Lazy River Resort and Campground was shrouded with morning mist very early. I headed over to the party barn early to get a shower. The first two showers didn't work at all except as spider habitats. I then looked for the shower that was mostly dust free, and I was able to get a stream of water from it. It was completely cold. The campground was a bartered bargain at $10, and I got what I paid for. I was still thankful to wash off two days of road riding in that dirty stall. My cellphone charged completely there too. I can't complain.
I was starving. The only place I thought that I could find on the way to Angola, Indiana were maybe in Montpelier which was 6 miles south of Route 20, which I wanted to take to Angola. A kind guy on the motorcycle confirmed this with me, and said I could maybe find a McDonald's there. You can't pedal without food, and Angola was still 20 miles off. I decided to make the trek and ended up at Rowe's Recreation where I had an egg sandwich and some fried potatoes. A lot of older people were congregating there early on a Sunday morning at large tables. An older man sat next to me and was asking me questions about my tour. He liked living in the country and had worked 39 years at a nearby plant. He looked old enough to be retired to me. It's too long to work in a factory. He gave me directions for going west and also warned me about dogs on some of the more "country" roads, which was foreshadowing.
After biking through the water banned region of Toledo the day before, I was comforted by the city limit brag signs that Montpelier had award-winning water 3 times in the last decade. I took a sip of water accidentally at the restaurant and freaked out. Residents assured me that they got their water "from a glacier." Isn't Lake Erie from a glacier too? I guess they have another glacial source of water that is separate from what Toledo residents drink.
I headed west on country roads from Montpelier and was chased by a dog on my way back to Route 20. There was a truck heading toward it, and it scurried away. Route 20 from Angola to La Grange was constant rollers up and down. The shoulder was wide enough for a car, and I felt fairly safe riding my bike in it. In La Grange, I made the decision to go through Shipshewana instead of Goshen, which I think was the right choice. I didn't know that Shipshewana was home to Mennonite families. The roads were slow enough for me because they were used to speed of horse and carriages. That day, I empirically learned that my bike was much faster than at least three buggies.
While going through Shipshewana, I just followed a constant trail of compacted horse manure for maybe 20 miles. I also was able to take the Pumpkinvine Trail, which was a bike-only trail, for 16 miles I think. It was shade covered, and I think it helped speed up my pace. Every bike trail I found like this served to fast forward my trip. This trail even had a Dairy Queen on it as an extra bonus. I kept riding through picturesque Bristol and then eventually arrived in Elkhart, Indiana, RV Capitol of the World. I stayed at Elkhart Campgrounds and ended up having a lovely conversation with Matt and Jenny, who are semi-retired. They broke the ice with me by presenting me with a quarter-watermelon and a plastic spoon. I ate it all. We sat by their campfire as Jenny told me the history of all the people in her life. Both Matt and Jenny had red-headed daughters named Melissa who both were widows and both had cancer themselves. They seemed very much in love with each other.
Lazy River Resort and Campground was shrouded with morning mist very early. I headed over to the party barn early to get a shower. The first two showers didn't work at all except as spider habitats. I then looked for the shower that was mostly dust free, and I was able to get a stream of water from it. It was completely cold. The campground was a bartered bargain at $10, and I got what I paid for. I was still thankful to wash off two days of road riding in that dirty stall. My cellphone charged completely there too. I can't complain.
I was starving. The only place I thought that I could find on the way to Angola, Indiana were maybe in Montpelier which was 6 miles south of Route 20, which I wanted to take to Angola. A kind guy on the motorcycle confirmed this with me, and said I could maybe find a McDonald's there. You can't pedal without food, and Angola was still 20 miles off. I decided to make the trek and ended up at Rowe's Recreation where I had an egg sandwich and some fried potatoes. A lot of older people were congregating there early on a Sunday morning at large tables. An older man sat next to me and was asking me questions about my tour. He liked living in the country and had worked 39 years at a nearby plant. He looked old enough to be retired to me. It's too long to work in a factory. He gave me directions for going west and also warned me about dogs on some of the more "country" roads, which was foreshadowing.
After biking through the water banned region of Toledo the day before, I was comforted by the city limit brag signs that Montpelier had award-winning water 3 times in the last decade. I took a sip of water accidentally at the restaurant and freaked out. Residents assured me that they got their water "from a glacier." Isn't Lake Erie from a glacier too? I guess they have another glacial source of water that is separate from what Toledo residents drink.
I headed west on country roads from Montpelier and was chased by a dog on my way back to Route 20. There was a truck heading toward it, and it scurried away. Route 20 from Angola to La Grange was constant rollers up and down. The shoulder was wide enough for a car, and I felt fairly safe riding my bike in it. In La Grange, I made the decision to go through Shipshewana instead of Goshen, which I think was the right choice. I didn't know that Shipshewana was home to Mennonite families. The roads were slow enough for me because they were used to speed of horse and carriages. That day, I empirically learned that my bike was much faster than at least three buggies. 
While going through Shipshewana, I just followed a constant trail of compacted horse manure for maybe 20 miles. I also was able to take the Pumpkinvine Trail, which was a bike-only trail, for 16 miles I think. It was shade covered, and I think it helped speed up my pace. Every bike trail I found like this served to fast forward my trip. This trail even had a Dairy Queen on it as an extra bonus. I kept riding through picturesque Bristol and then eventually arrived in Elkhart, Indiana, RV Capitol of the World. I stayed at Elkhart Campgrounds and ended up having a lovely conversation with Matt and Jenny, who are semi-retired. They broke the ice with me by presenting me with a quarter-watermelon and a plastic spoon. I ate it all. We sat by their campfire as Jenny told me the history of all the people in her life. Both Matt and Jenny had red-headed daughters named Melissa who both were widows and both had cancer themselves. They seemed very much in love with each other.
No comments:
Post a Comment