day 14 - logansport, in to thorntoen, in. 66 miles.

day 14 - logansport, in to thorntown, in - 66 miles.

i woke up and had a casual slow morning. 2 packets of oatmeal, 1 serving of peanut butter and a box of golden grahams and i rode to town. there i sat down and had b+g, hashbrowns and coffee.

as i stood at the counter to pay, the waitress asked, "you just passing through?" i guess i kind of stand out. tall, skinny, tan, bearded, pony tailed and wearing bike gear. as i explained what i am doing, a woman chimed in behind me, "where will you end up? i replied and we began talking. her husband was also present. we spoke about the ride, their family, my family and the whole time i could tell another table was listening in. i'm pretty sure the woman knew someone who had died from lymphoma, but honestly the days are starting to mesh together and its harder to keep track. we parted ways and as i was getting set, the woman approached me. "here's our contact info in case you need anything. and buy yourself a nice lunch." there was a $20 bill folded in the paper she handed me. "thank you so much," i replied. i can hardly believe how nice and generous people are. it truly makes me feel honored and privelaged to meet them.

as i turned around a man approached. "i'm sorry to hear about your father," he said. he was from the table inside. "let me ask you this; do you accept jesus christ as your lord and savior?" oh jesus, i thought, is this conversation about to go down?

i'm not a religious dude nor have i ever saught out to be. if its real, its real. if its not its not. whatever. don't get me wrong, i can respect the whole deal, i'm just not into it. i explained this to the man who turned out to be the pastor at a local church. "you will be in our prayers," he said as he left. so i got that goin for me, which is nice.

it was about noon before i set out for my remaining 60 miles. there was a bit of a headwind so it took a little effort but all was well. i stopped for a pizza and ice cream lunch and kept on.

i strapped on my helmet cam to get some great plaines and farmland shots. fortunately while filming i looked to my right and two dogs came busting out of their garage and after me. these dudes actually came into the street. so i jammed as hard as i could and out ran them. hopefully that footage comes out. i'm sure i shrieked like a little girl.

after a few more miles and another dog chasing i found myself in thorntown, in. a small town with a market and no cell reception. i moseyed on over to the Old Mill Run Park where there was a cabin waiting, their only cabin. this park was huge too. sooo many campers and RVs. people had decks built up outside their rigs. flowers, statues, grills, sheds and golf carts accompanied most of the residences. what an interesting and fascinating topic: the world of campers and the communities.

earlier in the day a friend had commented on one of the photos i had posted from the morning. said he was in the area by coincidence. so he and his wife came by and i shared stories from the experience thus far. they had lots of questions. the dude, i actually met in new zealand while studying abroad back in 2004 and he now lives in chicago. was great to see some friends out there, fo sho.

looking forward to more friends and fam when i hit CO in just over a week.