Big Ride Day 36

Photos from Day 36

We pulled up stakes early and got on the road for the long ride to Laporte. Not long after hitting the road, the rain started to come down. It never came down that hard and it was warm but the streets were constantly wet throughout the morning. This made the riding rather treacherous. A moderate tailwind allowed us to ride at high speeds that at times felt a little too fast for comfort but we pressed on anyway. About a third of the way into the ride, Mary needed to stop to go to the bathroom so we pulled up at this YMCA along the route and asked them to use their bathroom. In the lobby were about 10-15 retired men and women hanging out and they began to bombard us with questions -- what were we doing, where were we going, what was our purpose, etc. Apparently, they had been seeing cyclists go by all day long and no one had stopped. We happily answered their questions and left. Just as we were pulling out of the parking lot, one woman came running after us waving a fifty-dollar bill in her hand, which she gave to us as a donation towards our efforts. I'll always remember that as a symbol of the generosity of all the people along the way.

We pushed on towards checkpoint and came across an accident scene. It soon became clear that the worst had come true -- one of our cyclists had been hit by a car. Apparently, the accident was the cyclist's fault but I was never able to confirm that. After seeing that grisly scene, we all decided to take it a little easier for the rest of the day. What a terrible thing to happen! Just a mile or two after the accident, we came across the checkpoint for the day where the mood was somber.

Soon after that, we encountered the Indiana state line and indulged in the ritual of picture-taking and etc before pressing on towards Laporte. The roads began to get really bad and we entered one of the worst stretches we'd encountered since Minnesota. The weather was hot and muggy, the roads were under construction, the shoulders were in terrible shape, and we encountered one shopping area after the next. We plowed through it for some 30 miles before finally getting a break. Like a mirage, we saw a Schlotsky's Deli and immediately dived in for some refreshment. I have always been a huge fan of Scholtsky's and had just recently converted Doug. We both dove into our sandwiches and enjoyed some big glasses of lemonade before pushing on to Laporte.

We arrived to a huge hometown welcome as promised by Larry, a Laporte resident and rider. There were signs all the way in from he edge of town routing us on. The camp was in a park with a big pavilion and there was great food, bands playing, people dancing, even an impromptu conga line. As if that wasn't enough, it was also the first night of the Laporte. I went over and checked it out and it was really fun! I've never been to a real, down-home county fair before. There were rides and animal exhibits and even a demolition derby which I was able to sneak into. What a fun night.

This page modified November 25, 2000