This morning I woke to find that my tent had dried thoroughly during the night. I hurried to pack it away because the clouds (and the forecast) were threatening a day of rain, and sure enough, as I was rolling up the groundcloth the sprinkling started.
It rained all day long. I also rode all day long. Aside from the inconvenience of being wet, the temperature was perfect for riding in my rain gear, and the roads were smooth and flat and mostly abandoned, so I just rode all day, past where I'd intended to stop tonight, to Delaware State Park where I'd intended to stop tomorrow night! This means that I can arrive in the Columbus area a day early and greatly simplifies a number of logistics that had been troubling me.
A story from the day... I stopped at a bar in the town of Marseilles (I forgot to ask how the locals pronounce it) to use the restroom and stayed for a cup of coffee and a look through the yellow pages. I was the only customer, and I must have looked like a drowned rat. The proprietor, who had had a laryngectomy and spoke with a voice box, asked a number of questions and showed me the weather channel. She not only gave me my coffee for free, she threw in a handful of snack bags as well. I discreetly left her a tip.
Looking at Delaware State Park on the map, I had been concerned that it was so close to the highway. I needn't have worried... the campground is at least two miles from the main entrance. After riding 80 miles or so [actually more like 55], this was not a welcome discovery -- I think I could sleep through a tornado tonight. Hopefully that won't be necessary.
Total distance: 53.02 mi
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