We had such a nice time at the Cole Porter Inn, with a deli meal we’d picked up at the Kroger’s, and then a relatively early night, getting ready for what we knew was a righteous 100 plus mile day, our second in three days. (It turned out to be 107 total miles today.)

We started out from Peru and crossed the Wabash River and rode out into the dawn and the countryside. The route was quiet, and on little used roads until we got started on a series of trails that included Indiana’s longest, the Cardinal Greenway, that runs from north of Muncie all the way to Richmond.

It was a very long day in the saddle – we’d planned a short trailside lunch of tortillas, summer sausage and Gouda so we could save the time looking for a cafe and finally pulled into Richmond at 6:00 pm.

The ride itself wasn’t super interesting – it was straight ahead, literally, for most of the day, just pedaling and greeting everyone we met, and watching the corn grow – and it is, every day.

My observation: 100 miles is too much, at least for us. I think we’ll plan future trips with a limit of 70 miles a day. Here is the good news: we have no more of these long days planned – only a couple that are 80, but mostly 60 – 70 from here on out. Secondly, at a total of just under 700 miles, we have reached the halfway point of our trip, and now look forward to crossing Ohio and riding into Pittsburgh next weekend.

Our BIG treat of the day was being met by friend and colleague, Michael, as we rolled into the parking lot of our hotel. This was not a surprise and it was something we’d looked forward to for days. We have worked with Michael for years at St. Thomas and he is a lifelong Hoosier, raised a few miles west of Richmond. Home for a visit with his mother and a class reunion, he generously drove over to meet us, and after we checked in and cleaned up, he took us to dinner at the Old Richmond Inn. Michael’s father, a successful attorney and businessman, used to bring the family to this highly rated restaurant years ago. It was absolutely delightful to catch up on St. Thomas news and eat really great food and hear stories from Indiana.

We cannot thank Michael enough – for a great conversation, a wonderful meal and mostly for his collegiality and friendship over the years. We look forward to repaying him for his generosity.

We head off to Dayton tomorrow with a plan to stay in Zenia for the night. The ride is only 60 miles, which will feel like cheating, it is so short. It does look rainy, though, so there is that.