Day 12 & 13 - Chapter 2, Lake Erie

Sorry for the late blog post. Have had a jam packed past few days. Combining two in one here to catch up.

DAY 12

Had a good start on Day 12. We were planning on getting a home made Amish breakfast from the Amish farm nearby where we stayed the night before. Their homemade cinnamon buns were what Dave told us everyone gets hype about, saying "they may not use electric, but boy can they make a cinnamon bun." Unfortunately we found out they don't start offering their breakfast products to the public until next weekend. We decided we'll just have to come back for those one day.

After that, we stopped at Walmart along the way and concocted ourselves some breakfast for the day. Nothing special happened that day, we had a relatively smooth ride. That night we stayed with a wonderful couple, Jason and Diane. We pitched our tents in their yard and got to play with their cute dogs in the process. They way we found them was through a service called Warmshowers. This service connects cyclists with people offering their homes (who are often cyclists also) for a place to sleep for the night. We are very grateful for these selfless hosts as they will be a huge contributing factor in the success of our trip, as Jason and Diane have already been for us. On top of offering their residence to us, they also offered what advice they had learned from previous bikers who had stayed at their place in the past. Jason gave us advice ranging from tips on adequate nutrition while traveling, what equipment is necessary/unnecessary, how to handle certain footwear issues, and much more practical information.

Later that night Tom, Owen, and I had some dinner at an awesome BBQ joint. We then went to the beach to see Lake Erie for our first time. I was amazed at how large it looked. It looked like an ocean because the water went as far as the eye could see- extending before the horizon didn't allow us to see any further. I didn't know there were lakes out there that look like oceans. Pretty cool. We didn't get a good view of the sunset because it was too foggy last night, but we got some good views the night after. Just wait on those pictures, they'll be coming up later in this blog.

DAY 13

Jason not only got up before all three of us on Sunday morning, he also knocked out a 9 mile run with his doggo Ralph. Saturday evening when he told us he may or may not see us before we leave, I first thought it was because we'd be leaving too early for him on Sunday. Turns out the reverse is what he meant. We all understood pretty quickly that Jason's a beast. Learning that his son graduated from University with a 2nd Lieutenant rank (I believe that's the correct ranking) made complete sense, given Jason's intensity. We thanked Jason and his wife for allowing and supporting their son in protecting and serving our country and our freedom. And of course we directly thank their son for his service.

I learned that Diane has been a school teacher for years. After some time chatting with her, I could tell by the passion she spoke about her students with, and how she views the importance of her own profession, that she was the type of teacher who really cares about her students. The type who students remember for a lifetime. She's taught many different types of students from many different walks of life. The few stories she shared with me were powerful to say the least. All in all, I can firmly say that this family has absolutely done and continues to do their part in bettering society in each of their own unique ways.

They got us Tim Horton's bagels and muffins for breakfast, which was a pleasant surprise. Another good breakfast because of some good people we've been lucky to meet. For those of you who don't know what Tim Horton's is (as I didn't), it's basically just the Canadian Dunkin' Donuts. So.. Dunkin' Donuts but better. Lol. I may have offended some people with that take, but oh well. I'm not a coffee drinker so doesn't matter much to me. I just know Tim Horton's blueberry muffins are delicious.

After a good breakfast, we set off on our way, saying goodbye to Jason and Diane. They were a huge help in our trip and were our first host of probably many more we plan to stay with along this trip. Thanks to wonderful people like them, trips like ours can become a reality.

We had a smooth but very hot ride to Geneva State Park that Sunday. It was so hot that we made a pit stop along the way to go swimming real quick in the Lake. Our route that day was entirely along Lake Erie so we just stopped when we approached a park/beach area. That stop was absolutely necessary and I felt my body thanking me when I immersed myself in the cool lake water.

Later that evening we arrived at Geneva State Park which is where we camped out for the night. We also crossed over into Ohio at some point during the day. Our third state boarder crossed! But I didn't see the sign when we did so unfortunately I don't have a picture to prove it. The riding stats will have to be enough proof for y'all.

Here are some pictures of the sunset over Lake Erie that night and screenshots of our stats for Day 12 and Day 13:

The fence looks curved like that because I took a panorama the wrong way, whatever. Still gorgeous.