Wait, wasn't the day supposed to end in Bowling Green today? Yes, but... the heat really got to me and I had to stop. I missed a couple of turns during the day, so I added a few miles to my proposed 75 mile day. There were another 35 miles to go to get to Bowling Green when I arrived in Fremont. If it had been cooler I might have continued on, but the thermometer on my bicycle computer read 104. Of course, that was the temperature in the sun - I think the "official temperature" was around 95 - but I was in the same sun as the computer. Enough riding for the day.
Today was my last glimpse of the Great Lakes for this trip. The first 10 miles to Huron paralleled the lake, and then I turned southwest and inland. The views from the bike changed to farmlands and houses, which was a pleasant change. I imagine I'll be tired of farm country after a while, but for now it is nice. I met the first cyclists coming the other way since I saw Jeff way back in the Adirondacks. Somehow we forgot to exchange names - but they were a couple riding a recumbent tandem who had started from their home in Salinas, Indiana several days earlier and who are following the Northern Tier route to Bar Harbor. We stood on the side of the road and chatted for a while, and they told me there was another cyclist about 20 miles ahead of me heading west. It's not likely I'll catch him though, because I've planned a visit with a friend tonight and tomorrow. It's just nice to know there's someone else out here on a bike.
The last seven miles of the day was on a beautiful bike path between Clyde and Fremont. There were actually some shaded benches along the path that a local runners club had donated. That was a nice touch, although it was too hot to even want to sit in the shade so I just kept on riding. When I got to Fremont I followed the directions to the center of town, then stopped at the drugstore to ask about a good place to stay. Several people consulted, then recommended the Traveloge on the outskirts of town. They started to try to give me directions, but didn't seem to agree on the best way to go. One of the women said that she'd borrow a truck and drive me there! It was only a couple of miles, but - hey, why not! It was pretty funny though, because one of the reasons she wanted to drive me was that she said there was a big hill on the way. It was really only a big hill to the locals because it is so flat around here. I think it might have been a 3 to 4 percent grade for less than a quarter of a mile.
Once I got settled in I called my friend Sue who was on her way from Detroit to Bowling Green to visit with me. She changed her driving direction to end up in Fremont. Luckily it's a lot easier to make last minute changes like this in a car. We had dinner and a great visit lasting past both of our normal bedtimes.
