Woke up at 6:00 and did some of my morning routine. Pat and Gordy made me a wonderful breakfast to fuel me for my day. I had a wonderful stay with them. It was a blessing to be able to get to know them better. After packing up my gear and saying a prayer together, I was biking a little after 7:30.
It had rained a little the night before, so the roads were wet in places. The temperature was 56 degrees with a ten mph headwind. I was riding on roads for most of the day. There actually was a little traffic for the first five miles. But when I passed the golf course, the traffic disappeared and I rode without seeing many cars for several hours.
The first hour of my ride there were more trees to protect me from the wind. I also crossed over into the central time.
I had a couple of dogs come out into the road to greet me. They were both friendly, so no issues. I always stop for dogs that come out into the road and just talk friendly to them. I can’t out-run a dog with this heavy bike. 🙂
Then I was out in farm land and there was no protection from the wind for several hours. The wind also picked up to 15mph with gusts over 20. I was able to practice my patience and just stay in an easy gear and let the day be what it will be. I also biked through some light misty rain a couple of times. Nothing that caused me to take shelter.
After about three hours, I came into the small town of Hanna and took a break. I ate one of the chocolate brownies that Pat & Gordy gave me. The perfect energy boost!
Outside of Hanna, I met a couple who was walking their dog on the road. I stopped and talked with them for a while. You can see from the pictures that it was a cloudy day.
Shortly after that, I started getting into the city of Valparaiso and the traffic started picking up. So, no more pictures. I was focused on the traffic and staying safe. Unfortunately, the road was two-lane without a shoulder. So I had to ride in the lane. I had front and rear blinking lights on my bike, and a rear view mirror to see the cars in my lane. Almost every car was very courteous with how they passed me. But it still made me anxious. It took two hours to get through that stretch of road. After the first hour I decided to take another break and used Google Maps to find a restaurant that wasn’t too far off my route. Unfortunately, when I got there, they were closed for the holiday. So, I went to a gas station and bought a deli sandwich and some fruit for lunch.
When I got to the city of Crown Point, the road widened and also had a paved shoulder to ride on. It was here that I made the decision to push on to a hotel in Munster, IN and made a reservation.
After a few more miles, I made it to a bike path. A total of 60 miles of riding on the roads, but only about 15 miles were bad. The rest of my ride was on bike trails, and the sun even peaked out a little.
So, I ended the day in Munster, IN with a total of 71 miles for the day. 1,000 feet of climbing.
There are a few restaurants near my hotel that are open, so I will be able to get a dinner, or two, tonight.
Tomorrow I plan to cross the border into Illinois and get to Barb & Mike’s house.
WOOHOO!!! We made the blog. Enjoy reading about your adventure. Stay safe. See you soon. Love, B
Fun fact, I lived in Valparaiso from 4th-8th grade. You were definitely heading through some old stomping grounds.😀 Loving the blog! I’ve passed it along to a couple friends of mine who are avid bikers. Looking forward to seeing you next week.