Day 36 Valpo to Kendallville

Day 36 Valpo to Kendallville

Essence - Rediscoverying the fun of adventure.

5:00 a.m. and the alarm clock risks being thrown across the room when it goes off. I snooze for an essential 15 more minutes and then ... I am up. Packing up the laundry that was wet last night when I went to bed, I have more work than normal. But only a few minutes worth. By 6:00 I am down at the truck with my gear on it.

Hot water was not started as per the usual hour before breakfast so coffee is late. I am glad to not have that morning caffeine addiction. I am just up as as ready to go as I am ever going to be.

During breakfast we get the reroute information that should cut 3 miles off our 109 mile day and get us around some construction. In then end it was negated by other factors.

The big tragedy happens to the Dimmitt’s. Their tandem bike is knocked over and their front wheel is broken. Cracked rim, out of true, etc, etc. Their day is done before they have even started. Being a Tandem, they have hub mounted disc brakes, a heavier wheel and a high spoke count of 36 spokes. Basically this isn’t just a run of hte mill kind wheel. The bike shops don’t open on Mondays, Chicago is more than an hour away, blah blah blah. There is no good solution.



God however always provides a way out, if the hearts are willing. And fortunately today they are. David Lambert’s family are up to ride with him. Grandpa Lambert is going to ride teh single bike. Dad Lambert and sister Hannah are going to ride the Lambert tandem. The Lambert’s step up to the plate and hit a home run, as MOm and Dad Lambert, offer up a wheel trade. The Dimmitt’s will use the Lambert’s front wheel and ride, while the Lambert’s cancel their morning ride plans and take the broken wheel to get hopefully get fixed.

For the Lambert’s, I am sure this a disappointing turn for their plans, but they are heroes and lift the rest of us. As a Christian, seeing Christian’s in need, and seeing other Christian’s provide, I can only see the hand of God in all of this.

Solution proivided and wheels exchenaged, the Dimmitts roll out of Valpo with us in the Scott Train.

The starting turns frustrating. The directions assume we are leaving the university fromt he main entrance and basically run us to a right turn and then a right turn and then another right turn and a bend in the road and 4 miles later we have just made loop through town and are rigth back at the same intersection we started with. Now we are all annoyed!

We follow the route and finally are on our way out of town. The pace in the Scott train is uncomfortable slow for me and I decide to end the frustrations and ride my kind of ride. I AM going to enjoy this adventure. Pulling I get in a rhythm that feels like my training rhythym. It feels so much like my trainig rhythm, that I can actually imagine my trainig buddy, David, riding along side me. I imagine our conversations and I start verbally answering his questions. Except he is back in Phoenix so I really just talking to the cows, as we say.

But I enjoy finding my body feel familar. Breathing is right. Leg Cadence is right . Foot tension is okay. We ride a while and then after a potty break I separate as I get a late restart and try to keep it a day where I feel good being me, not part of the team.

Riding slower and solo, I start hanging with other folks I usually don’t ride with. I am riding with Marty, and Lisa G and then the Dimmitts. Trish is really upset over having disrupted teh Lambert’s plan. We pray on the bikes and I pray over them, and that uplifts us all. Trish tells me at the water stop how much the prayers meant and on several levels and it is a moment of true caring connection withthe Dimmitts. I am just pleased to be a part of their day.

Before we know it we are at the first water stop, provided by Larry, the local Big Ride Alumnus. The stop is magninficent. So much fruit, for many salty snacks and wonderful Cinnamon roll carbo loads. Mmmmmmmm!



The Dambert’s. The Dimmitts and Lamberts coming together to form one team. Pictured are Greg Dimmitt, Grandpa Dan Lambert, Dave Lambert and Trish Dimmitt.

Larry reminds us all to slow down and smell the roses for the next 2 weeks. I tell him how I have already taken that advice this mornig and am already having such a great morning.



Leaving I ride with Jo and Lisa G for a long time. We have great conversation about religion and God andsuch things and it is all good. Jo rides off and Lisa and I continue what will be a wonderful flowing conversation all day, that flows from one topic to the next.

Suddenly my feet are screaming with pain and I decide I am going to stop at the top of the hill for an impromptu 50 miles stop since our next stop is not until mile 65. As I crest the hill I see that the remaing Lambert’s have had the same idea and have set out such a spread of chairs and food and beverages to rival Larry’s bounty.



It is the perfect water stop. And we get news that Daddy Lambert is at the bike shop and the wheel will take about 2 hours to rebuild, but they have the parts and are starting almost right away! Hallelujah for perfect blessings!



A picture of some of the farm traffic we share/compete with.

Lisa and I roll on and add Ane to make our group a trio. Ane inadvertently carries out another mishap as she runs off the road and into the soy beans. Here is how I expereinced this event.

I pass her as she is wobbling trying to ride and do a map change at the same time.

Suddenly I hear her yell.

I look over my right shoulder to see her head off the shoulder at speed and right toward the ditch and the flow fence around the soy beans.

I know she is going to crash. I know it... and it may be bad.

I start to slow down and start thinking of where is my first aid kit, where is my phone, do I have Pollie’s number handy etc.

Meanwhile I continue to watch as Ane rolls through the ditch...unharmed

Ane rolls through a void in the fence ... unharmed.

The Soy beans plants slow her down and finally 15 feet in to the soy beans. She has stopped, is upright and laughing.

Amazed that nothing went wrong, I now go from panic mode to Embarrassng big Brother mode and I grab my camera to catch this moment.

Lisa has also seen all of this and has stopped and it now reaching for her camera as well. Becasue this is NOW a PHOTO OP!


Okay but a bit embarrassed, Ane climbs back up to the road and we continue on after she cleans her cleats out.

Along the way we have seen several entertaining mailboxes. But this one really entertains me.




The afternoon iis good. We pick add Ben to our group and are continually swapping so we are riding in pairs but not getting bored with each other.

We are in Amish country and enjoy the clip cllop of the horses hooves and all the little carriages. We pass with care, so as not to spook the horses.

This “Giraffe Poodle” is a streange looking animal that actually made us turn around and double back to get teh pictures of it. Why would you shave your Alpaca to look like a Poodle?



Riding on we make a break in the across road garden from a beautiful house.



Lisa has the expected flat after inviting the Devil, when she claimed earlier in the day, how happy she was that she had not yet had a flat on this ride.

We the flat. We find the final water stop, where the Lambert’s have rendezvoused with the Dimmitt’s and both tandem bikes have been restored to their intended working order. Dimmitts ont he road, leave the Lambert crew to get rolling.

We have taken our time and stopped throughout tthe day to enjoy rests in peoples gardens and smell the flowres along the way. Ane even compliments me for fulfillining my goal to slow down my ride and take it all in.

During the ride we lost and hour as we crossed into Eastern time zone. how that affect us is that we get into camp at 7:00 pm and i t had been 115 miles day, including the 4 mile scenic loop that we did through town at the top of the day.

It has been a good day. It has been a day about realizing God’s blessings and being thankful. Sunny and good weather. I have enjoyed great conversation and made better friends wtih folks I hadn’t spent enough time with. I spent my day, making it my day, smelling the roses, enjoyin ghte ride and rediscoverying the fun in it all.

Tonightwe cooked for ourselves, which was delicious cold cuts and chips and fruit. I also got to talk to M&D for a long time and that was very good.

I enjoyed my day. I look forward to each day of the next 2 weeks and am thankful for the blessings to me nad especially for those around me.

It hase been a good day.


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