napoleon, ohio

Welcome to Ohio . . . we will be here for five nights. 

Day 42 of pedaling was flat, green, and tailwinds in Indiana and Ohio. That's it! We pedaled 52.04 miles from Kendallville, Indiana to Napoleon, Ohio. Another state finished! On to the Atlantic! No flats today and we are now at 2,635.81 miles with approximately 928.03 miles remaining! Today's ride included more Road Closed and Detour signs on Route 6 but they were passable on a bike. I did have to push my bike through grass, around a huge chasm across the road, around mud, and back onto the road. Margaret drove the detour and said it was a forty mile trip out of the way. It's one thing to do a detour in a car but a way bigger thing to pedal an extra forty miles on a bike.

Barns dot the Indiana and Ohio landscape where we are riding. We have seen barns in every state where we've pedaled. Barn design seems to differ with each state but, basically, they all provide housing for cattle, farm equipment, and grain storage. Barns are architectural gems whatever their design may be. Many of the barns I've seen could house two or three of the farmers' or ranchers' homes. As a kid, I loved climbing in local barns, catching pigeons at night, and even sleeping in some. To a kid, like me, barns were wooden wonderlands to climb, explore, play, and pretend. A barn could be a huge sailing vessel, a fort, or a series of hand-made tunnels amidst the hay and straw bales. Seeing a barn in the process of collapsing is sad to me. These giants of America are the foundations of many farms and when they're gone a big part of our history and culture is gone with them. I think, with a whole lot of work and elbow grease, a barn would make an incredible home.

Fremont, Ohio is our destination tomorrow. From here in Napoleon, we have about fifty-four miles of pedaling. Shouldn't be bad and if we leave early, we can be in Fremont by noon. 

As I pedal through America, I am once again reminded of the greatness of America. I love to see the red, white, and blue of Old Glory. Sometimes, as I ride by, I simply salute and say the Pledge to myself or even out loud. You know, right now, we have some sorry, spoiled brat, stinking attitude, Olympic tryouts who refuse to put their hands over their hearts and recognize the Pledge or the National Anthem. To these little brats, I say, "Find a country that you like, go there, compete for it, and stay there. And don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you. We don't need you." I know that none of those cry babies will be reading this, but if one does, this is for you:

And . . . for you athlete cry-babies, let me remind you of something. You can only get away with your brat-like ranting and raving because you live in the United States of America. Grow up and get over it!

"Blessed is the Nation Whose God is the Lord" (Psalm 33:12).

Liberty . . . brought to you by real heroes who were not whiners, losers, and cry-babies!