Day 47 – July 20 – Iroquois, IL to Fletcher Lake, IN – 86 Miles

Today we started off in cool and overcast weather.  At times it was misting but not enough to warrant the use of rain covers.  We headed east from Iroquois and within 7 miles we were in Indiana.  The crossing into the Hoosier State was on a county road without any signs or markers.  The wind out of the northeast was in our faces as we rode east on one county road then north on another.

Just west of US 41 near Brook, IN is a grain elevator.  A crop duster was working fields in the area.  During our trip we have seen a number of crop dusters working fields from Montana, to Iowa, to Illinois, now in Indiana.  Every time I see crop dusters I am reminded of  a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s film, North by Northwest.  In the scene, the character played by Cary Grant is attack by a crop dusting aircraft on a lonely stretch of highway.  Ironically, as the story line goes, that lonely stretch of highway is US 41 in northwest Indiana.  Too weird.

We rode with Dylan to US 41 and State Route 16.  At the intersection we encountered “Road Closed” signs so we detoured north on 41.  We were going to meet my in-laws, Lee and Linda Mann for lunch in Rensalaer, so going north on 41 was not out of our way.  Dylan turned east on the next county road, we would be camping with him this evening near Lake Fletcher, IN.

As we were traveling north along US 41, we heard the dreaded hiss of a tire losing air.  This time it was a tire on Joe’s trailer.  Taking a closer look we found it had worn through to the cord and the tube.  Not good given we were 20 miles from the nearest town with a bike shop.  We had a new tube to replace the leaking one, but it would not last long given the condition of the tire.  To make a temporary repair I decided to sacrifice an old tube that we had intended to patch and turned it into a tire liner.  I cut off the valve stem and then placed it on the interior of the tire between the tire and the tube.  It was a 26 inch tube lining a 16 inch tire, so where the tire had worn thru, we had at least 4 layers between the road and the new inner tube.  We would see if this “McGyver” solution would work.  I was able to call my mother-in-law and she was able to secure a replacement tire and would bring it to Rensalaer.

Having made the repair, Joe and I continued north along US 41, intending to take State Route 114 directly into Rensalaer.  114 turned out to be heavily trafficked, with a number of large trucks and no shoulder.  We rode on 114 for about 2 miles before detouring onto a parallel county road one mile south.  The county road was a relief.  This detour took us past “Mt Rensalaer,” otherwise known as the Newton County Landfill.  It was a busy place with the waste haulers kicking up dust and processing facilities putting out their exhaust along the county road we were riding.  This 2 mile stretch of county road was a challenge we had not previously experienced on this trip.

At the Mc Donald’s at Rt 114 and I-65 near Rensalaer, we had a nice lunch with Lee and Linda.  There was a covered pergola with a table outside.  The weather was pleasant and it was a nice location.  We spent over an hour together talking and eating lunch.  Joe took care of the trailer tire change.

Leaving the McDonalds, Joe and I decided to check out Rensalaer to see if we could locate a bike shop to acquire another tire for the trailer as well as a few spare tubes.  We located Superior Equipment on East Vine.  It was the first time that I had seen a bike shop and power equipment dealer together in one store.  They had what we needed. They had a matching pair of tires for the trailer.  Joe took off the old tires and replaced them.  The tire Linda brought would be our spare. The staff at Superior was friendly and helpful.  As “through cyclists” they had us sign their wall with our trip details and provided us with some route help for our trip east through Indiana.

During lunch the overcast cleared and we were treated to mostly sunny skies.  Our route took us to Monon, IN where we stopped for an early dinner, and through Buffalo where we encountered our second landfill of the day.  The road conditions varied from township to township and county to county, but mostly we rode on two lane roads, that were lightly travelled.   I grew up in Indiana and have travelled across Indiana near this area all my life, but had never experienced this particular corner of Indiana like this before, one cornstalk at a time.

We arrived at Fletcher Lake just be for sunset.  Our route had added several extra miles and the tire troubles had added time.  Overall however, it was a good ride.  It is the flat tires and the smell of landfills that add character to an adventure.  Dylan was already set up when  arrived at the RV park.  He shared with us some leftover pizza that neighbors at the park had given to him.  The RV park owner came around to collect our fees, then offered us a beer.  We gladly accepted.

Tomorrow we are off to Fort Wayne where we will spend a rest day at my mother’s.  I invited Dylan to accompany us and he accepted.  In Fort Wayne, my brother will come up from Batesville and ride with us on Monday.  We are looking forward to spending more time with family and friends there.