Bykered

Monday 30. It was after six when we got up today and soon after 7:30 when the bikers hit the road. We pulled out about 45 minutes later and soon passed them. We shopped for groceries and Miriam’s prescription at a Wal*Mart, arriving at our campground right in downtown Corydon, Indiana. We are now back on Eastern Time for the remainder of the tour.
It is a hot day and the campground has little shade, so for the first time we are running the AC.
It is a hot day and the campground has little shade, so for the first time we are running the AC. When Miriam put on the microwave, that was too much for the campground circuits and it tripped. From there on we managed with fans. Miriam made the beef tenderloins for super. The bikers arrived about 4:30, hot and tired. We did the laundry and all of us showered.
Ed and I spent a long time on the WiFi this evening and made several calls to JHK to learn how he has been getting into the Blog. He is simply using the address I sent earlier. That helped.
Even though it was nine we made popcorn and Ed decided he needed the relaxation of Rummikub. We played 3 games and then hit the sack with fans running. It was in the high eighties today.

MAY
Tuesday 1. It was 5:50 when we all got up. Miriam made fried eggs, bacon and toast with our usual grapefruit and coffee. They were on the road by 7:40.
We washed the dishes, cleaned up a bit and were on the road north by 10:13 headed for Seymour, IN. The GPS wanted us to take I-64 and 65. I wanted to take IN 135 which looked both direct and good. Miriam was reluctant to go that way as Ed set it up with the GPS which used the interstates. Nevertheless I took 135. About a third of the way there, there was a detour and it went a long way west. I took what appeared to be a shorter way, but it twisted and turned. We eventually arrived there right at twelve. Glenn had arrived about ten minutes earlier. He gave us our mail and we had lunch together at the Cracker Barrel. It was a nice hour together.
We arrived at the Clifty Falls State Park in Madison, IN, down on the Kentucky line again. We only have electric here. I dumped the sewer tanks and filled the fresh water at the one community faucet.
I spent a couple hours processing the mail and verifying the credit card account. Miriam tried to nap.
E&R pulled in at their usual 4:30 – Exhausted – 90 miles, the most ever on this trip, and it was hot today. After showers they were seemed quite refreshed.
We had a spaghetti and broccoli salad dinner out at the picnic table. While we were eating suddenly there was a cracking and then a crash of a limb on the other side of the tree we were under –Wow!
While we did the dishes E&R began a game of scrabble. Two young women stopped by and were in awe of the bicyclists and their bike trip. It turned out they were both Indianapolis Police Officers. They said their husbands were also policemen. The four were here for a few days of relaxation. They were a fun pair but with a terrible perspective on humanity – people are terrible, they live worse than animals. They want us to parent their children. They recently were called to a home where a 12 year old raped a nine year old.
Later a couple came by and she threatened to report us for breaking a limb off a park tree. I asked what it would take to silence her. “A couple chocolate chip cookies would do it.” I nudged Miriam to give her the two remaining Smores left over from supper. Accomplished, there were a lot of laughs and awe about the bike trip. They were here quite a while. From Iowa, they have a 29 foot Winnebago Itasca. He is an Orthopedic Doctor and both are deeply involved in their church. Later the camp host couple stopped by and chatted for some time. So it was an interesting evening.
When Ed went to hang the horse up for the night he discovered that the tire pump was gone. With flash lights we looked for it but finally concluded that it must have come off when he washed the mh and bike on Saturday.
We had our usual popcorn before bed at ten on a warm evening with fans running.

Wednesday 2. We were up late this morning – 6:15.
The park worker came by and Ed and I gave him a hand pulling the broken limb from where it was still stuck in the tree.
It was agreed that we would stop by the bike shop in Madison, IN and purchase a tire pump for E&R. Later Ed called and said they went by the shop and it does not open until noon. No problem we will just read until then.
We read the two Mennonite Weekly Reviews. I also I put together a letter to the kids eliciting their tee shirt sizes for our summer Reunion.
We pulled out about 11:30 and first stopped at a Wal*Mart and then on to the quaint little Ohio River town of Madison for the bike shop. Their selection of tire pumps was limited so I called Ed who chatted with the owner and made a choice for me to take along.
Madison was a significant crossing point for many slaves. The first third of the trip was a nice highway along the mighty Ohio. A few actually swam it. Most were boated across or waited until winter for it to freeze over which I suspect was not very many years.
The GPS directed us from route 36 onto I-71 north and then I-75 south which seemed a long way around. Coming off I-75 I missed the quick right turn and did we ever go out of the way onto good but twisting back roads. I should have made that “U” turn. E&R were already at the camp sight before us and had chosen the site – a first. Here we have the best WiFi to date.
The total miles covered is around 1100 over half the 2005 total miles. So, mileage wise we are over half. However in the next several days there are UR places to be seen so there may be a few days with few if any miles.