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Day 176 - Monday 7-8-02 - mileage today 63.3 - climbed today 1,260' - MILEAGE TO DATE=7,031.35
From Geneva by the lake to Lakewood

ROCK AND ROLE

Having just spent a easy day of cycling yesterday, we found ourselves cycling into Cleveland today. Before we did we cycled into Perry for a cup of coffee at, The Daily Grind. It was a great cup of coffee. After our coffee stop we cycled thru yet another great little town of Painesville. Painesville had brick lined streets with grand old church buildings.  Cleveland and the surrounding areas are rich with history. Cleveland is where the first oil in the country was found and drilled for.  John Rockerfeller made his fortune here. Cleveland was the home of Standard Oil. Legends are also apart of the area, Johnny Appleseed for instance. The story of Johnny Appleseed is a legend based on the life of Jonathan Chapman. Chapman wandered the Ohio area for 40 years in a burlap coffee sack and a dear hide pouch scattering apple seeds. He preached the pleasures of "the simple life" and made friends wherever he went. Ashtabula, not far from Cleveland was a major stop of the Underground Railroad.  Ashtabula is not far from the militant abolitionist John Brown. In modern times, Cleveland is the home of the, Cleveland Browns football team and the home of " THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME ". I stopped the hall of fame for a photo op secretly hoping that Elton John would show up. After the Hall of Fame we had to do the worst part of the city. It didn’t last long though. We really feel that Adventure Cycling should not take cyclist thru these parts of town. There are times when I don’t feel safe in these areas with a group of three strong men. I can only imagine what a solo cyclist feels like. Not long after cycling thru the bad areas. We found ourselves cycling in the ultra rich areas where the Rockefellers and friends lived. The grand old mansions on the lake, with manicured gardens and guard shacks the size of most middle class family homes. I feel much safer in these areas especially since I had a bad tire.  My tire had a bubble in the sidewall. I carefully limped for about 20 miles before finally getting it replaced. It was getting late and the prospect of finding a place to camp was ZILTCH. We decided to get a bite to eat since we hadn’t eaten all day. We stopped into a wonderful restaurant THE ALADIN in Lakewood. It was there we found our Angel of Mercy, Liz. Liz was a waitress at the Aladdin. She asked where we came from and where we were going. She also asked where we were staying? We told her we didn’t know yet. She offered us her back yard just a few blocks away. Bingo problem solved. Liz called her husband, Ted and told him we were on the way. We had a great time talking with and getting to know Ted and the boys. We talked for quite a while. It was getting late Myron and I stayed up for as long as we could stand. We really wanted to talk with Liz. We never did get the chance to talk too much with her. We got up and were on our way before she was up. We left a note on the porch. We really hate to leave like that and regret not being able to spend more time with her and the family.

Day 177 - Tue 7-9-02 - mileage today 47.3 - climbed today 1,323' - MILEAGE TO DATE=7,078.65
From Lakewood to Berlin Heights

GO TOM GO

Yesterday we were along side of the road looking at a map. Tom drove up and asked if we were lost. We said we were just trying to find a campground. Tom said you could stay at my place if you would like. Tom is a 78-year-old Berlin Heights resident. Tom is an avid cyclist, that didn’t start riding until 4 years ago. He had just finished a 100-mile ride last Sat. He will often do 100 miles or so on the weekends. Tom rides about 3,000 miles a year. We followed Tom and Dolly his wife to their home. We were shown a very comfortable grassy area to set up our tents. We were very happy to have the nice hospitality especially after a day with 2 flat tires. Myron had a flat and Chuck had one. I was riding on a tire that had a bubble. We stopped at century cycles in Rocky River. I got a new tire and chain. Myron got a new chain. Chuck got a new chain and cassette. We now feel that our bikes are good for another 7,000 miles. Not so, both Myron and Chuck had flat tires today.  Anyway we got a late start out of town, because of repairs and rain. We met Yen a local bicycle racer. She showed us the best way out of town. She road with us until about 3:00. Yen is an artist and graphics designer. She really wanted to ride with us to California. We really enjoyed meeting her. Now we have a great place to sleep and showers. We sat around enjoying a large bowl of ice cream and exchanging stories with Tom. In the IT'S A SMALL WORLD DEPARTMENT. Myron was in the bike shop and the conversation turned towards racing. Myron said that his daughter Denise used to race and that she is a 3 time national champion and that she took 2nd in the world. One of the mechanics, Greg Jackson asked what her name was Myron said Denise Mueller. Greg said I know her. We raced together in Italy. We are always amazed at what a small world it is. We are really lucky to have had a tail wind for two days now. We are really enjoying cycling in Ohio and Indiana. Both are flat with quiet country roads. We see a lot of corn and soybeans growing. There are still a lot of wooded areas in Indiana and Ohio. The woods have been cleared for farming. When we get to Iowa is when the prairie will really open up.

