2020, Day 15: Expectations

Two full weeks of riding and dad's multiple days ahead of schedule. Despite (literal and figurative) roadblocks, dad's navigated his way through three states and is about to cross into the panhandle of another, all in just 15 days. Those thighs and calves must be made of brick right around now, along with much of the local archictecure, with the regular load of 40-60 miles per day of riding and moderate hills. Who needs a Peloton when you've got the Midwest?

Mom and Dad's technological know-how has also advanced notably since the journey's start a few years back, and continues to grow thanks to the convenience of simplicity entering a lot of previously-complex gadgets, and tips from expert kids. The last time mom and dad were in Ohio (circa 200...4? 5?), a Garmin was a new and expensive luxury to use for road trips. Now, we all have them on our phones with our 'druthers of providers, and dad has a clip-on GPS for his bike handle. You'd think that with all this, and with his relatively reliable sense of direction, dad could stay on the right road. You'd be wrong, but it's tough to bike and watch traffic and try to prevent broken spokes and navigate at the same time! We'll give him the BOTD.

It seems fitting that they'd end up in Kirtland on the weekend, with plenty of LDS Church historical sites to choose from and spiritually-inclined places to visit for their social-distanced Sabbath. I'd have guessed dad planned it that way if it hadn't been for the fact that he's ahead of his itinerary. After a hard week of riding, repairs, and detours, dad gets to rest his legs and his soul and do a little grounds-wandering of some nice places that hold historical significance. A nice place for a physical and mental break.

From Dad, on Saturday:

Today had a few surprises. We left Richfield going down into a deep valley (expected) then climbing back up on the other side (expected), but not as much as we had gone down (not expected). So the road eastward to Streetsboro was less strenuous (not expected).

I have to take an aside here and say that after our getting-separated fiasco on Wednesday, Donovan got us hooked up on google maps so that we could see each other’s location. That saved us twice today.

In Streetsboro, we were supposed to turn north on Highway 43. I missed the sign for 43, but saw the sign for 303, which we had been riding. So I figured I had a little farther to go. After about ¼ mile through a neighborhood, I decided to check my location. There was Linda on the right road and me, not. So I turned around and rode up to where she was waiting for me.

Traffic was quite heavy on the road today. As we passed under a freeway interchange in Aurora, I moved way to the right to get away from the cars--and picked up a one inch nail through my rear tire (not expected!). So I called Mom to come back and save me. A few minutes later the tube was replaced, the wheel back on the bike, and we were on our way again. (I love quick-release wheels.)

Linda took off ahead of me again, following my instructions and the signs for Highway 43 (expected). However, 5 miles up the road, 43 veered northwest off of our course (unexpected). At the junction, I kept riding north toward Kirtland. When I didn’t show up for a while, Linda checked her phone and saw I was 2.2 miles away. Then later I was 3.3 miles away--on a different road (NOT expected). When I didn’t find her in Bainbridge, I called her. We soon realized the error, but she had to return to Aurora to go the right direction. So we both took a wrong turn today, but with Donovan’s help, it wasn’t a serious problem this time around. But by the time she caught up with me, we were only 7 miles out of Kirtland!

Meanwhile, the terrain was hilly (expected) but there were a couple of really deep valleys with really steep hills down and up (unexpected). Going down is fast and fun. Going back up the other side, well, I am grateful for low-range gears!

The last 7 miles into Kirtland was predominantly downhill, so I covered it pretty quickly. Finished in front of the Kirtland Temple. Including time for flat repair, 47 miles in 4:40.

Sunday held, as expected, a nice break for mom, as well. From mom, on Sunday:

Well, today we got to attend church in Kirtland, Ohio! So amazing! This was the first day they were able to meet for church and they were only allowed 25 people there. I think we put them over their limit, but they didn't kick us out. They said that in most years they have busloads of visitors all the time and they miss them this year! Anyway, the people were very nice and friendly and it was nice to be there with them. Then we came home and Dad had a meeting with the Elders Quorum Presidency so I did some indexing, and then we were finally able to go down into the church history sites in Kirtland! It is somewhat different now than it was 15 years ago when we were here. It has a parking lot and a visitors center, but the sites are still the same...of course! We got to see the outsides of the Newell K Whitney store, the old schoolhouse, the Ashery and the Peter French hotel, (it may have a different name, I can't remember) and we hot to go inside the old sawmill. I will send pictures! Anyway, we left Kirtland and went to the John Johnson farm in Hiram. We talked to a missionary there who knew Dad's Uncle George and his family. We talked to him for at least a half hour and it was really fun. We took some pictures of the outside cuz, of course, we couldn't go inside. Then we drove to a place called Headlands Dunes Park, where we got to walk out and touch Lake Erie. We may go back there tomorrow night and we out in there a bit! We talked to Ben a bit on our drive, and we love that, and now we are back at the hotel and Dad is preparing his Priesthood lesson that he is hoping to teach from the Sacred Grove next Sunday! Guess I'll watch some Come Follow Me stuff and hopefully do more indexing. This is the most wonderful vacation ever!

Hope Dad's been rested and rejuvenated enough for another week of riding, this week's docket includes heading into the small corner of Pennsylvania before hitting New York for the full next week. The end seems more and more attainable by day. Keep it up, dad! You're doing great!

Dad should use this last one as his LinkedIn profile pic, except OH WAIT HE'S RETIRED. *mic drop*