Hitch-hiker Rescue

Day 6: Streetsboro, OH to Norwalk, OH - 67 Miles

Friday. I slept ok last night after doing some laundry. I left at 7:10 AM. I took a wrong turn and immediately got diverted. I followed the Alternate Truck Route for OH 303. I did however get back on track and once I was on OH 303 got yet another flat in the rear tire. This repair took an extra long time because it was difficult for me to get the tire bead properly seated. A local cyclist stopped and asked if I had everything I needed. I told him I was all set and he continued on his ride. I did get the tire seated finally and once again went on my way.

I was looking to ride to Peninsula, OH. Tank told me there was a bike shop there. I figured once I got to the shop I could get lots of things straightened out and be on my way. Man it sure is hot today! When I got to Peninsula I found that the bike shop was not open for another hour. I arrived at 9:00 AM and the shop didn’t open until 10:00 AM.

Decisions, decisions. Do I ride on and hope for something else or sit for an hour? I bought a Gatorade from a vending machine and decided to ride on. I rode steady until I reached the town of Lagrange, OH. I stopped at a roadside Ice Cream shop to have lunch.

I filled one of my water bottles from the hose on the side of the building. While I was eating, a lady and her son, who looked like he was 4 or 5 years old, rode up on their bikes. They were going to get an ice cream before heading back to their home. They spent a few minutes chatting with me and the lady said to her son, “See, even the big boys need to wear bike helmets”. When I finished lunch I said good bye and they wished me well.

I continued to ride toward Norwalk, OH. Somewhere past Pittsfield, OH, my back tire had a blow out. Just before the tire blew I felt that it was uneven and was lumping along. I heard a loud explosion and I knew the tire was gone. I inspected it and saw there was no chance of doing any kind of repair. I looked back at the Pittsfield (very small town) water tower and questioned whether I should walk back to Pittsfield or should I walk west and hope that a kind stranger would help me? Westward Ho!

I started to walk west, sticking my thumb out with each passing car. After many cars and trucks passed me by, a guy in a Red Volkswagen Beetle stopped and asked if I needed help. I told him that I needed to get to a bike shop to get a new tire. The man introduced himself as Ron and said that he had no room in his car for my bike. He said he would drive a mile back to his house, empty the car and come back to get me. I told him that I would start to walk back to his house and would probably meet him somewhere half way. I again met up with Ron about ½ mile from where my tire blew out. Ron was going to take me to Oberlin, OH which is famous for its Music conservatory. I was not familiar with it at all.

At Dale’s Cycle shop in Oberlin I got a new tire and some chain lube. I didn’t get extra tubes which was a mistake. After my bike was repaired, Ron showed me around Oberlin for a bit. He showed me some interesting architecture and discussed at length the Oberlin Conservatory. He finally dropped me off at US RT 20 so I could be on my way to Norwalk, OH. I burned well over an hour on all of this. I rode a mere 12 miles down the road to Wakeman, OH, when I took another flat in the brand new back tire! I fixed the flat and was determined to stop in Norwalk, OH. I was completely spent. There were tornado warnings being issued for the area and I want to get settled into a hotel quickly. I stayed at an Econo-lodge in Norwalk which was an overpriced dump. The lock on the door didn’t work properly and the place was filthy. It was one of 2 hotels in Norwalk. The tornado warnings dominated the TV that night, however the storm dissipated by the time it got to Norwalk.