Packing up early to try to beat some of the wind today, I moved out into the cornfields. It was relatively flat and nothing but farms and corn as far as the eye can see. After about an hour of heading straight west, I had to make a couple little jogs, and before I knew it I was enveloped in a forest. ,What a surprise. The open fields disappeared, and for about 3 miles all I saw nothing but a tunnel of trees. Completely unexpected but greatly appreciated. Nothing like a few turns and some change of scenery to pass the miles away.
Today I came across another closed road. Stopping at a local gas station to get some information, they told me it was impassable. After looking at all of my options, which included traveling down some very unsafe roads, I decided I was going to bridge and see about crossing it on foot.
When I arrived at the blockage, the construction crew was in the process of clearing the remnants of the side road. They informed me tomorrow the bridge would be non-existent. After surveying the land on both sides. I was considering walking through the brush and the river to cross. The gentleman let me pass without getting my feet wet. Thank God because the detour wasn’t pretty.
The day continued unexpectedly. I was protected from the wind by the different twists and turns and the interesting landscape. I truly expected nothing but fields today but that was the smallest part of today. The miles clicked by as a scenery was constantly changing and I couldn’t help but thoroughly thank God for what a great ride today was. I took several breaks along the road and stopped in a small convenience store to grab a quick bite of food. Talking to the attendants they thought I was from another planet because of the mirror attached to my sunglasses which was on the top of my head facing straight up. When they questioned it I showed them how it worked and pointed out that I was always looking to see who was coming up behind me. Today the traffic was very minimal. After leaving that small convenience store I did not have too many miles left but as I traveled these roads dividing the different fields I came across a very rugged difficult gravel road. This road caused a little concern because it was so rough I thought I might get a flat. About a mile and a half later I finally reached pavement again and my speed increased dramatically. The final section was relatively straight up and down several hills, But then I cram across a farm with three dogs. I immediately Dismounted and put the bike between me and the three large dogs. Thankfully they stayed in their yard as I walked the length of their property before I resume pedaling. Couple houses later I ran into John who was sweeping out the local fire department and he came out to talk to me for a few moments. He wished me well and I moved on for the last few miles to my destination. Today was far better than I thought it would be the wind did not hinder me as much as yesterday and All in all it was good to start early and end early. Taking care of some business later in the evening it was time to just rest and review the next few days.
