USNA 1973 Ride-2-Remember

Day 48, 20 September: Goshen, IN to Archbold, OH

0700 start.

Being a little east of Lake Michigan afforded us a warmer start this morning. 58F vs. yesterday’s 48F to be precise. It rained all night and we were on wet roads until 9:45 am or so.

Today we went 85 miles with 2565’ of ascent. All small hills, but about 200 of them. Just enough to get your legs working hard to get over them.

We rode past many spotless Mennonite farms with Mark commenting that their yards were more immaculate than most Major League Baseball parks. The downside was the Mennonites use horses and buggies to get around and the roads are covered in horse manure. Throw in that with the wet roads, and our bikes and ourselves were covered in you-know-what from head to toe. And this all occurred in the first 30 miles or so. Remember we’re going 85 miles today. So the sun comes out and all the road detritus dries hard to us and our bikes.  We leave Indiana behind and cruise into Ohio after Tes and I are attacked 3 different times today by unleashed dogs. Didn’t know we could pedal so fast.

After deli sandwiches at mile 60 rest stop, we blow through our 75-mile rest stop since we’re on the highway now and the Support Crew is looking for us to be on the trail, and hightail it to Sauder Homestead stopping at their bakery before checking in, to devour a whole cherry pie between the 5 of us.

Jim Lash arrived from Pittsburgh to provide moral support and very graciously bought us dinner. These unselfish acts by our classmates to come support us is so humbling, I have trouble putting into words what it means to the 5 of us. Thank you.

Non Sibi

Dave Haefner