Day 18 Blue Samaritan June 9th

Xenia OH to Brookville OH via Tipp City 55 miles (874)

Today this gentleman saved my bacon. More on that later. 

Around 6:30 this morning, I sent a clarifying email to a Warm Showers member in Dayton, OH asking for advice on the best bridge to use to cross over the Great Miami River. My RidewGPS app said to use the 5th street bridge, but googlemaps bicycle mode said to use the Monument Ave bridge.  When I was ready to begin my ride at 8 am, I had not receives a reply, so I did what I usually do and put my phone in airplane mode. As I was approaching Dayton I thought to myself I would simply ask another local rider if or when I came upon one. After about 15 miles I was stopped at a park and saw a cyclist come from the other direction who stopped and was looking at a map. I went up to him and asked him if he was familiar with the Dayton area. He tilted his head and looked at me quizzically and asked,  "What's your name?" A bit taken aback, but wanting to give the benefit of the doubt I replied, "I'm Rolff - what is your name?" He said, "I'm Freddie - didn't you get my call and text?"   Freddie is the warm showers person that I had texted for advice! He tried calling and texting when my phone was in airplane mode. When he received no reply, he guesstimated where I might be on the Dayton bicycle trail system. Even though it was threatening rain, he donned his rain jacket and started riding towards me in hopes of  being able to help me. He advised that we stay away from the central Dayton area and stay on the east and north sides of Dayton. We rode together for quite some distance and then ate breakfast together. I am grateful once again for a Warm Showers member helping me around an urban area! 

This is Freddie. He is 79 years young and is the National duathlon champion for his age group.  

Came upon this big guy on the trail next to the Great Miami River. 

About 15 miles after leaving Freddie,  I took a picture of the threatening weather ahead of me. I was warm and even though it was sprinkling I did not put on my rain jacket, thinking I would wait until I really needed it. Once I got on US 40, a very busy road but with a decent shoulder, the skies opened up. First in sheets, then in buckets. I could barely see and was concerned that the traffic could barely see me. There was no place to shelter, though, so I pressed on, getting wetter than soaked. I finally saw some trees up ahead and decided I would stop there and put on my rain jacket. The trees offered no real shelter from the buckets of rain pouring down on me. I put on my jacket as quickly as possible, then got back out on the busy, wet road. I am grateful that the drivers in Ohio are very considerate of bicycles. I  continued riding looking for shelter and finally found a carport that I ducked into. I was walking around in the carport wondering how long before the rain would let up. I went to drink some water from the straw connected to my hydration system - and it wasn't there. I had left my hydration back packed with lots of important necessities under the tree! 

Given the unsafe conditions, I knew I didn't want to go back and forth to get it so I began weighing my options.  When the rain let up I ran into a nearby car parts store, where a customer was shooting the breeze with the sales clerks.  I interrupted and said that I had a bit of a situation. The customer said, "Tell me about it." I told him that I had accidentally left my backpack a ways down the road under a tree. He then told me to hop in his truck and he would take me to get it. When he opened the passenger door his dog hopped in the front seat. He commanded, "Kiera - back seat." and his dog quickly went to the back seat. We eventually found my pack and when we returned to the car parts store he told me he was a retired K-9 patrolman, but still has his dog Kiera. (See a picture of his card above.) 

Here is a picture of the some of the contents of my pack that I spread out to dry.