Logistics:
Theresa googled Paulding and found a
Chief's grocery store that would be suitable to stage the Jeep
overnight until we bike back to it on Saturday. Knowing it was going
to be the Hottest day yet we were up at 5:30 put some last items in
the Jeep, took coffee with us and drove the 40 + miles to Paulding.
Kevin went in and asked if it is OK to leave the car while Theresa
took Zin to do her AM duty. All was OK so we prepared for today's
trek. Kevin discovered he did not bring his dew rag that helps keep
the sweat out of his eyes and Theresa forgot her sunglasses. Kevin
had another pair of glasses in the Jeep that had the needed bifocal
reader so Theresa could read the maps and directions. Kevin however
was not looking forward to sweat dripping and stinging his eyes. We
were finally ready to roll by 7:30am (still not very early
considering the heat of the day and the 53 mile route).
The Route:
Having not eaten in the RV we rolled
across the street to McDonalds to consume fuel for the day. Kevin
had a large OJ with his Sausage McMuffin, Theresa on the other hand
still needed more coffee to wash down her Egg McMuffin. Zin got a
few morsels of sausage as she loves meat. As we eat our b-fast
several utility trucks rolled by carrying what we assumed were poles
to repair the damage from recent heavy storms in the area. At about
8:00 we were ready to roll South to pick up the designated trail.
There was not a cloud in the sky so the sun was in full intensity
immediately! Theresa took the first pull out of town and into the
abyss of Ohio. There was absolutely nothing except open fields
patch-worked with country roads with large numbered signs. This made
it easy to identify our turns. Locals who passed in pick up trucks
gave us a friendly wave. The first switch of the trailer was at 11
miles at a crossroads named Junction (cleaver these Ohioans). We
turned onto a road that followed the Auglaise river. The roads were
smooth but rolled up and down to river level then back up to about 50
feet. That may not seem like much of a climb but with 80 lbs of dog
and trailer and a heavy bike in the heat even the slightest climb
slowed us down by 3-5 mph. The next large town was Defiance.
Theresa needed to pick up some lip medicine as her lips were
beginning to blister from the intense sun exposure, even with
sunscreen applied liberally several times each day, she will
inevitably break out! Kevin spotted a Chief's grocery store with a
Pharmacy so we pulled into some shade at the far edge of the parking
lot. Theresa got what she needed and also found some little girl's
head bands that might serve to stop the sweat now pouring from
Kevin's helmet into his eyes. He and Zin rested in the shade and
drank some water. In this heat we also tried to pour water on Zin to
keep her from over heating. Despite the fact she is not peddling she
is still sitting upright in the trailer and using her legs to balance
as the trailer rolls down the road. This does wear her out, but she
is never reluctant to hop back in the trailer and go for a ride. We
have also started to leave the back flap of the trailer open so that
she will get more airflow. Kevin continued to pull Zin to the next
stop, Florida, which promised at least a grocery store in 9 miles.
We were now following the Maumee river on the north side. There were
spots where trees provided some shade over the road but it was short
lived and was of little relief. We pulled into Florida and spied the
only store with a sign “Closed for remodeling” , great! Kevin
was over heating so he laid down on a picnic table in the shade.
Theresa saw a garden hose leading behind a building. She tuned on
the water and began to spray the water from her head to tow. Kevin
did the same and Zin reluctantly got the same treatment. Water
bottles where filled but no restrooms were needed as we were all
sweating everything out! Theresa's turn to pull again. It was
another 10 mile stretch into Napoleon. She kept a steady 10-11mph
pace but did have to contend with the fluctuating gradual climbs.
Once in town we crossed to the south side of the Maumee River and
stopped at a Subway. Sirens sounded the noon alarm so the wait for
the sandwich was a bit long as a line of 7 or so workers were ahead
of her. We sat in the shade outside and consumed some much needed
lunch. We watered Zin and gave her a few remains from our meal.
Theresa was a bit recovered and ready to continue for a bit further
as she estimated 12 miles to the campsite. Out side of town we
joined hwy 6 with a constant stream of semi trucks passing in both
directions. Most gave us our space as there was not much of a
shoulder and Theresa seemed to accelerate from the draft as they
passed. Several where heading in and out of a large Campbell's soup
plant which also produced V8. Who drinks that stuff? According to
the map the route was suppose to follow the river but it was about 1
mile away from it so there was no shade, only the sun baking the road
(and us) as it reflected the heat. As we later discovered the temp
was 105 with a heat index of 115. Theresa was getting slower and
slower and only able to barely do 8mph. She at last found some
shade so Kevin could take over the 80lbs of rolling resistance and
make the death march the last 7 miles to the camp site. We passed 5
different RV parks leading up to our campground, all with full hook
ups and wished we had booked any of these instead of where we were at
so we could have immediate relief from the heat when we arrived.
Stats:
Day 8 of riding, 53 miles, 12 mph avg,
total trip miles 393, and 2936 calories burned for the days ride.
See Kevin's garmin stats here:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/196439447#.T_eiW1uWzfY.email
How hot was it?
It was so hot we had to hold the water
from our bottles in our mouth just to cool it off before we swallowed
it.
It was so hot that Kevin's Garmin over
heated.
It was so hot Kevin saw mirages of Ice
Cream cones and Ice Castles.
It was so hot that a water bottle that
Kevin packed with ice was completely melted and warm in 3.1 miles.
It was so hot that upon the end of our
ride when we stepped into the RV it felt cooler than outside. The RV
was closed baking in the sun with no AC all day. We the temp in the
RV and it was 98. (which was cooler than outside.)
It was so hot that Kevin got a 2nd
degree burn from his frame when he loaded it up on the bike rack.
It was so hot that 2 ACs running off
the generator in the RV could only get the temp down to 88 degrees in
4 hours!
It was so hot that the external temp
registered at 119 on the RV.
It was so hot that our fat melted off
our bodies like squeeze butter!
After the ride:
We sat out side in the shade and breeze
and downed ice water and ice beer. After 2 hours the RV temp was at
90 and not making any more progress. We sprayed ourselves with the
outside shower (which was hot) then went inside and turned on every
fan we could find! The generator will surely be running all night!
Kevin called our insurance about the RV windshield that we hope to
get repaired when we are staying in Moline, IL before RAGBRAI.
Reconsidering the generator running all night we found a private
campground near Huntington, IN that had full hook up and had a site
for 3 days! We gathered all the gear spread out over our current
(water only) site in less that 30 min and were off about 100 miles to
the comfort of 50amp, water, sewer and even internet.
Plans for tomorrow:
With the new campsite Theresa will have
to figure out tomorrows distance back to the car in Paulding. Yes we
say good by to Ohio, but not the heat. There is one more high heat
day forecasted for tomorrow. Maybe we get up at 3AM so that we can
hit the road by 6 and be done before noon.
No comments:
Post a Comment