Bishop Bike Adventure Day 43 August 12, 2010

We were ready to have our new rubber meet the road, which would be into Indiana early in yet another hot day. The favorable wind direction of the previous day had vanished and we were back to pedaling with resistance. Unfortunately, because of our bike maintenance issue from yesterday, we were off our bike map routes and had difficulty finding map resources for Indiana. We received some guidance that directed us to the Indiana State line. We both agreed that our entry into Indiana was inauspicious at best. It seemed all conditions eroded as we entered the State. The road shoulder narrowed into oblivion; the pavement degraded into a washboard; the volume of truck traffic became constant; and there was no "Welcome to Indiana" sign. Furthermore, in this area, gone were the beautiful vistas that we had been enjoying in Illinois.

We made it to the first service station in the State and bought a map. We were then befriended by a truck driver from West Virginia named John. John had a coffee with us while we ate lunch. We discovered that the route we were on was an east/west thoroughfare for trucks avoiding the Chicago traffic. After some deliberation, we decided to head south in search of the familiarity of our bike map routing. We knew that it would put us onto some less traveled roads. We made our way to Rensselaer for an early end to the day because there were no accommodations within a few hours more travel. The trip south came on better roads, and we were also re-introduced to the expansive farmland that we just left in Illinois. The result of the day’s travel was some redundant north/south mileage that did not advance us to our goal of the east coast. However, we realize that it was beneficial to get the new tires installed before proceeding.

We did enjoy the early finish and had a fun evening getting caught up on some matters. We also enjoyed some KFC and Dairy Queen treats. We are grateful for yet another day of beautiful weather and safe travels. We find ourselves on the eastern edge of the Central zone, which we will leave early tomorrow, signaling our further progress toward home.