Friday, June 21, 1996
Day 41
Van Buren, Ohio to Willard, Ohio
Today's Miles: 57
Cumulative Miles for the Tour: 2780
Degree of Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Terrain: Flat Farmland to Rolling Hills
Find of the Day: Backroad "T8" in Ohio
We left the campground at Van Buren, heading east on a blacktop country road. It was an easy morning with 11 year old Sarah setting the pace for the first 12 miles. It takes me about an hour of steady riding to warm up, so it was nice not to have to strain during the first hour. After we passed Fostoria, Ken, Adam and I got in a line and kept a consistent 18 to 20 miles per hour until we reached our lunch break in Tiffin.
Denny's isn't my idea of the ideal meal provider, but Dave and Sarah were already there so we stopped. It annoys the hell out of me when you can't get decent service at a place. After being completely ignored for five minutes, I told Ken and Adam I'd rather go to a place that would appreciate our business. That's about the time the waitress showed up.There is a problem in general with people who dislike what they do so much, they can't do a good job. I think it has to do with self image. If you don't see yourself as a provider of a service, no amount of acting is going to give the customer the impression that you care. If you don't like your job, quit and find something that is satisfying to do. Don't ruin my meal because you're unhappy with what you're doing. Now that I've gotten that out...We knew it was going to be a short ride today, around 55 miles. I fixed a flat tire while the rest of the crew cruised downtown Tiffin. There's a good bike store that got Adam setup with some more stickers for his bike. We pedaled out of town with a light tailwind, headed for a campsite in Willard, 35 miles down the road.Highway 162 on the map looked like a pretty good shot to start the afternoon. Following our pattern of the past week, Ken, Adam and I took off on a backroad and found ourselves riding along one of the most beautiful stretches of blacktop we've seen since leaving Everett, Washington 6 weeks ago.There wasn't anything majestic about the scenery. It was just a perfect biking road...no traffic, solid blacktop with no markings, smooth, slightly rolling terrain where the downward momentum of one hill would put you passed the top of the next, a canopy of trees linking overhead from both sides of the road...like I said, a perfect biking road. I don't think I could find County Road "T8" again, but then to try and recreate that moment would ruin it wouldn't it?Willard is a blue collar, working town. Dave didn't think we were going to be able to find a place to camp, but once again, Donna and Sarah worked their magic. They met with the town recreation director and got permission for us to setup tents in the city park. He even let us use the swimming pool showers for free. Once again it proves that a town's friendliness is with the people that inhabit it.I spent a relaxing evening puttering around the campsite, setting up my tent, showing Dave Blair some stuff on the computer and then asked Adam to give me a haircut. I've been meaning to go all the way with a "Michael Jordan" for sometime, now. Well, folks, here it is...
Mark's "Michael Jordan" imitation
That's about it for the night. Most of the crew found a local rock 'n bowl and are staying out late because we've got a rest day tomorrow. I'm exhausted from a long week and need the sleep to get prepared for next week's big finish.
9 days and counting...
Bike America Tours
dblair@wtp.net
1-800-738-7271