Happy Birthday, boy! Have a safe travel home (only 40 more miles!).
So Saturday the 8th was mainly spent preparing for my father's visit on the 9th. I dreamt all day of the promised diner we'd catch. "I'm gonna eat a lot of carbs and some meat," I said to myself. "Then I'm gonna go to the store and buy more food for the camp." You can tell I was hungry. Riding a hundred miles on a pedal bike really gets the metabolism kicked into high gear.
I spent most of the morning in a kyack (lord, I'm a bad speller!) that I rented from a couple high school-aged boys. It cost $10 an hour, but they only charged me $10 eventough I had it for longer. I tried to make it all around the lake, but that's a big lake. I'd get a better sense of how big tomorrow.
I also spent some time worrying about the bike tire. I tried to patch it a couple more times with no luck. About the last time I was trying, a white sports car pulled up in the parking lot near Vesuvius and a large man greeted me. He introduced himself as Keith, the campground host. He'd been camped at the Oak Hill Campground since late April, and was some kind of liason between the Wayne staff and the campers. We chatted a bit; he said he'd seen me around and figured I was rough-in' it out in the woods. I told him about my trip down and my plans to visit Ryan. He offered his help to me and I said, "Well, I'd hoped to make it into town [Ironton] today to make a couple phone calls." I wanted to firm up plans with my Dad. Keith told me he was out to referee a couple volleyball games and he'd be early afternoon. He said he'd keep the door to his trailer open for me. He also told me that he gets some cell phone reception up on the hill.
So, I went up there and made my way along the campground to high point, which was pointed out to me by a few friendly folk. When they asked me where I was from and what I was doing there, I gave them the bit: "I'm here from Athens. Rode my bike in. About a hundred miles." He was surprised and called out immediately to his wife beside him, "This boy rode all the way from Athens on a bike! We've got some family up near Albany," which is about ten miles south of Athens.
Well, I found the spot and checked my voicemail and made the calls through intermittent reception. And then I went off to have an adventure.
I found an old paved road that was near the campground trail that went by my camp. The road was overgrown with grasses and sycamore trees. "It must be fifteen years since this road was used," I said. "All these sycamore branches will make good firewood." (Sycamore is a hardwood that burns pretty well.) So, there was a place I returned to throughout my stay to collect firewood.
I went on down that road and found some cement stairs with a metal handrail all rusted out. Down the stairs the path split. Left went to a sandstone rock house, a place where a cliff has been cut under leaving a large cavern. I watched evening come ona here for a bit. Then I took the right path down to a couple of old foundations that were slowly being reclaimed to forest. By this time it was getting dark, so I walked along the Lakeshore Trail back to my camp picking up firewood along the way. When I got back, I made the best teepee fire I've ever built, mostly with pine. It burned bright and long.
Well, then I went to bed, dreaming of my father's visit in the morrow. We'd meet at noon at the Ranger Station on 93.
I've only got about 40 miles left. Made it into Rio Grande last night and stayed in a real nice place, the College Hill Motel. The woman running the place spoke broken english, but we had a nice long conversation anyways, and I gave her the speal. And she gave me a discount.
After I'd showered and used the phone to call my folks, I went out for a walk. Headed onto the campus of Rio Grande University. It opened on September 13, 18-something. Walked around the campus and town then went back to the room and watched TV.
This morning, I awoke and walked down the road to Bob Evan's. The Bob Evan's, the original. Rio Grande, OH is home to the original farm. I ate a large breakfast and went back to my room to get ready to leave. Made it into the campus library and here I am. I'm in a rush now because I want to get out and here the Alumni Bell Tower sound at noon. Then I'll hit the road. Athens or bust.
I spent most of the morning in a kyack (lord, I'm a bad speller!) that I rented from a couple high school-aged boys. It cost $10 an hour, but they only charged me $10 eventough I had it for longer. I tried to make it all around the lake, but that's a big lake. I'd get a better sense of how big tomorrow.
I also spent some time worrying about the bike tire. I tried to patch it a couple more times with no luck. About the last time I was trying, a white sports car pulled up in the parking lot near Vesuvius and a large man greeted me. He introduced himself as Keith, the campground host. He'd been camped at the Oak Hill Campground since late April, and was some kind of liason between the Wayne staff and the campers. We chatted a bit; he said he'd seen me around and figured I was rough-in' it out in the woods. I told him about my trip down and my plans to visit Ryan. He offered his help to me and I said, "Well, I'd hoped to make it into town [Ironton] today to make a couple phone calls." I wanted to firm up plans with my Dad. Keith told me he was out to referee a couple volleyball games and he'd be early afternoon. He said he'd keep the door to his trailer open for me. He also told me that he gets some cell phone reception up on the hill.
So, I went up there and made my way along the campground to high point, which was pointed out to me by a few friendly folk. When they asked me where I was from and what I was doing there, I gave them the bit: "I'm here from Athens. Rode my bike in. About a hundred miles." He was surprised and called out immediately to his wife beside him, "This boy rode all the way from Athens on a bike! We've got some family up near Albany," which is about ten miles south of Athens.
Well, I found the spot and checked my voicemail and made the calls through intermittent reception. And then I went off to have an adventure.
I found an old paved road that was near the campground trail that went by my camp. The road was overgrown with grasses and sycamore trees. "It must be fifteen years since this road was used," I said. "All these sycamore branches will make good firewood." (Sycamore is a hardwood that burns pretty well.) So, there was a place I returned to throughout my stay to collect firewood.
I went on down that road and found some cement stairs with a metal handrail all rusted out. Down the stairs the path split. Left went to a sandstone rock house, a place where a cliff has been cut under leaving a large cavern. I watched evening come ona here for a bit. Then I took the right path down to a couple of old foundations that were slowly being reclaimed to forest. By this time it was getting dark, so I walked along the Lakeshore Trail back to my camp picking up firewood along the way. When I got back, I made the best teepee fire I've ever built, mostly with pine. It burned bright and long.
Well, then I went to bed, dreaming of my father's visit in the morrow. We'd meet at noon at the Ranger Station on 93.
I've only got about 40 miles left. Made it into Rio Grande last night and stayed in a real nice place, the College Hill Motel. The woman running the place spoke broken english, but we had a nice long conversation anyways, and I gave her the speal. And she gave me a discount.
After I'd showered and used the phone to call my folks, I went out for a walk. Headed onto the campus of Rio Grande University. It opened on September 13, 18-something. Walked around the campus and town then went back to the room and watched TV.
This morning, I awoke and walked down the road to Bob Evan's. The Bob Evan's, the original. Rio Grande, OH is home to the original farm. I ate a large breakfast and went back to my room to get ready to leave. Made it into the campus library and here I am. I'm in a rush now because I want to get out and here the Alumni Bell Tower sound at noon. Then I'll hit the road. Athens or bust.
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