Month: March 2011

I was supposed to meet Debbie and Dave at 7:30 am at the Bob Evans near the motel for breakfast.  Every other day of the tour I had slept well and felt rested when I woke up.  Tuesday night was different.  I had strange dreams and didn’t feel rested when I woke up (late).  I overslept until 7:28, so took a quick shower and ran over.  Debbie was there, but her husband wasn’t.  Apparently he decided to sleep in also.  After eating we went back to the motel to pack.

Here’s the actual route we rode, except the very end is modified for Debbie’s privacy.

Dave offered to haul my extra stuff in the car.  I cut my load down to one pannier.  Although this final day was a flatter route, it did make things easier.  I still had over 90 miles to go to get home.  They also offered to drive me home once we reached their house, which would save me 30 miles.  I accepted the offer later in the day.

The day started off cloudy and chilly.  There was also wind from the south, which did not help our forward progress.

Somewhere southwest of Columbus we came across a rather friendly horse.

As we approached Seymour, the skies started to clear in one direction and it looked like a storm coming from the northwest.  The temperature did warm a little.  I was quite comfortable.

We crossed the White River at Seymour.  I’m not trying to be like Michael, but I like this shot of the river.

We detoured off our route in Seymour to find something to eat.  The GPS had an old address for Subway, so after riding on a really busy road (Tipton St/US 50) for too long, we went to Taco Bell instead.  Not ideal touring food.  Debbie has some heartburn later in the ride.

We continued south out of Seymour.  We ended up just east of a spot on the map called Dudleytown.  It appears to be just a single intersection, and we didn’t go out of our way to check it out, as the weather was turning bad.

We fought against the headwind to try to get to Crothersville before it started raining.  It started raining the occasional large drop of rain.  We decided it was time for rain gear.  I had my J&G rain cape.  Debbie had an “emergency rain poncho”.

The skies really started to look ominous.  The wind was getting very gusty.  I mentioned the strange color of the sky in the distance, and that it could mean a tornado.  I was half-joking.

Shortly after the rain really started coming down.  The large raindrops were actually painful.  There was occasional pea-size hail.  I didn’t take any pictures at this point, as I wanted to keep the camera dry.  The new panniers kept everything dry without any extra rain covers.

The lightning never got terribly close, but in the wide-open areas of Indiana farm fields, it was very visible, and a little frightening… and I like thunderstorms.

As we rolled into Crothersville, I was unsure on rather we should take shelter and wait it out, or continue on.  We spotted a library, so I dashed in and checked the weather on one of the computers.  There was a tornado warning in effect for the area, and it looks as if the entire storm would pass within 30 minutes.

We went next-door to a Subway restaurant where we could rest, shelter, and eat.

We watched the hail continue outside for a while.  Then the weather cleared and the sun re-appeared.  We waited another few minutes for the weather warnings to expire, and continued on.

We continued out of Crothersville enjoying the sunshine and the change in wind direction.  We still didn’t have a tail-wind, but it appeared to be coming from the west.  At least it wasn’t coming from the south anymore.

I started seeing piles of what looked like snow on the side of the road.  I stopped for a closer look, it was hail.  Apparently that area got even more hail than where we were.

A little farther south, and the muddy fields were proof of how hard it had rained.

The ride to Scottsburg was quite pleasant.  We were headed due south most of the time.  The wind was from the west.  The temperatures had fallen slightly, but it was still comfortable and sunny.

We stopped at a nice little coffee shop in Scottsburg.  They didn’t seem to have a public restroom, so we detoured again to get to a gas station.

Once we got south of Scottsburg we were nearly to Debbie’s house, and in an area that I’m mostly familiar with.  It’s a rural area, and horses are popular.

It’s a scenic area, and probably the hilliest portion of our last day riding.

We reached Debbie’s house.  I did accept her offer for a ride home.  I was tired and ready to see my wife.  It would have taken me another three hours to ride home.  My daughter had come to visit, so the three of us went out for pizza (I had more beer of course).

I’ll write a wrap-up later that is less about what happened and more about how I felt about the adventure.

I got up at 6:00am and showered to prepare to head out.  It took a while to repack my bike.  I had breakfast and was down in the lobby waiting for Debbie by 9:00.

We headed out about 9:15.  We went over to the Circle of Light in downtown Indianapolis to take a few pictures before heading out.

Downtown was a mess.  It appeared that everything was under construction.  Sidewalks were fenced off.  Lanes were closed.  We began to take a street only to discover it was covered in fresh tar – we detoured around it.

We eventually worked our way away from the city center, which led us to a more suburban area.  This wasn’t great either.  There was an unused porta-toilet at a construction site that came in handy though.

Riding through suburban sprawl took a while and it wasn’t scenic enough to bother with pictures.  After we were nearly 20 miles into the ride things seemed pretty rural.

I was wearing shorts and short-sleeve jersey for the entire ride.  I was a bit chilly in the morning, but warmed up nicely and was comfortable for the rest of the day.  We had a few spatters of rain in the morning, and another in the late afternoon, but mostly it was just cloudy and windy.

