Well, I had about half of this typed up, then we watched Hoosiers, then I crashed at 9:30, and now you’re getting this 12 hours late. Definitely still worth reading!
Written as if it was posted last night on Day 20:
Yesterday I was proud of myself. We biked over 80 miles through rain and wind, and I never once felt bad for myself. Crazily enough, there was nothing I would have preferred to have been doing. I was completely enjoying the ride. This morning, we rode 34 miles, also through rain and wind (but much more of it this time), and I hated most every second of it. The wind was debilitating, and loud, and obnoxious. You can’t get any sort of momentum against wind. There’s not even a downhill equivalent to look forward to. Then the rain really started to pick up, and soon my gloves and pants were soaked through, and my feet were going numb. Some of the county roads were unpaved as well; our speed dropped to 6 or 7mph for a good chunk of our morning ride. Many of you could run a mile faster than we were biking ours.
When you’re out in the middle of Indiana, the farmland stretching off into the distance in all directions, you start to wonder whether you’ll ever see civilization again. We weren’t moving very fast, but still, it’s incredible how long you can pedal only to look up and see yet another farm house with a red barn and dirt stretching for miles. The wind and rain make it seem even more hopeless, the black sky looming ahead. It’s interesting how each of us attacks adversity on the bike. I tend to put my head down and grind it out. Maddie likes to use music to propel her forward. Maddie was singing for almost the entirety of the morning.
Our safe haven arose in the form of Remington, IN. It was a bit off of our planned route, but it popped up right when we needed a break most. For a second I wanted to just push on to the next town, but Maddie convinced me we should stop there. I was pretty easily convinced. Like I said, my feet were going numb.
We pulled up to The Homestead. Their “Come in, we are OPEN” sign in the window was just about the most beautiful sight imaginable. Until we entered, and were greeted with rows and rows of chocolate covered candies and gummies and jams and pies and sweetbreads. There was a $2 donut rack and homemade sandwiches and soups. It felt like a market you’d find back in Princeton, not one you’d expect to find in Remington, Indiana.
We were literal kids in a candy shop; we each bought a sandwich and a cup of Boilermaker soup, then split a slice of peach pie and strawberry rhubarb pie and 2 donuts. Never felt more satisfied by a meal in my life.
The employees at The Homestead were very kind and helpful. The woman who first served us let us taste the soup, and described each of the sandwich options thoroughly. After we finished, we started asking around about places to stay the night north of Remington. We were originally planning to camp, but the rain dissuaded us. Everyone in the place was pitching in ideas. One other patron, Josh, overheard and offered to help us find a hotel room up in Fair Oaks. We gladly accepted! Josh, if you’re reading this, thank you for the incredible generosity. Time and time again we are amazed at the capacity for kindness in strangers.
When we emerged from The Homestead everything had changed. We were only in there for a couple hours, but it felt like a couple of days. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, we were recharged and ready to go. Throughout the trip, I’ve been reminded of the Greek legend of the Lotus eaters whenever we stop somewhere comfortable. It would be so easy to enjoy the safe comfort of a nice house or hotel room or gourmet marketplace and let a few days slip by. This time, the weather change was so drastic that I couldn’t help but double check the date, just in case we really had been caught in the Lotus eaters’ trap. That’s a heads-up for all of our readers. If we’re ever MIA on the blog it’s because of a few possibilities: we’re out of cell service, we’re changing our names and biking away to Mexico, or we’re trapped by the Lotus eaters. Whichever one it is, don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine.
After The Homestead we were in high spirits. The 25 mile ride to the hotel went by in a flash. We checked into the Fairfield Inn by Fair Oaks. It’s a beautiful, clean, hotel, with a restaurant attached. We split a Cajun chicken pasta and strawberry shake, eating around the fire pit out back, watching the sun set behind the neighboring barn.
Our day concluded with Hoosiers. We’ve both seen it before, but wanted a refresher after we visited the gym a few days ago. It’s a solid movie. Fairly formulaic and corny, but it’s feel-good. And I say that having only watched the first half last night before falling asleep, so the ending would be feel-great. If you’re looking for a better basketball movie I’d recommend High School Musical, personally.
Just a day out from the Chicago area! As Maddie said, we’ve crossed the thousand mile marker as well as the central time zone border. Making progress!
- Charlie