Day 178 - Wednesday 7-10-02 - mileage today 60.3 - climbed today 1,260' - MILEAGE TO DATE=7,138.95
From Berlin Heights to Gibsonburg, OH.

THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG

We had a great night sleep at Toms house. Tom decided to ride with us for a little while today. We really enjoy when we have people join us. Tom led us to a local cafe where we had breakfast. It was in the SMALL town of Berlin Heights. We noticed that all the women sat on one end of the cafe while all the men sat on the other end of the cafe. That is how the socializing is done here. We are fortunate to have very quiet roads and tailwinds again. Before riding into Fremont we cycled past the town where Thomas A Edison was born. We rode into Fremont, OH today and met Dave. Dave was at the bike shop. He offered us his place to sleep for the night. It was still early in the day so we decided to continue on. Dave did cycle with us for a while. First he gave us a tour of town. Fremont is the home of President??? I can’t remember the president’s name. Shame one me. I do know he rode a horse. In fact the horse is buried next to the president and his family. Richard a young boy who was intrigued about this roving band of cyclist riding thru town came to join us. In fact Richard was a wealth of information on local history. We all marveled at his local knowledge. After our tour and almost into Gibsonville we stopped at APPLE DUMPLINGS for a bite. WOW the apple dumplings were great. We canoed at a county campground and later that night Dave came out to visit once again. It is nice to have friendly local people visit.

Day 179 - Thursday 7-11-02 - mileage today 83.1 - climbed today?????? No more climbed stats - MILEAGE TO DATE=7,222.05
From Gibsonburg to Defiance

We will no longer be posting climbed today feet. Myron (Mr. Gadget) got another cycle computer and it doesn’t measure feet climbed as the old one does. We had a long day today. We are trying to get to Defiance. We are to meet a friend Jim K. in Defiance for breakfast tomorrow. We are really looking forward to seeing Jim again. We camped at a state park about 4 miles from town. We met a long distance hiker at the campground. Dennis; the hiker, is a resent retiree and is about a month into his hike. We spent most of the evening talking with Dennis.

Day 180 - Friday 7-12-02 - mileage today 49.7 - MILEAGE TO DATE=7,271.75
From Defiance, Ohio to Monroeville, Indiana

GOOD FRIENDS - GOOD TIMES

We have been looking forward to see Jim again for quite some time. Myron and I saw Jim and Claudia earlier this year in Louisiana. They were cycling thru the southern United States. We met Jim two years ago on our cross-country trip. I really like Jim. He is an intelligent, kind, humorous person. He has great taste in wine and cheeses. Jim is equally comfortable cooking over a campfire or dining in an elegant restaurant. We met about 9:00 am and had a great visit. Jim drove 2-1/2 hours to see us. We are really happy he went out of his way to see us. It was hard to say good-bye but we must go. We soon crossed into Indiana. HEY JIM, they don’t sell avocets here. Somewhere along the way a 12-year-old boy on a moped challenged Chuck to a race. Nice try Chuck, but no cigar. We finished the day in Monroeville, Indiana.

Day 181 - Sat. 7-13-02 - Mileage today 0 - MILEAGE TO DATE=7,271.75

LAY OVER IN MONROWVILLE

Monroeville is a must stop for any cyclist. The town welcomes cyclist with open arms. We were given the use of a recreation room at the park for free. It contained air-conditioning, showers, kitchen and TV. The town has been hosting cyclist for about 12 years Jennifer came in to check on us. She does the cleaning and watering. She looked at Myron’s stuff laid out. She said how many people are with you. We laughed and said just three of us. It just looks like more. Myron is carrying an incredible amount of STUFF. He emphatically says it is all essential. For instance, he has a cell phone and an iridium satellite phone. He is carrying 3 razors two of which are electric. He has a cosmetic bag that would make Elizabeth Taylor envious. The list goes on. He is carrying over 140 pounds of STUFF. He is a stud. I couldn’t carry all that STUFF up all those hills in all that heat.