Day 19 – Napoleon,OH to Decatur,IN

Date: 17.05.2018

Altitude: 636.5 ft (194 m)

Distance: 74.25 mi (119.49 km)

Total Altitude: 35538.0 ft (10832 m)

Total Distance: 1136.14 mi (1828.45 km)

Last day in Ohio! Today I left Ohio and entered Indiana. I even got the picture of the state sign, although it was not directly on the road I was on. But when I was about to cross a major highway, while being on the State Line Road (a road directly on the boarder between Ohio and Indiana) I could see the sign on the highway. So I stopped and walked the few meters to the sign, before I continued on my way to Decatur,IN. If I would have stayed on my route, I would not have gotten a picture of the state sign, since there wasn't any. I'm really getting good at spotting the state signs.

 

Although I had quite a late night yesterday, I still got an early start this morning. So I didn't get to see Doug in the morning and say my goodbyes, since he was still sleeping when I left. Anyways it was great that I could stay with Doug and got to meet Doug and his friends.

Due to the late night and the limited sleep it was really hard for me to get going and get into the groove, this morning. But it was still an enjoyable ride, since the weather was beautiful, the sun was shining for the whole day and it was warm. The route stayed by the Maumee river until I reached Defiance,OH, but even afterward there was always a river close by until I entered Indiana. From there it was just farmland all the way to Decatur. The route was again really nice with lots to see along the way and again the route stayed on small roads except for the first part of the route going to Defiance.
The scenery was beautiful with the river at one side and farmland on the other side of the road. I really enjoyed the route today.

On my way to Decatur,IN I passed through a few smaller towns, one of them being Paulding,OH. I passed through Paulding at noon, so I stopped in front of the court house to check for a place to eat on my phone. As I was standing there, a man approached me and asked if I would like to join them for lunch, at their Kiwanis meeting. I was more than happy to except the kind offer. So I enjoyed a nice lunch and got to be part of their meeting. It was nice to meet them and to talk a bit about my trip with them. Everyone was just so nice. I'm glad I was invited in and got to experience this kind of hospitality. Actually, it is this kind of openness and hospitality, that make this trip so great.

Conclusion for the day:

Even after a late night, you have to get back on the bike the next day.