The wind was unending.  It wasn’t gusty wind.  It was steady in-your-face headwind the entire route.  It did slow us down.

As we continued on in the quasi-rural area, we found someone’s rather unique lawn ornaments.

We stopped for lunch at a small pub in Franklin.  It was cheap and had only a small beer selection, but a burger and beer really hit the spot.

Our route took us along the edge of Camp Atterbury for a while.  Camp Atterbury has shunk since WWII, and the area we rode through was actively used at one point, now all that exists is overgrown lots and stubs of roads.

After getting to the main road between Camp Atterbury and Edinburgh, traffic was quite heavy and we were hugging the shoulder.  I got a laugh when a brown van with the sherrif’s logo on the side passed us.  The back was open and at least eight men were sitting on the back in uniform.  They waved and smiled as they passed.

Entering Edinburgh we rode over a bridge over the Big Blue River.  It is a river, but it’s not terribly big, and certainly didn’t look blue.

After crossing the bridge, we were looking for drinks and snacks.  We stopped at the first business, which happened to be a bait shop with a “colorful” woman working there.  They did have drinks and snacks, albeit a small variety.  They also had crickets, but I figure I eat enough bugs on the bike.

We took IN252 eastward out of town.   The original plan called for turning south shortly after crossing the freeway, but the “road” was a private farm driveway.  We continued on the busy IN252 a bit longer and turned unto S 700 W (I hate road names like that).

It was a nice rural road and we saw a young horse.  (zomg ponies!)  ((sorry))

The round-about way we detoured around the private road led us to climb and descend the same hill three times on three different roads.  Not so much a hill as a small ridge.

Did I mention the wind?  We watched a father and daughter flying kites.  Once they got them flying, they staked them to the ground, and they remained aloft.  I’d never seen that done before.

The last ten miles was just a slog into the wind and light rain to get to the motel.  It was only a 60-mile ride and the route was fairly flat, but that wind!

I felt fine when I arrived at Motel 6 in Columbus, other than needing a shower.  I took a shower, and met back up with Debbie (and her husband Dave who had driven) for dinner at a Mexican place within walking distance.  I, of course, had more beer.

The tour is not over until tomorrow.  There’s still more opportunity for beer.

I slept in until 8:00am on Sunday.  I needed the rest.  Michael, Sarah, and I went out for breakfast.  The skies were gloomy and it started raining at some point in the morning.  I was enjoying being lazy, so it was around noon before I departed on the second leg of my trip.  Michael wanted to go out for a ride, and tagged along with me for the first 30 miles or so.

My route for Sunday was planned for 80 miles.  I did ride the planned route.  I modified the GPS track below slightly for Michael’s privacy.

By the time we left his house, the rain had stopped and skies were clearing.  While riding through Bloomington, I noticed that the city is trying to be bike-friendly.  There are bike paths, bike lanes, and these traffic calming devices.

Of course after stopping to take a picture of the traffic calming device, while trying to get my heavy-ass bike moving, I managed to run into the curb.  I didn’t fall, it was just embarrassing.

We worked our way northeast through Hindustan and into Morgan-Monroe State Forest.

Michael was enjoying the ride.

At some point during the ride I noticed we were making good time as long as we weren’t climbing a steep hill.  It was a tailwind.  Much better than Saturday’s headwind.

Rural Indiana has a lot to offer…. or not.  🙂

Michael and I rolled into Martinsville and stopped for more water and snacks.  We were 30 miles in, which meant we were to part ways.  I continued north, Michael headed west.

A few miles north of Martinsville there was this imposing coal-fueled power plant.  The amount of coal piled up on the grounds was staggering.

Before long I was crossing the White River.

After a long flattish stretch that included Martinsville, I knew there would be more climbing.

The climb was up Goat Hollow Rd which once at the top was just a meandering ridge top road.  I never did see a goat though.

A few miles later I did see several sheep.  Come back here!  I need some new wool socks!

I rode through Mooresville, but didn’t stop anywhere.  I was making good time, but due to my late start was worried about how late I’d be getting to the hotel.  In Plainfield I was getting hungry and noticed Buzz’s Pizza.  They served up a decent stromboli, which I ate on a bench outdoors before continuing on.

After Plainfield it mostly became suburban hell.  Luckily, being Sunday, traffic wasn’t too bad.  The multi-lane high-speed US36 wasn’t the most pleasant, but I did have an interesting conversation with a young mother and her daughter about where I rode from and where I was riding to.  The little girl was fascinated.  Surprisingly I had no yelling or honking motorists the whole way.

Once I got inside the I-465 loop there was a bit of city traffic, but people appeared to be used to bicyclists.  I passed the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

As I approached downtown, I really began to appreciate downtown in Louisville.  Downtown Indianapolis is harder to navigate and the roads are in poor condition.  Also, for some reason, the city bus drivers are maniacs.

