Jump to St. Louis

So apparently I’m just not very good at updating this blog. I’ll attempt to update you since my last post. Here goes…

We made it through the Blue Ridge Mountains! I already miss them though. I’m one of those weird people who enjoys the hills… like a lot. Not only was it nice to ride through the mountains I grew up in but I also enjoy the challenge the hills bring; both mental and physical. They also provide a way to keep the biking interesting because there is always either an uphill to trudge up or a downhill to bomb down. Those downhills are much worth the effort of peddling up the hills. Hitting a cruising speed of 36 miles an hour ain’t so bad for 5 miles. Pretty exhilarating I’d venture to say.

West Virginia was a beautiful state with many hills to keep me occupied. I think my group would agree that the towns weren’t the best as far as things to explore in WV and the roads weren’t always the best (lots of potholes, bumps and crappy roads in general) but the scenery was amazing!

After a brief stint in Kentucky, like literally just a few miles, we entered the land of the buckeyes (aka Ohio). One of our hosts graciously taught us that a buckeye also comes in the form of a delicious candy made from a peanut butter fudge partially dipped in chocolate. AMAZING. Ohio was alright. Random hills here and there but definitely not the Appalachians. We rode to Cincinnati where we had a build day with Habitat for Humainty. There were numerous projects for us. Since there are 26 of us averaging just under two hands per person (I slightly bring the average down) we can get a lot done. One group put up drywall, one shoveled dirt to fill in the yard, another put shingles on a couple sheds and the last worked to clean up yards of the surrounding neighbors. Fun day with a lot of good ol work done. Felt accomplished!

On to Indiana. Land is still flat but the towns were surprisingly vibrant and full of culture. If there were mountains nearby I might consider living in one of the towns we stayed in. Bloomington stands out in my mind as one of those really neat towns. They also had a really good old fashioned ice cream parlor conplete with a coin slot music machine. Terre Haute was also a fun place being home to Indiana State University and a sweet Larry Bird statue. (He attended the university and the rest is history).

It was on to Illinois! Getting even more flat and straight… I got my first flat of the trip. It sounded like a gunshot when the tire blew which was pretty cool and a little scary. Fortunately I was carrying an extra tire and tube so, thanks to my fellow rider Donald, was able to change it and be back on my way. We cruised after that and almost caught the first group. I like going fast.

I got to see my cousin Daniel and his wife Erika in St. Louis. Awesome seeing them since its been years! We are currently headed across Missouri and then on to Kansas. Not my favorite part of the country as it is already getting real hot and stating flat. Necessary part of the trip though. And hey, I’m still biking everyday so I can’t complain! Here are some pics:

Random field in Ohio. Nice timingcool little town Their claim to fame was a tree growing out of the courthouse roof…cool!!there were sweets consumed in Bloomington..Scenic detour. This was a sweet ride while we were still in tree country

We found this awesome rock quarry where some people did some cliff jumping… Ok maybe I jumped too. Can’t pass that up!

Hit the 1000 mile mark! Only just under 3000 more to go!

Casey, Illinois- home to the largest rocking chair, mailbox, pencile? Wind chime and more. Some things debatable but neat non the less

Met this fellow in vandalia, IL. He impersonates Abe Lincoln for a living and has done so since he was 14. Pretty cool stuff. He sure knew a lot and his name was even Abe. I met him while eating lunch on the lawn of Vandalia State House where Abe kincon himself walked and worked. Original floors still intact!