I don't know where in the world to begin with this day except to say this out off all bike rides including last years big rude had to be the worst experience mentally, emotionally, and physically.
When that alarm went off at 5 I sure didn't want to get up because five hours of sleep just doesn't cut it at all. Especially when you are taxing yourself to extremes. We got ready and were just about to walk outside when Jim said to me on the phone it isn't raining? I opened the door and sure as heck it was. So out came tithe rain gear and swapping out shoes 20 minutes later we were checking out of the Perry inn. So grateful for them sponsoring us for a night. Took a picture and then down the street to McDonald's for a nice fattening Hardy meal since we heard how horrible the stretch was in-between places. (Pure understatement) we collected a signature at mcdonaaldz ate and then were off or so we thought untiil we were lost in massillon for a good half hour or better trying to figure out where the trail was...nothing new there same as yesterday we finally find the trail an d head out it was ok except for the rain and then it hit the trail turned back to gravel along with mud and that my friends was horrid and my street tires are absolutely not made for that. sThen after we make it to Dalton the real problems started hills after hills after hills I could not believe it. Not only was it raiining cats and dogs we were doing. Nothing but climbing hills. 2 hours and two minutes simething geels terribly wrong with my bike its pulling to one side...:so i adjusted my bags look down and low and behold can you guess my front tire is flat.. first official tire to ever go flat on a long trip. So i got the tire off and had nothing but issues. By the grace of God some group of cyclist stopeed.changed my tire trued it.up and left. Wanted to get a picture but it was still pouring down rain but thank you to those four men because otherwise we would still be there. So an hours lost but that ok really pack.my bike and on our way time for.more hills. Aaaaaagh. Would it ever end.... then the.Gps gets us lost for the second time it was pouring lightening thundering no where to go no where to hide you with nature as one..
I was not feeling it at this point...
We stopped and found a house and Jason went and knocked on their door to get directions... it was only a few more miles up the street. Once we got to then end of the street we stopped there was a little community park and we took shelter there from the rain and cooked our freeze dried breakfast food changed clothes at we had been riding in the rain for three hours. Soak and wet shivering. After we regrouped and charged our phones we headed on out to the Holmes county trail. That was nice and wide and a lot of Amish travel trhough there. Then we get to killbuck and the trouble started again we went way Wayout of our way and stopped at at another random strangers house to get help yep we had to turn around. I was not happy... once we got into downtown in killbuck we found a grocery store and picked up some stuff then outside a lady was telling us exactly how to get to the trail but said we were a good 18 miles from it. Oh no! She told us how bad millersburg rd was and we kind of just blew it off because we had done hills all day. Little did I know that she wasn't kidding...it was insane. I literally broke down and cried on and off for about 10 miles. The hills were so steep and I was physically fatigued.. Jason was getting pretty tired himself. Words cannot describe this. This was the hardest bike ride I ever ever had done. Maybe if it wasn't so many miles in a day we would of been ok..but it to me was horriffic. I literally thought I was going to just quit right there. I was so angry like can we catch a break. None the least when we got to Mohican valley trail we couldn't take if because it was being worked on so had to take 62 all the way in....more inclines and hills. Once we got to the kokosing trail life was great pretty flat we were going much faster. Smooth ride all the way in... well last 15 miles were. We stopped into town before We went to harmony hill Jason was sick from not eating. When I got off my bike at Wendy's and waalked in I literally almost fainted everything was closing in and Blury. Things were spinning...I only managed to eat a small chili and felt like I was going to vomit. Jason ran to bathroom while being in line and was dry heaving. Nothing came up because he had no food in his stomach. This is very hard. But as I always say you can do anything you want if you put your mind to do it. Even when you wanna give up you find true strength to pull through and keep fighting. You must believe in yousrself. I must go now. I have a long day ahead of me. Sorry for typos doing this from phone.
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