Day 49. Huntington
56 miles 1,293 feet
Circling back to last night: We bought sandwiches, potato salad and corn in Kroger's to make dinner in the Best Western breakfast area. We found no sweet corn for sale on the route and couldn't find corn in the husk in the grocery store, only a shrink-wrapped four cob pack of unknown origin. We bought it and cooked it in the microwave wrapped in wax paper and slathered it with butter. It was fairly good, but we still missed fresh from the field corn in this land of corn.
This morning after breakfast we retraced part of yesterday's route and parted ways as Jacob headed southeast toward Pittsburgh and I northeast toward Lake Erie. It took me over an hour and 14 miles to get back on the route and head east. The ACA route to Huntington showed 66 miles—a reasonable day—but I found a shortcut trimming 10 miles so finished at 56 miles. Short, and allowing me to rest between sandwiched 84 mile days.
The highlight today was Salamonie River State Forest, a cool, dense deciduous forest that was beautiful and unlike any forest I can remember. There were tall oaks, sycamore, cottonwood, beech, maple, black walnut and hickory. These are hardwoods I don't see in the west. (In searching for this list of trees on the web I ran across a website from the Indiana Forest Alliance objecting to planned logging within the forest. I don't know if this is happening or not.)
After riding through the forest, the route crosses a dam and deposits you in familiar fields of corn and soybeans until reaching Huntington. It was a short and pleasant ride.
In less than 200 miles I'll be on the shore of Lake Erie!
To summarize the last 500 miles through the rural midwest I offer this Haiku:
Circling back to last night: We bought sandwiches, potato salad and corn in Kroger's to make dinner in the Best Western breakfast area. We found no sweet corn for sale on the route and couldn't find corn in the husk in the grocery store, only a shrink-wrapped four cob pack of unknown origin. We bought it and cooked it in the microwave wrapped in wax paper and slathered it with butter. It was fairly good, but we still missed fresh from the field corn in this land of corn.
This morning after breakfast we retraced part of yesterday's route and parted ways as Jacob headed southeast toward Pittsburgh and I northeast toward Lake Erie. It took me over an hour and 14 miles to get back on the route and head east. The ACA route to Huntington showed 66 miles—a reasonable day—but I found a shortcut trimming 10 miles so finished at 56 miles. Short, and allowing me to rest between sandwiched 84 mile days.
The highlight today was Salamonie River State Forest, a cool, dense deciduous forest that was beautiful and unlike any forest I can remember. There were tall oaks, sycamore, cottonwood, beech, maple, black walnut and hickory. These are hardwoods I don't see in the west. (In searching for this list of trees on the web I ran across a website from the Indiana Forest Alliance objecting to planned logging within the forest. I don't know if this is happening or not.)
After riding through the forest, the route crosses a dam and deposits you in familiar fields of corn and soybeans until reaching Huntington. It was a short and pleasant ride.
In less than 200 miles I'll be on the shore of Lake Erie!
To summarize the last 500 miles through the rural midwest I offer this Haiku:
Gigantic green lawns
Biotech corn and soy beans
Flags and big mowers
Parting selfie of Jacob and myself. We will meet again!
Trains blocked the way several times. They stop and you don't know when they will start again so you have to find an underpass or the end of the train, whichever is closest.
Another gas station/convenience store lunch
Lawns in the rural midwest are enormous. Can you spot the house?
Beautiful Salamonie River State Forest.
