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Day 27

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE ROAD

Yesterday Tomorrow

ROUTE: Wooster to Warren OH

DISTANCE: 97 Miles

TOTAL CLIMBING: 2800 Feet

DAILY REPORT: Sunny and warm, high 75. Light and variable wind all day.

The day started out tame enough...early breakfast and early departure into the misty Ohio countryside. It was a bit on the brisk side with temperatures in the mid 50s an promising wind most of the day. That wasn't the biggest worry I had...we've never come through here that they weren't working on the roads. That means lots of detours usually await us...today was no exception.

Our first challenge was right out of the motel. I went an alternate route to get ahead of the riders and Barb followed them with the luggage van. Our first turn...the road was out. She couldn't find any riders so she figured they had found a way through...they had. The road was gone for about a half mile but the surface was hard enough to get through with the bikes. Whew...we got through one problem area.

Our next challenge was getting around the Akron airport where they are lengthening the runway and using our route for heavy equipment. Plus, they had even changed the name of the road...what's with that? The last 3 times we've come through we've had to detour around. This year we had to take virtually the same detour as last time...it only added a couple miles, but on century days a couple more miles always seems to add up. By the time all the riders had gone through Barbara had set up the SAG and I was behind everyone...life is back to normal again...and it would stay that way the rest of the day...whew again.

Some of the ride today was in more urban areas, but the majority was still rural. The terrain wasn't flat either by any stretch of the imagination. The hills today were short and steep and they were continuous in some areas especially midday. We had it all today as far as road surface...smooth country roads, complicated urban streets, complicated construction areas, beautiful quiet bike path, but the biggest challenge with today's route was a section of rough road surface after the first SAG stop. Ohio has some of the most beautiful countryside, but in contrast, in spots it has some of the roughest roads one could imagine...some said pothole was the word of the day. Karen had so much fun riding one stretch of bumpy road that she threatened to call the county road commissioner and file a complaint. It's hard to tell everybody about all the bumps because they seem to be in a different area every year. Every year they fix one section and another section gets worse from the freeze and thaw of the Ohio winters...there's no getting around it so we press on. One good note though, they fixed one of the worst roads so they are working on making these roads better. We will be overjoyed when they finally fix the rest of them on our route, but by then the good ones will be bad. Soon we'll be in New York where they have the best road surfaces in the country...at least where we ride. Hey! That's tomorrow!

Everyone got in fairly early in spite of the distractions and construction they encountered...they are getting strong. Also, the route with all its navigational challenges didn't keep us from our destination...Tom even made it in. It's amazing what the group will go through to get to the next meal.

We had rap early since we have a long day tomorrow and we'll be riding to breakfast across the street. Tomorrow we head to Dunkirk...it will be a 3 state ride...Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. At 137 miles, it will be our longest day since Kirksville...but it will not be nearly as strenuous...depending on the winds. Hopefully, we'll have a favorable day but we're expecting thunderstorms most of the day. Just another day in paradise...See you then.

PS NOTE: Got a visit from a prior ABB rider...Mathew Marcinek came to visit...great to see you again Mathew. Say hello to my old F. Moser bike for me.

YOU DON'T SAY:

"My teeth rattled out on that road."

"Are there any roads in Ohio that aren't being worked on?"

"I thought 603 was hilly...then I got to Smith Kramer."

"I didn't get lost once today!! Several times, but not once!"

"My computer fell off!

"Hey fellas...we're down to only 7 more days...you can count them on one hand now."
"You must have a funny hand."
"Sorry, I mean down to single digits."

PHOTOS OF THE DAY
And they really mean it.	We always look for the Smart Road when planning our routing.
But if we can't always find the Smart Road, we'll settle for "De Good" road.	The evening ritual...butt off the saddle, fee up!