I eventually found my hotel and checked in.  The biggest problem there was that the tiny elevator would not accommodate my bike unless I stood it on end.  That was not an easy task with the weight I was carrying.

I made it to my room ready for a shower and bed.

Yes, I’m running a day behind on posting.  I spent last night at Michael’s house and I wanted to be social rather than holing up with my computer.  Yes, I took the laptop on tour.  I’m a geek.

I learned two important lessons about bike touring on my very first day.  Don’t overpack and overestimate the mileage you can do.

My first day route was a very hilly 110 mile day getting me to Bloomington.  I can ride that under good conditions, but add in a heavy load and a headwind, and it doesn’t work as well.

Here’s the actual route I rode on Saturday.

I left Louisville at 7:15 under cloudy skies.  There was a slim chance of rain, but it didn’t materialize.

I wandered through Clarksville and New Albany.  I climb Moser Knob Rd again.  Moser Knob Rd is steep enough that I need my granny gears on the LHT.  I felt fine on that hill, even with the extra weight.

I continued generally northwest and enjoyed the countryside.

There were a number of homes where the driveway crossed the stream… as in you have to drive through shallow water.  There was generally a small footbridge for pedestrian access.

I liked this “forest”.  It was somebody’s yard, but they had cleared all of the brush and just left the trees.

This was an old church and cemetery along Voyles Rd.

As I was coming into Pekin I crossed this old bridge.  I had been on this bridge once before on a ride with Tim.  (New) Pekin hasn’t changed much.  I stopped at a gas station for supplies and moved on.

The clouds had cleared up.  The temperature had climbed in the high-60s.  It was really turning into a nice day.  I even had to put my cycling sunglasses on to really look like a dork.  The glasses not only help with sun, but are good for preventing my eyes from watering while doing a 40mph descent.  I spent a lot more time at 4mph than 40mph though.

When I arrived in Salem, I found a small Mexican restaraunt with outdoor seating.  It was a beautiful day, and I wanted to watch my bike.  Eating outside meant I couldn’t have beer with my food, but I really didn’t need beer in the middle of this ride.

My GPS did a great job of keeping me on track on unfamiliar roads.  I did miss one turn, but that was just because I wasn’t paying attention.  I hadn’t gone far, so turning around wasn’t a big deal.

I always get chased by dogs in Southern Indiana more than anywhere else I’ve ridden.  Saturday was no exception.  At one point, three dogs came at me at once.  They didn’t look vicious, and I didn’t want to hit them, so I stopped.  That’s when I noticed one of them had three legs.  They quickly lost interest once I stopped, and I meandered on.

So what do you name a dog like this?  “Lucky” – lucky he wasn’t killed.  I’d probably name him “Tripod”.

Although I’m sure it wasn’t, this appeared to be highest point in the state.

While riding along Cox Ferry Rd (where a bridge has long since replaced the ferry), I came across something unexpected, gravel.  I don’t normally mind gravel, but I was behind schedule and the hills, weight, and headwind were hurting me.

This is the creek that Cox’s ferry must have crossed at some point.

Here’s a fine looking touring bike sitting on the bridge that replaced Cox’s ferry.

This is the climb I had to look forward to as I left the creek.

I don’t take pictures while suffering a climb.  After this climb was a nice descent, and I didn’t take pictures there as I was grinning ear to ear at 40mph.  Once I was back on the flood plain of the East Fork of the White River, it became obvious that water levels are still high.  Luckily my road was still dry.

Crossing over the river was a cool old bridge.  I have a thing for neat bridges.

As I continued on, the pavement ended again, but instead of gravel, I got good old-fashioned dirt.  There were a few small muddy spots due to the high water, but it wasn’t difficult riding.

During most of the ride I saw a lot of circling birds.  Whas it just a sign of Spring, or were they waiting for me to expire?

I came across Fort Ritner.  Fort Ritner seems to be a dying town.  It looks prone to flooding.  It seems it was mostly a railroad town, and railroads aren’t what they used to be.  There were a handful of well-kept homes, but the majority of the town was abandoned with rotting homes.  There were no businesses open.

This was a bridge over a creek on a private road.

These were typical of the town.

After leaving Fort Ritner, I continued on a road that led to another climb up unto a ridge.  Once on the ridge, the road is known as Devil’s Backbone.  I thought that was a neat name for a ridge road, especially when a one point the ridge is very narrow with steep dropoffs on each side.  Quite cool!

The weather was beautiful.  There were wildflowers sprouting up everywhere.

I had let Michael know that I was running later than I wanted to.  I explained to him that even the shallowest uphill grade was slowing my speed into the single-digits.  I had simply made too grand of plans.  He offered to pick me up.

I rode on to Bedford where he picked me up for the drive to Bloomington.  At just a bit over 80 miles, I am perfectly satisfied by the ride.

We went out for food and drinks at Upland Brewery.  Once I got back it didn’t take long before I slept through the night with no issues.  Bike touring cures insomnia.