The thunder rocked and the lightening rolled through the Great Lakes region the last few days. We’ve been dodging and chasing storms since Bowling Green.
Yesterday morning we left Lance’s home along the Huron River. The forecast was gloomy but Lance sent us off with cheer.
We made it to Vermillion when the clouds opened up and we found Granny Joe’s ice cream parlor and cafe. We set our damp selves down and watched it rain. We were still full from Lance’s breakfast but felt obligated to order. I can always drink another cup of coffee. Rhonda and Laura ordered blueberry pancakes and so I ordered one also. We were there well beyond our welcome but the gal from the shop said we could stay as long as needed. The roll’n thunder moved on but the rain kept at it for a while. Soon it stopped and we were ready to hit the road. Rhonda’s tire was low and we added air. It was a forewarning of tire issues to come.
We pedaled down the route and soon noticed there were no more corn fields and the traffic was increasing. We were heading towards a metropolis (at 380,000+ I guess it’s a metropolis. It’s big for this country boy).
In Rocky River (you should be seeing a rock theme by now) we found Century Cycles. They couldn’t help us with a new tire but we found some Stans sealant and more CO2 cartridges to replace my stash. The store was very nice, friendly and interested in our journey.
Off again, we were soon entering the outskirts of the city. We did find a unique eatery at Boss Chic ‘N Beer. The best chicken fingers period. Thanks Will.
I must confess, I’m not comfortable in urban settings, navigating through a maze of streets in ever increasing traffic. But soon Google directed us to our night’s Warm Shower host.
Troy says he signed up to host because “mean people don’t ride bikes”. Troy’s hospitality could be a blog post all by itself. His 1890’s home has been remodeled from a single home to apartments and now back to a single dwelling. Complete with oak casings, oak stair wells, a spiral stair case and a chandelier over his baby grand. He is also a marvelous cook. Cooking is more than a passion. But the highlight was the home made ice cream. Just the best.
Before we could eat we waited for another couple tourers to join us, JT and Cheryl who arrived just as the promised storm arrived. The thunder rocked the neighbored as the predicted 80 mph wind rolled through. I’m not sure it was ever 80mph there, but the next morning there was plenty debris as evidence of the storm.
We slept well. This morning Troy and I walked to one of his favorite coffee shops. The storm had cut their power, so we walked another 1/2 mile to his other favorite espresso shop. By the time we arrived we were soaked by the rain. We sipped our heavenly brew of crema while the hardest of rain fell. However we still needed to get back.
Arriving at his home the rest were ready to roll on out. Sure enough it started raining again. Troy suggested the West Side Market Cafe for brunch, another of Troys favorites and a favorite many others. The wait was not an issue as we waited for the lasted line of rocking clouds to roll past.
However, anyone can ride when the sun shines. So we headed into the heart of the city and soon found ourselves at the home of Baker Mayfield at First Energy Stadium. He wasn’t home so we kept pedaling. Around the corner was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I paid homage to the Man in Black, took a photo and off we rolled. We were way behind in our schedule and still had 50 miles to rock. Most of it through urbania. Then Rhonda’s tire went low so we pumped it up, to better roll. I hit a rock, or some other debris and my rear tire went low. Then Rhonda’s went flat. So on the curb of a convenience store in what now is a steamy humid sunny afternoon, I changed two tires. Now with tubes in them, we continued east finally leaving the metro area and finding a little respite from the traffic.
In the town of Perry we found a very nice market that also served sub sandwiches and pizza which by this hour would be our dinner. Their air conditioning was welcome.
With 14 miles to go we wondered through country roads that meandered left and right to the Geneva State Park where our very damp camp site awaited, as did the shower house. A warm cleansing shower to get the road grime and bike grease off was followed by cold refreshing water.
Camp is near the Lake Erie shore and as the sun sets, the temperature is lowering ever so slightly. I think I’ll roll into to the tent.
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