Day 42: Huntington, Ind. to Defiance, Ohio

This morning, we experienced something we haven’t for a little while. When we stepped outside the hotel, it was cooler outside than it had been inside. It was a full ten degrees cooler as we rode out of Huntington, which made for much nicer conditions biking for the entire day. After leaving town, we quickly rejoined the Adventure Cycling route, and enjoyed a more verified route all the way to Defiance. You could definitely tell the difference being on the Adventure Cycling route, as everyone in the towns and at our stops knew to ask “where did you start and where are you heading,” and didn’t seem particularly surprised by our route. We passed through Monroeville which, despite being a small town, apparently tries to be very accommodating to touring cyclists. The map lists the phone number for the mayor, who will let cyclists into the town bunkhouse. One of the cashiers at a convenience store in the town prior said if we stayed there the local paper would want to put us in the paper. We opted just for pancakes in Monroeville, which were very good.

Just a few miles after Monroeville, we entered our 10th state of the trip as we crossed into Ohio. Things didn’t look particularly different, but there was one glaring difference. About two miles from the border, Ed noticed that there were all of the sudden a lot of windmills on the horizon, and it looked like they started right at the state line. We don’t think that we saw any in Indiana, though we’re not totally sure. Perhaps Hoosiers prefer their energy of the petrified-dinosaur-blood variety.

It ended up being our third consecutive day over 80 miles, and we were glad as we approached the last few miles into Defiance. Unfortunately, just as we rolled into town, we noticed a “road closed” sign on our way. Typically these just mean we sneak through a construction zone or take a brief detour. However, this road was actually the bridge across Maumee River, which we needed to cross to get to our hotel. After consulting the map, we learned that our 80 mile day was going ot be closer to 90, and hunkered down for a long, windy detour in heavy afternoon traffic.

Knowing that the bridge is out, we stayed closer to home this evening, enjoyed some Mexican food and planned out our route for tomorrow. Tomorrow, we’ll be entering our 11th state of the trip as we head to Adrian to visit my aunt and uncle in Adrian. We’ll take our third rest day of the trip tomorrow, so for those of you following along, we may not post again until Monday evening.

By the numbers;
Miles traveled: 88
Total climbing: 869 ft.
Average pace: 13.5 mph
Minimum Temperature: 55F
Average temperature: 75F
Miles until first cornfields: 4
Pancakes consumed: 4
Defiance Ohio songs stuck in my head: 1 (specifically, this one: https://youtu.be/NuTmSmK5GzI)

 Murals in Paulding, Ohio.

 Sunrise over cornfields this morning.

 Take a close look at this one. That is a sizable sailboat in a tiny pond on someone’s rural farm property.

Leaving the hotel this morning, shivering in the frigid temps.

 Passing into Ohio.

Passing through Yoder, a town that Ed remembered visiting when he was younger. The first, but probably not the last familiar territory.