Monday, July 25, 2011

Sagging the RAIN Part II






And
the
RAIN
continues...



Fueled
by
peanut
butter...





and,
of course,
Fig
Newtons...




The
riders
charge
on...






Half a league








Half a league








Half a league
onward...


into
the
Valley
of
40...


ride
1700!






Actually,
well,
not
yet...





First
they
must
swing
south
of
Indianapolis





Leaving
us
Saggers
scratching
our
heads














trying
to find
the
Sagger's
route....


(we
can't follow
our bikers
on the
narrow country
roads.)




On
to
the
Franklin
Middle
School.






we're
fueling
our
vehicles...




as
they
fuel
theirs.







We
peruse
our
maps...









We
get
lost.










We
scan
the
road
for
signs...







All
the
while
worrying
about
our bikers.



Do they
have a
flat
tire?




Heat
Stroke?







Do
they
need
food?




or
shade?






Finally
we
find
them
at the
lunch
stop.






Hot
and
tired.






Hungry?








Yes!







The
line
is
long...




But
worth
it!









It's a
happy
crowd..





Here
at the
92
mile
mark.







Only
71
miles
to
go!







And
here
comes
my
Al!

At last!






Tired?

Of course.





But
excited,
too.




She's
found
new
friends...



They
bike
just
her
speed.

She wants
to stay
with them
these
last
71 miles.





And
here
comes
Steve!





This is
just like
biking
across
America...






only
it
seems
longer.

:)







Al's
taking
off
too.






Leaving
me
alone
to
sag...




the
lonely
country
miles...





only
a calf
for
a
friend.






Getting
hot...








Glad
I'm
not
a
biker!








Not
today!











Twenty
miles
to
Greenfield.







And
my
favorite
Caseys.





They're
busy
today!






Full of
saggers
and
bikers.







Lots
of
smiles!






If we
made it
this
far...



We
know
we
can
do
it!







Just
47
miles
to
go...






Piece
of
cake!







Here's
a
great
sagstress!





She
even
brought
an
umbrella!




and
a
dog!






Good
puppy!





We're
filling
up
coolers





Handing
out
drinks.







But
where's
my
biker?





Here
she
comes!





SAG
support
from
the back
of the
van.










That
was
a
tough
stretch.







Do
you
want
an
iced
towel?






That
feels
great!






Craig
is
having
a
wonderful
time!





He jots
down
my number
so we can
exchange
pictures....





Can't
dawdle
too
long...







For
we
have
promises
to keep...








And
miles
to
go....








Before
we
sleep.













On
the
road
again...







It's
a
straight
shot
to
Richmond
now...






On
State
Road
40.






Oh,
and
here
comes
Steve!






And
there
he
goes...






Steve
is
slower
than
Al...





but
he
never
stops....




fueled
only
by
orange juice
and
Fig Newtons.




The
ride
is
getting
long
now...



Muscles
starting
to
ache...






Hands
numb...






Feet
burning...





This
is 
grueling!






Maybe
a
different
bike....










or
a
drink
of
Powerade...







would
help...






You
could
enjoy
the
scenery...



Lots
of
corn.








Entering
Dunreith
now...






The
last
official
Sag
stop.







Better
stop
now...






These
last
32 miles
are
going
to be
brutal!



The
sun
beats
on
helmets...


The
road
grinds
on
tires...




Will
we
survive?






Down
the
long
hill...










into
Lewisville...





by
the
famous
Guyer
Opera
House...







and
their
celebrated
one
stoplight!





Next
town...






Cambridge
City...




Antique
shops
on
every
corner.






But
the
bikers
don't
notice...





They're
too
busy
counting
down
the miles.






The
miles
seem
longer
now...









and
hotter...


It's
sweltering
out
here...




How
much
farther
is
it?

I'm
wearing
out...








Look!







Is
that
the
Richmond
water
tower?!








Have
we
made it
at
last?!





Richmond
traffic
is
almost
welcome!




Is
this
really
Earlham?






Spin
in
there!







Everyone
loves
this
woman!






Can't
believe
we're
here
at
last!






And
here
comes
my little
girl!






After
eleven
hours
on
the
road...









What
a
woman!







What
a
great
feeling!





And
here
comes
Steve!


163
miles
in
one
day!








He
did
it!







They
did
it!







We
all
did
it!







We
all
did
it!







We
all
did
it!







Here's
to
bikers....






Every
one
of
us...




.
..
....
everywhere!