Day 30 - The Wind helped me today into PA

The hot, southwest wind pushed us all the way into Pennsylvania.  Heather, our oldest daughter, flew into Cleveland this morning to spend the weekend with us.  Heather & Kathryn toured the LDS church history sites around Kirtland, while I rode with the wind.  I really enjoyed the constant views of the lake near Geneva on the Lake - a resort area.  I saw more golf courses than any other day of the trip.  Once I entered PA - I saw the lake for only 5 minutes.  I missed it.  The vineyards multiplied as we crossed the PA border.  Thoughts for the day:

1. I am continually amazed at the display of flags throughout the country.  In Eastlake I saw the Boulevard of 500 flags where they honor local veterans & also have a 9-11 memorial. Countless main streets of small towns are lined with US flags.
2. I love the name Ashtabula, a town near the PA border.  It is an Iriquois name meaning 'river of many fish'.  The city is still a major coal shipping port & was a major terminus on the underground railroad.
3. I really appreciate Kathryn's support every day.  Today I was on my own & I realized how spoiled I have been.  I carried more supplies & had to stop at several MacDonalds, 7-11 type stores for cold water, etc.

Wind whipped waves - almost rideable

Coal loading at Ashtabula

PA Vineyards

Day 30: Happy Birthday Heather!

I didn't do the ride today. I sent Scott off on his bike packed with as many Clif bars and fruit snacks as he could carry, 2 gatorades and ice water in his bottles, sunscreen, and a couple of extra tubes and then turned on the GPS and headed back to Cleveland to Hopkins International Airport to pick up Heather!!  We went to the Johnson Farm in Hiram OH, Kirtland Temple, all restored Kirtland OH sites and Isaac Morley Farm.  What a remarkable experience to be in places where so many sacred events happened!  It was Heather's birthday wish to come join us here on our travels and it was a gift to me!  I love you Heather!!!  
Catch her blog sometime when she blogs about it. (She is sleeping now since it took her 3 flight segments to get here from last night to this morning). You can find her at Heather on the Moor  

We finally caught up with Scott (he really must have had the wind at his back!) ...and ate dinner at the beach on the Presque Isle peninsula off from Erie, PA.

Oh, and Happy Birthday Heather!!  Thanks for joining our journey for a few days...We sure LOVE YOU!! (And thanks for being our official progress mapper for the blog!)
P.S. I didn't see any of the things Scott did today. Totally missed all of them because we took to freeway to catch up with him. NOTE: When we vacation using freeways as our travel we miss out!

Day 29 - Into the Big City

We followed the Erie lake shore into Cleveland.  Great neighborhoods lining the lake in & out of the city.  It was a fun afternoon to be in town: the crowd was gathering for the final Browns preseason game (they lost to the Bears), the Blue Angels were practicing for a Saturday air show, they were having an old ships battle reenactment, & the skies were bright blue & perfect temperature - Cleveland had a lot of energy today.  Thoughts for the day:

1. We passed many Erie beaches - saw very few people swimming, but I sure felt like it.  Gotta try it before we leave the lake - the water temp is about 78 degrees.  Lake Erie is most shallow of all the lakes - so it must be the warmest.
2. Thanks Dave - my inside source on Cleveland info.  I worked with Dave at Hawaiian Tel , he is originally from Cleveland & a die hard Browns fan.  He gave us a heads up about the Blue Angels in town, and recommended  a route with good views.  I really enjoyed our time in Cleveland.

 Bike path along lake

Day 29: I love coastal towns!

I love coastal towns! We started the day in Huron, OH, and the beauty and charm continued up the Lake Erie coast through Vermilion, Bay Village, Lakewood, etc. on highway 6.

I did have a huge problem though in my support role: There were very few parks or beach access places to park and wait for Scott.  Looking far down the street I would think I'd see a park ahead, then realize "Nope, it's just a huge yard!"  Then I'd eventually see a large church down the street that I assumed would have a parking lot I could pull into... "Nope, it's just a huge home!"  Haha... over and over.... and over.  ;)  But sooo lovely to drive through these neighborhoods most of the day.
Another highlight was watching the Blue Angels practice over Cleveland for the Labor Day weekend shows.

They flew closely over my head while I was driving but thankfully I didn't grab my phone or iPad to take a picture or I might not be here to blog tonight.  Traffic around me slowed down immediately from 55mph to 35mph and almost caused an accident!!
Here is a glimpse of what MY day is going to be like tomorrow:

Oh... and here's another great church sign:  :)

Day 28: happy non-camper ;)

I had a great sleep last night with fluffy pillows, and a fluffy comforter, and showered with fluffy towels. I am such a happy non-camper today!  :)

Our drive/ride started today in Maumee, OH, then south over the river through the beautiful neighborhoods in Perrysburg, then up River Road and eventually moved east into lush farmland and the peaceful country roads of Walbridge and Trowbridge before reaching Lake Erie (which we will follow the rest of the week).

Observations:   *Gas has been consistently $3.95 all over Ohio.   

*Ohio peaches are yummy!!  

*There are no John Deere dealers here. Now all I see are boats and boat dealers!

* For the last 2 weeks this is what I see when I close my eyes:

... Maps and road signs are embedded under my eyelids.  Yep.