Day 25 June 16th Street Names

Hanna IN to St John IN 46 miles (1,174)

I'm sure the country street names in Indiana make sense to somebody. I could probably figure it out if I had the mental capacity/energy or took the time to Google it. I like to preview my ride the night before or in the early morning by clicking on the turn-by-turn directions provided by the RideWGPS app. This way I have some familiarity with street names as I come upon them during the day. However with every Indiana country road given a number, I cannot tell if the road is one that I saw during my turn by turn preview. All the numbers get jumbled in my brain.

I came across this road closure and decided that instead of following the detour signs, I would simply ride what I could and, when necessary, get off my bicycle and walk around the construction work. Of course the risk in choosing to ride / walk past road closure signs is that there may be obstacles that are insurmountable; in which case I would have to double back and follow the detour signs - which would be a huge hassle and potentially very tiring on an already exhausting day. This time it worked as it usually does - sometimes better than others :)

Today's Trails included the Erie Lackawanna Trail, which has a very cool clock and a welcomed smooth surface.

My Bento box - the bag I carry on the top tube of my bicycle - broke so I called my Warm Showers hosts and asked them if they knew of any good bicycle stores in the area. They suggested this Trek Store in Schererville, Indiana. It was a bit out of the way - involving four to five extra miles at the end of my route - so, I called them from breakfast and asked if they had any Bento boxes. The young lady said they had one kind in stock. I asked her if she would be so kind as to put it on a top tube of a bicycle, take a picture and text the picture to me so I could be certain that it was the right size. Here is a picture she sent me:

I told her it was perfect and I would be there in a few hours.

That's what I call service!

Also did you notice the sign above their service department that said they guarantee repairs in 24 hours? I have never seen nor heard of such service guarantee. 

My Warm Showers hosts, Chris and Danielle, were awesome - providing me a Gyro sandwich for dinner. Afterwards we walked to Dairy Queen where they treated me to a Girl Scouts Thin Mint Blizzard (their flavor of the month) - one of my faves! Not pictured: Chris and Danielle's 3-year-old cute and precocious daughter, who shall remain nameless because they want to minimize her digital footprint.

Chris and Danielle have a lovely yard, but it slopes. So, I decided to pitch my tent on their pavers. This presented a problem because I couldn't stretch the rainfly like I usually do with stakes. Unfortunately, this picture doesn't show my solution: attach one line to a patio chair and the other line I wriggled - with Chris's help - underneath their daughter's wading pool, which was full of water. I have an excellent sleeping pad; so as long as it is between me and a hard surface, I'm able to sleep comfortably. I locked my bike to their daughter's playset so no one could steal it while I slept soundly.