COVID CROSS

Covid Cross Day #12 June 13, 2020 Xenia, OH to Losantville, IN 96 Miles Start 9:30 AM Finish 9:43 PM Ride Time 8:46 Ascent 1386 Feet Descent 1146 Feet Tour Total 1034 Miles  Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200613-0930-12815 I had another great night's sleep last night at my uncle Herbie‘s house in Fort Thomas Kentucky. I had stayed up last night to edit a blog post and fell asleep around midnight. The room was dark and quiet, and the bed was firm. I woke up at 6:20 and took a shower and shaved. Herbie was in the kitchen when I got there. I had a bowl of cornflakes with sliced bananas, an orange juice, and a cup of instant coffee. I found my missing sock in the bottom of my rear left pannier, and I loaded everything including Herbie's brownies and a bag of cashews into my rear right pannier. We were able to fit my bicycle and equipment into the back of Herbie's van. It was great because I didn’t have to take the bike apart.  It was

Covid Cross Day #13 June 14, 2020 Losantville, IN to Courter, IN 94 Miles Start 7:49 AM Finish 9:18 PM Ride Time 8:35 Ascent 426 Feet Descent 894 Feet Tour Total 1130  Miles Details at:   https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200614-0749-00606 I slept great last night stealth camping at the Cardinal Greenway Trailhead outside of Losantville. The air was cool and perfect for sleeping. I slept snug in my sleeping bag and silk liner. I got up at 7 AM. It was a slow pack up, and it felt civilized to have a bench, a drinking fountain, and a porta-potty. The air was brisk so I wore my sweater and rain jacket to start. It was partly cloudy with a strong bright sun still low on the horizon. I spotted the morning's first cyclist followed by a runner at a quarter after eight. I then began seeing more runners and cyclists. It was a nice Sunday morning. I've seen so many bunnies zigzagging on and off the road this year. I was headed in a northerly direction on the rai

Covid Cross Day #14 June 15, 2020 Courter, IN to Ashkum, IL 125.5 Miles Start 7:27 AM Finish 6:58 PM Ride Time 10.21 Ascent 818 Feet Descent 898 Feet Tour Total 1255 Miles Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200615-0727-79626 I slept well last night stealth camping alongside the Nickel Plate Trail next to a cornfield. I set up my tent on a grass tractor path that lead across the rail trail from one field to another. My tent was right in front of a cable that blocked the entrance to the corn field. There were several No Trespassing signs, yet I was on public property. I figured that the nearby farmer wouldn't need to drive his tractor across the trail until after I got up and left. I had set up in the dark last night, and was inconspicuous about my light use.  I woke up with the sunrise and murmur of chirping birds. I had been concerned about being discovered by someone from the farm house up on the hill. A nearby branch snapped and startled me.

Covid Cross Day #15 June 16, 2020 Ashkum, IL to Henry, IL 96.5 Miles Start 6:46 AM Finish 6:44 PM Ride Time 8:07 Ascent 440 Feet Descent 616 Feet Tour Total 1352 Miles Details at:  https://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200616-0646-00615 I had a good nights sleep in the Ashkum Village Park. It was a nice park located in the center of town. Unfortunately the bathrooms were locked and I couldn’t find an electric hook up. There were picnic tables where I could drink my beer, eat pretzels, and edit yesterday's blog post. I had waited until after dark to set up my tent. I had twice dialed the contact person listed on my ACA map, but both times no one had picked up. I was 99% sure that camping would be permissible. Throughout the night I could hear the distant murmur of I-57 as well as freight train horns. A major train artery ran through town, and yesterday I spotted the Amtrak 'City of New Orleans' passenger train.  I woke up at 6 AM Central Time to sunr