Day 65: Librarians are the Best

I rolled into Stanford at the end of today feeling pretty weary after fighting headwinds and not sure where I was going to sleep. I went to the library (newest, biggest library I’ve seen in ages) and the librarian, Jeannie, not only finds me a place to stay at a local RV park, but gets me an ice cream sandwich and a cup of tea! Librarians are the best. She also gave me the hot tip that I could go next door to the courthouse and check out the great views and ride the only elevator in the county. So I did.

Back to Headwinds

I decamped from Aaron’s this morning and headed to a coffee shop in town. It’s been a long time since I had a morning coffee stop. I sipped and iced latte, did the crossword, and chatted with the owners about their upcoming trip to Ireland.

Both Aaron and the docent at the museum yesterday insisted I stop at the Amish grocery store on my way west today. It was about twenty miles into the day and a great lunch stop. They had tons of bulk goods and local meat and cheese as well as a deli. I picked up a sandwich and a milkshake and sat outside in the shade on one of their numerous Adirondack chairs.

The wind was picking up, so going got slower. The next couple towns were pretty tiny without anywhere to really stop and hangout so I kept moving with an occasional side of the road starburst break. Towards the end of the ride I spotted another cyclist lounging in the grass across the way. Clark is headed east on the traditional northern tier route. He does most of his riding in the afternoon/evening (or even night 😳) so was only five miles into his day when I ran into him at about three.

The cows were all lying down this afternoon, which was making me nervous about rain. (Is there a rhyme for that one?)

After hanging out at the library until it closed, I wandered over the RV park and met Bobbie who owns the place with her husband. I pitched my tent in a sheltered spot and Bobbie showed me the cabin I can escape to if the weather turns foul tonight (there’s a chance of thunder storms). It sounds like several cyclists have had to use the cabin this year with more July thunderstorms than normal. Hopefully, the weather stays okay and my tent does the trick for the night.