(Click on the yellow envelope to send me an e-mail. Check out the links on www.ohio.com for the complete story of today's ride.)
Here is an e-mail from Janice Jones of Aurora:
Can't wait for updates from you two guys. Sounds like an incredible adventure.
I'm curious about a lot of things. Like, do you have lunch & dinner stops planned - or do you just "wing it"?
How do you pace yourselves? Do you try for an average number of miles per hour - and do you have to reach your destination at a certain time? How do you know how much time you can spend just talking to people & "stopping to smell the roses"?
Janice: Well, we wing our meals. Actually, we've had terrific dinners so far. Sunday night we stayed at my sister's house and she cooked meatloaf. Tonight we are photographer Denny Gordon's mother-in-law's home, and she cooked roast beef. We are not starving.
On both days we had breakfast at local diners and both yielded good interviews. I enjoy the local eateries, the places where the locals hang out. You get a good flavor of the community. We've skipped lunch both days.
As far as pacing the riding, that hasn't been a problem. At every turn I see a story. Every person we encounter has story potential. The trick is limiting ourselves because I would stop every 10 minutes to talk to someone and we'd never make it through the 50-60 miles each day.
Smell the roses? Forgetaboutit. These are rigorous 14-hour days and there is no time to stop and think. The big appeal of doing this by bicycle was that it forced us to move slowly, allowing us to see much more than we would by car. That much is true. However, the slow travel leaves little time for pondering the finer things in life.
Our goal each day is to reach our destination between 3 and 4 in the afternoon. Then it takes an hour to set up the computers and establish online contact. Then it has been taking me about 3 hours to write my newspaper story and my online story. Then I write in the blog. Then I close my eyes and fall asleep.
Today was a particularly nostalgic day for me. Not only did the Euclid Beach arch summon memories of grade-school outings (I think I got my first kiss in the Laugh in the Dark ride, though I didn't put that in either of my stories, so don't tell anyone), but I also road past my old high school. I grew up in Euclid and attended Cleveland St. Joe's, now Villa Angela-St. Joseph.
Yesterday we visited Ashtabula, where I held my first newspaper job from 1973 to 1975 at the Ashtabula Star Beacon. It was a great experience for a kid out of college - at minimum wage.
The enjoyment of today's ride was greatly enhanced by Will Millhiser, a grad student at Case who road the entire day with us. He's one year away from his doctorate in applied mathematics. One smart guy, he told great stories and seemed interested in how we do our work.
Denny and I would welcome any other folks out there who want to go for a bike ride somewhere in Ohio.
With today's 51 miles, we've traveled 108 by bike. We've been extremely fortunate to have a tailwind both days. Imagine two days of wind coming out of the east. How lucky can you get?
Tomorrow we head for Marblehead. A friend of mine has a boat at Bay Point marina and we'll be sleeping there. Finding a place to connect our computers and then finding an Internet connection might be tricky. If there is no blog tomorrow, that's the reason.
Both Denny and I are feeling good and maintaining a high energy level. Two days have passed in a blink - 18 more to go. Hey, come along for the ride.
9:01:05 PM 
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