Day 23: New Haven, IN to Roann, IN

Got a late start.  This always seems to happen when there’s a Walmart close by where I start.  I managed to get through Fort Wayne with only about a dozen wrong turns.  I stopped at a gas station to get some Gatorade (guess what I forgot to get while at Walmart!), and a nice lady walking by said good morning and commented on the lovely weather were going to have that day.  We exchanged some more idle chit-chat, and as she was going on her way she asked if I was okay for money.  Huh!?

I was too surprised to give the appropriate response, which was, “Please give me money!  Lots and lots of money!”  Instead I told her I was all set and off she went with a smile.  I know I haven’t trimmed my beard in three weeks, but I can’t look THAT much like a homeless person.  And how bad off of a homeless person could I be with bad ass new touring bike loaded with brand new gear?  Next time I’ll be ready for it and make sure I get the handout!

Around dinnertime I arrived in the little town of North Manchester.  It’s got one of those classic main streets lined with the kind of substantial stone and brick buildings they used to build back in the early part of the 20th-century.  I got off my bike and strolled down the sidewalk looking for the quaint restaurant that I was sure would be waiting there for me and soaking in the nostalgia of an era I had never been a part of.  But, there was no quaint cafe or diner. 

There were hardly any businesses at all.  As I looked around I saw that nearly every storefront was empty.  No one had even bothered to put up “For Rent” signs in the windows.  It was rather sad.  There were, not so oddly enough, exactly three (yes, three) used book stores along the two blocks of the main drag.  Only one of them was actually open, but my suspicions about these nefarious establishments is growing.  I ended up at a not-so-quaint Subway that was located at the far end of town.

What I Learned: When you start late, seriously consider cutting the distance you had planned on doing that day.  It’s fairly easy to knock out a big chunk of miles in the morning when you’re rested and looking forward to the ride, but after lunch things slow down some.  Trying to crank out the bulk of the day’s distance in the afternoon is asking for a rough finish to the day.

Distance Today: 53 miles
Total distance: 1092 miles