Day 53: R.A.S.C.A.L ride to Monroeville, IN

That’s Riding Across Soybeans Corn and Lakes. I rode out of Wabash and went through the Salamonie park/refuge. It was very hilly, shady and pretty. The Wabash river is dammed up to form a large lake which looked very cool and refreshing. I thought about stripping down and going in but I didn’t know if it had leeches or not so I longingly passed it by. Again, all the roads I was on were pretty and I had a cross-wind or quartering tailwind most of the day! Aside from the heat and humidity (93 and 90% respectively, and tomorrow is supposed to be hotter…) this was the best riding conditions I’ve had in weeks! I stopped for lunch at a little pizzeria in Zanesville and I had one of the best grinders I have every eaten. Then the proprietress, Alice, gave me a piece of one of her pizzas and it was exceptional, too! So after my grinder, two pieces of pizza, a pop and an ice cream bar I hit the road again. It was about another 30 miles to Monroeville and I made it in less than two hours. I am staying at a very nice facility the city has made for cross-country cyclists- it is large, air conditioned, has a bathroom with shower and laundry, full kitchen, etc. Warren, the man that let me in and gave me a key has lived here his entire life and is such a nice guy. His parents are buried in the cemetery in Aransas Pass! Talk about a small world! As soon as my laundry is done I am going to walk into town and find a tavern. Daily mileage: 71, trip miles: 2,860.

The Wabash River and Lake Salamonie:

Pretty roads, with zero traffic; very enjoyable riding: 

And some nice hills:

You’ve all seen photos of green soybean plants. The leaves turn yellow and then fall of leaving just the stalk with the soybeans on it. The farmers will periodically test the beans and when they have 15% water content, the max allowed by the processors, they will be harvested. Same deal for corn, all of which is sent to an ethanol plant:

Alice, proprietress and cook extraordinaire. She was not happy to be photographed with her hair net on: 

My buddy Warren who opened up the facility for me and told me all about his life there and the history of the area: