Advertisement
Published: June 16th 2006
Day 43 Brazil, IN to Knightstown, IN
Total Miles: 90.0 (2957.3 miles to date)
We had some trouble getting into gear this morning since I wanted breakfast and went in search of it and we also ended up pretty tired from last night since we had neglected to account for the time zone change which robbed us of an hour of sleep. By the time we got going though the ride was pleasant and the weather was also really enjoyable (partly cloudy and only going into the 80s for the day). Despite having all of these things going for us we were still having a hard time believing that we had only gone some 30 miles by 11am. We are shooting for about 50 by 12-1ish so that was a bummer. But after a quick stop at the State Police station where we finally got an Indiana map we were off again and more energized since there was a clearer idea of where to go. We also had a snack stop a few miles down the road near the outskirts of Indianapolis which also helped. I think Indianapolis is easily the largest city we will pass through for the rest of the trip and it is huge. We ended up riding right through the center of town and that seemed to be a quick(ish) way to go.
On our way out of town we decided to stop at a bike shop that looked more inviting than the rush hour traffic that was starting to get going out of town (we had done 60 miles by now so we had plenty of time to do the last 20 we had planned on for the day). At the bike shop we were greeted by an awesome crew who invited us to lounge on their couches, talk about the trip, use a shower if we wanted to, use the Internet and just plain old hang out. It was awesome. We also got really excited in a trip for next summer that rides the Continental Divide Trail from Canada to Mexico on mountain bikes (just an idea no commitments everyone, just and idea). After getting a lot of info about that we decided to hit the road to Knightstown where we were told there were motels and lots of places to stay and eat (more on that later)
On the 30 mile flat ride to Knightstown we started listening to random radio stations and heard one that said that if you called in and told them something BOLD that you had done and it was better than any of the other people who called in, you could win a car. We figured this adventure qualified and so we will certainly win that car. However the time to call in is next Thursday at 8am so we will be held in suspense until then (I called the station and they said that it sounded quite BOLD and they didn't care that we weren't from IN or Indianapolis or anything, so we still have a shot).
In Knightstown we found out that there are no motels but there is a Bed and Breakfast, however it is a few miles out of town so that was not going to happen for us. We ended up figuring we would sleep at the park after dinner and it would be no problem. We were mistaken. We were also told that the Police Department had keys to the bathrooms at the park and would probably unlock them for us so we could take showers so of course we went and asked them if this was the case. That's when they told us that they would not unlock the bathrooms and that we certainly could not sleep there and that they had never heard of anyone ever sleeping in the city park and since it was against the ordinance we couldn't sleep there either. Gee, thanks guys.
In steps the hero of the day....
On our way from the police station to Main St we saw a cyclist coming down the street and I figured maybe he would have helpful information. Just as I asked him if I could ask him a question a thought occur ed to me and it was this, "Is this a RAAM (Race Across America) rider and did I just totally ruin his pace and race!?!?!?" Luckily he wasn't a RAAM racer but was THE local cycling community of one and was an all around nice guy. Curt (the rider) and his wife offered us a shower and his lawn as a place to sleep. On the way to his house I also got some Indiana history since Curt lives across the street from the gym where the film Hoosiers was shot. They just had the 20th anniversary of the shoot and movie. To think, tonight I will lay my head down to rest a mere 100yds or so from where Gene Hackman made cinematic history.....but still no answer as to why so many places here in IN are actually other places.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.129s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 10; qc: 53; dbt: 0.0717s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Craig
non-member comment
Hoosiers
Jess, I was born and raised in Bloomington, IN - graduated from IU "the Hoosiers" and still don't know what a hoosier is, let alone why all the towns are named after other places. There's many ideas, but no definitive answer. Everyone, here at TTUSD are pulling for you! It's always a nice break to stop work and read about your adventures. The two of you are awesome!