It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you and you have no such accurate remembrance of the country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle. – Ernest Hemingway.

Ohio has been a pleasure to ride through. The ride has been very hilly, though for the most part the hills have not been difficult to climb. The forest has opened up some. That may be partly because I am no longer on the trails. With the hills, you get a sweeping view of the countryside. The wildflowers have diversified, adding new colors to the sides of the roadway. Now that I am back on the highways, I can see the all the small towns as I ride through. It was also a perfect day for riding, mostly sunny and highs in the 70’s.

After my short day yesterday, I made a bargain with myself that if I made it all the way to New Philadelphia, OH, I would get a motel room and take a rest day. I honestly did not think I would make it. New Philadelphia was 60 miles away, through eastern Ohio’s big hills. I assumed I would stop 10 or 15 miles short. When I passed a campground about 15 miles away, I seriously thought of stopping, but the idea of having an extra day at a motel motivated me to keep going and I made it all the way. By the time I got into my room, I could barely move. The hills must have taken more out of me than I realized.

My camera went caput. I thought if I could snap some things back into place from the drop, it would be back to normal. Unfortunately, I ended up completely breaking it. So I will have to rely on my phone’s camera for now.