Wabash was a much needed break, filled with wonderful food, including my aunt Audrey’s famous pasta salad and grandma jean’s blueberry pie. I was able to visit with my grandfather, Guy Buch, who is 91 and who continues to care for everyone around him. I miss him greatly and have been looking forward to seeing him since the beginning of this trip. I also got to hang out with my cousin Megan and her daughters Chloe and Ava. We spent hours playing in the pool, playing cards and we even got to see Ghost Busters before it left the theaters. It was a great summer movie! Best of all, my mom flew up from Florida to visit and see us off for the next leg of our trip. We caught up on laundry, bills, and was able to watch a few of the Olympic games. THANK YOU FAMILY!
Category: 2016 Northern Tier: The ride
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Day 60 Rensselaer to Wabash, IN 84 miles
We created our own trail today, staying on highway 16 for most of the day. It was in the mid 90’s and we took breaks between corn/soy fields where we could find taller trees and some shade. I had picked up an avocado from the mexican grocery the night before and enjoyed it as my second breakfast. At around 5pm we made it to Denver, IN where our ipods changed into the eastern time zone. We ate a quick dinner at a sandwich shop and headed south on the Nickel Plate bike trail for a few miles before cutting east on 100 east into Wabash. We rode right up to my aunt and uncles house and had a great welcome from the Hahn family and my mom!!! We are taking a few days here to relax and catch up with family.
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Day 59 Odell, IL to Rensselaer, IN 89 miles
FLAT FLAT FLAT!!! We made it into Indiana our 9th state! The trail took us on back country roads for most of the day as we passed through corn fields taller than us. The rows of corn walled off both sides of the road and we could only look ahead at the twists and turns in the maze. Corn on one side, soy on the other. We made to Iroquios, 62 miles in and took a break at the city park. We could camp here tonight. John, the caretaker showed us the showers, refrigerator with ice cold water and even an air conditioned room where we could sleep. His eight year old daughter, Sarah drew us a picture and tried to convince us to stay. She said she loved when bikers came to the park. Matt and I debated over trailmix whether to push on or stay. It was only 2pm and we decided with Wabash Indiana, dangling like a carrot in front of us, we decided to push on. We made it Rensselaer just in time to head to a mexican grocery and get a few tacos before bed. I am so thankful for the flats!
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Day 58 Wenona, IL to Odell, IL 34.5 miles
Short day! We biked with Andrew for the morning, but I was going very slow and we said goodbye after a few miles. He was headed a little farther than we were that night and like most of the people we meet, we know chances of meeting back up are slim. After a few hours of biking, I didn’t feel good and was incredibly tired. I decided to call it a day and we camped in Odell’s city park. The manager came over and told us we could use the showers at the local pool. YESSS!!!
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Day 57 Cambridge, IL to Wenona, IL 75 miles
We woke up early and were packed and ready to go. We said goodbye to Andrew and had told him where we were headed that night. A nice easy day on flat roads separated by corn and soy farms. Andrew met up with us that night where we set up our tents under a pavilion at the city park. I had started not feeling well, put in my ear plugs, put my face cover on and went to bed early.