Well our biking wonder~~Steve, arrived in Cowan Lake State Park about an hour ago. His travels took him from Richmond, Indiana to Cowan Lake, logging 72.7 miles. Crossing into the Eastern Time Zone today, he realized that having started a little later actually put him into camp an extra hour later by the clock. Cowan Lake is southeast of Dayton and northeast of Cincinnati. The one drawback for the night is that he is in the flight pattern for incoming jets to Cincinnati Airport. Welcome to the wilds of a more populated area, right?
When I asked what he wanted to share with others about his day, he said, “It is definitely busier. There’s a lot more traffic and more people. And it is hillier once again. Ohio seems to have even more trees than Indiana.” This evening’s sleep will serve as a stark contrast to the June night in Jeffrey City, Wyoming, which is registered as an honest-to-goodness ghost town. The only sign of life there was the grazing pronghorn antelope near his campsite the next morning! He also said that when he looked at his Ohio map this morning, he decided to head towards Lebanon as it was not printed in bold on the map, meaning it was a smaller town. Well, 17,000 population IS large!! Also comparing the maps of Wyoming to Ohio, Sweetwater Junction was listed in small print on the Wyoming map and was actually a junction in the road with a gas station and rest area. I guess it’s a matter of the masses squeezing into less space.
Steve also indicated that he’s experiencing a smidgen of physical and mental fatigue. While he has moved up his finale in Yorktown, Virginia to either Monday, August 15 or Tuesday, August 16, he hopes to take a rest day when he rolls into Parkersburg, Ohio in a few days. We just want him to remain healthy and safe. I admire all that he’s accomplished so far, having logged around 3,800 miles. He needs to keep up his stamina and concentration. Thanks for all of your prayers, good thoughts, and emails of encouragement. He said that he feels quite humbled and indebted to everyone.
~~Love, Diane
Hi Bill,
Wow…what a nice message. I’ll make sure and share it with Steve. Last week we actually spoke of you as Mark Steffens, Jeremy, and I rode with Steve. Mark talked about some riding that he’s done with you. We knew your organized ride was coming up and I’m glad that you and your team did it again. And the fact that it benefits M.S. is wonderful. Go Team Sparky!
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!
Diane