Day 25
Six-Oh-Three

We had lots of hills today...that's what makes this such a good riding day.  Some of them are pretty steep too.  Just before lunch, we turn onto hwy 603 which is also marked as the Cardinal Bicycle Trail.  That means there are more cyclists than just us who brave this stretch of road.  This road is really a roller coaster and a fun, beautiful contrast to the flat farmland of the last couple of days.  In a vehicle, you can sustain zero Gs as you top several of the peaks.  The picture to the left might give you an idea of what the terrain was like.  We were worried that AJ might just get to within 10 yards of the top and then roll backwards toward the bottom and then like a marble in a bathtub, coast back and forth up one side then down the other until he bottomed out at the low point.  But that was not the case...he, like everyone else, did a great job on those tough rollers.  By the time everyone got to the lunch SAG, they were all smiling and commenting on how great a day and ride it was...I think they'd already forgotten about the rain this morning.  We had a rider last year mention at the SAG that he was having so much fun that it should be illegal. 

This day is always a favorite and for more reasons than just the good scenery and terrain.  Everywhere you look there are wildlife scenes...Canadian Geese, deer, Wild Turkeys, Groundhogs, and other small game are always scurrying around on the roads.  We usually are also greeted with ever present farm dog who is usually curious as to what all these bikers are doing riding through their territory.  Someone made an observation last year about some cultural differences of farm dogs in Ohio...they seem to be more friendly than other states.  I think they are just used to more cyclists riding by or maybe they have eaten so many cyclists that they are more choosey than the hungry dogs out west...think?

After lunch the hills never let up.  I'm thinking that if we would have had this day earlier in the ride, several wouldn't have survived, but now they are so strong that these hills are sometimes fun.  I spent the afternoon bouncing back and forth between the last riders and taking photos of the terrain.  One of our favorite photo ops is of the pink pig that sits atop one of the first climbs after lunch.  The gentleman who lives there said he just wanted to put that pig in his yard...much to the chagrin of his family.  But now, it's a landmark that has to be photographed when ever we ride through.  He's even added a "piglet" a couple years ago, but someone must have stolen it...or it grew up and became a honey ham.

All in all, it turned out to be a pretty good day and all were in by 4:00 in spite of all the hills, the early rains, a bridge out near the motel, and a changed intersection as we approached the motel.  After several people mentioned the cues seemed to be wrong as they approached the motel, Karen and I went back out (we hadn't come in that way originally) and surveyed the situation and sure enough, Ohio DOT in all their wisdom redesigned an exit ramp we were using.  Frankly, I'm surprised anyone found the motel with the directions on the cue sheet after they made the changes, when I drove it checking it out, I knew where I was going and I got lost.  But when we did a head count, everyone was in...can't fool these riders. 

Everyone was really psyched about all the steep hills today, but all I heard at the SAG and the motel was how much fun the hills were or how tough they seemed to be.  They all admitted they never thought they would say that terrain like this could be so much fun...That's the way it is on this day...the ups are challenging, but the downs are fantastic.

Well, we are closing in on the ocean...we only have 7 more days.  I think they are starting to realize how fast the time is going.  blink and we'll be in the sand in Salsbury...but for now, we concentrate on tomorrow's 96 miles...join us then.