriend's van and only got a little bit wetter. it rained even harder once i crawled into my sleeping bag. the metal roof was drumming all night with the sounds the down pour and an occasional sharp crack of an acorn. we didn't make as many miles as we wished, but we were dry for the night.
day 11 (80 miles)--flat and windy: if we remember yesterday for the rain, we might remember today for the wind. while jalil prefers the wind to the hills, i am quite the opposite. i look down the road and mark where a line of trees will give us a bit of a break and wish that there could be more.
while the wind was at us all day, the 'road' was really pleasent. on one of our detours yesterday we ran into about ten miles of the north coast inland trail as it ran past oberlin. we hit it today in norwalk after breakfast at berry's and a visit to the local bike shop--established back around 1912! it lasted on an off for many miles, some paved, some gravel, until we got to fremont. going through clyde, we stopped for lunch and i saw this historical marker (skip p., i am actually reading some of the ones we pass!) and thought of the english department at mascoma.
later, as we approached custer, i could see a huge group of grain elevators from miles off. i told jalil that from my experience that promised at least one gathering spot. sure enough, just before dark, we pulled up to the custer tavern and were able to get some supper. we had to use lights to find a place to sleep after, but it seemed worth it...
day 12 (75 miles)--a cold morning with a fine evening: ...it seemed great the night before, gave me a bit of apprehension the next morning. i got past the several trains that rumbled through town during the night, and didn't even mind the temperature down in the 40's--jalil ate breakfast with his full gloves on. what bothered me was the little tendrils of poison ivy i noticed next to our tents and how during my nightly visit to the bushes i may have tread on some...i am waiting for the itch. (speaking of itch, my arm still feels funny from getting stung by a wasp way back in gowanda ny.)
we got on the sunny road and peddled off into the ever increasing wind hoping for fort wayne indiana by the evening. at a second or third lunch in antwerp ohio, we figured the last 20-30 miles would be windy, but very doable, especially since we were turning somewhat south. around 10 miles away from jalil's brother's amir's place (three ' in a row!), i noticed my rear tire was really out of round and rubbing on the brakes. another spoke had popped and of course it was on the freewheel side. i disconnected the rear brake and we wobbled into fort wayne arriving to a cheering party. amir's neighbors were all out shouting encouragement and congratulations. it was a good feeling. equally cheery was the warmth amye, whom amir is living with, welcomed us with. to top off an amazing evening, amir's red beans and rice, plus the corn bread was super delicious!
day 13--resting and bike repair: bike shop day...the back wheel has been replaced and we are ready to start rolling toward chicago heights tomorrow! amye's hospitality has surpassed generosity--she is one of the warmest persons i have ever met. amye works with all sorts of people who need support, especially young adults. she has a passion for using horses to help connect people to their abilities. check out the model she just heard about and you will know the people she loves to help. amir and jalil got in a good amount of quality time. a hot sun dried the tents from the custer dew in no time.
later
My theory about racoons is that their coloring blends into the roadway more than most animals and makes them very difficult to see. You know why you almost never see a dead crow on the road? Because there is usually one near by up on a wire going "car, car,car!"
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