Day one of our first spring trip after a lengthy hiatus was okay.  We are feeling various aches and pains from being out of walking shape but the weather, which threatened thunderstorms and soaking rain, actually held off giving us only intermittent showers.  The walk was flat but not much to see – just a busy highway with lots of trucks and strip malls on each side.

Day two was, in a word, lousy.  We had snow showers and sustained 20 mile-an-hour winds hitting us in the face.  That, combined with constant truck traffic and little scenery, was not pleasant to say the least.  On the up side, that’s another 12 miles down and by the end of tomorrow we hit the Illinois border.

Day three was much better.  We are at the tail end of an Artic Blast and while the temperature was still lower than normal, there was much less wind.  We found a little coffee shop for our long break (and had real food rather than trail mix while sitting beside the highway).  We made it to Illinois and are happy to take our first break day tomorrow.  And Mike is happy to retire his third pair of hiking boots.

As an aside, we walked right by the Albanese candy factory on day two.  They truly do make the best gummy bears – Adam and I are obsessed.  On our off day, Mike and I drove back to the factory and bought a five pound bag.  Yippee!

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It has been quite a while since our last walking trip.  During that time, we went through a couple family-related struggles.  First, Mike’s oldest sister passed away after a battle against pancreatic cancer.  Just about when Mike felt ready to resume our travels, our elderly dog became too frail to be left in long-term boarding; Droopy passed away a few months ago.  So after an almost two year hiatus, we are excited to soon be back on the road.  We are driving back to where we stopped in Indiana, to begin the first of our planned three spring walks.  Here’s hoping for good weather and strong legs!  Stay tuned.

Day one of the final three days of our spring walk was warm but not unbearable.  Relatively easy walking on “Old” Route 30.  Walked through Plymouth, a nice town, and then back to open fields and not much to see.  Interestingly, so far, Indiana seems to have less farming than Ohio, and more factories.  We thought that there would be more farming as we go further into the Midwest.

Despite predicted high temperatures, Day Two was warm (mid-80’s by the time we were done) but low humidity.  Plus we spent half of the walk on the main Route 30 which is fairly breezy with all the tractor trailers going by and open fields on both sides.  At the beginning of the walk, we moved into the Central Time Zone.  Another first!

Our good luck continued on Day Three.  The projected excessive heat and humidity didn’t materialize.  We got a mostly overcast day with temperatures only reaching the mid-80’s.  All of our twelve miles were on the main Route 30.  Not much to see but two very nice people stopped and offered us a ride.  We love the reactions when we politely decline and explain that we are walking on purpose across the US.  Today we got a “that’s great,” and a perplexed look and a “God bless.”

This trip for the first time, I feel like we are making real progress.  Don’t know if it’s the fact that we walked for nine days this time, or the fact that we are exploring new places I’ve never been, or the fact that we have changed time zones.  Whatever the reason, it feels like a legitimate adventure.

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Our first day of the next three day walk was near perfect – sunny, windy and low 70’s.  We walked the entire time on the main Route 30 – a four lane divided highway.  Lots of truck traffic and not much to see.

On Day 2, we veered off Route 30 to walk through Warsaw.  The downtown area is dotted with sculptures (created by J. Seward Johnson, who is from our neck of the woods) of people in everyday activities – everything from a mailman delivering mail to a mariachi band.  Really interesting.  After Warsaw we shadowed Route 30 on a smaller, less traveled route.  The most interesting thing we saw was a Mennonite man driving a sulky behind a horse up and down the same one mile track of road.  They passed us four times.  No idea why but gave us something to look at.

On Day 3, the temperature and humidity ratcheted up.  To combat this, we started walking earlier in the day and made all of our half gallon fluids Gatorade. An occasional breeze and a mostly-cloudy day made it bearable.  Mike and I always walk as far on the side of the road as possible and most people go out of their way to make sure that we have enough room. Today, for the first time, we had someone aim for us.  Not even a close call but still obnoxious.

On the plus side, our good luck with dining continued – found another good family restaurant in Warsaw – The American Table.  Nice home cooking and an amazing homemade bread pudding with vanilla sauce.  Mike was in seventh heaven.

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Our first day was rain, rain, rain.  Mike declared it “refreshing” (again) but I would characterize it as “drenching” (to give you an idea of how much water we are talking about, after we returned to our car and drove to the hotel around 4 p.m., the next morning the seats that we dripped on were still soaking wet).  On the plus side, we both found Fort Wayne charming (we had no idea what to expect).  During our walk through the city, it was clear that it is loved – we saw lots of unexpected charms (sculptures, interesting buildings, and pedestrian bridges).  And we found a treasure of a restaurant: “Sara’s Family Restaurant,” which had some of the best food we’ve had in our wanderings.

Day two was near perfect.  Low to mid 70’s, partly cloudy and windy.  An easy walk -for the most part straight highway.

Day Three was hot – it reminded us that we need to get out early in the spring, otherwise we are dealing with low 80’s by the time we are done.  Walked through the small town of Columbia City (on business Route 30) before returning to the main Route 30 (a four lane divided highway).  Apparently, Columbia City is a “golf cart friendly” town.  Never knew there was such a thing – didn’t see one golf cart while we were there.

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Again, the weather held out. A little warmer than the first three days but only a light rain (which Mike described as “refreshing”). The scenery was more varied and, therefore, more interesting. We reached two milestones this trip.

First, we returned to Route 30 after 115 miles of walking on companion roads! (We say we are walking Route 30 across country as a shorthand, but in reality, there are extended stretches where Lincoln Highway runs near Route 30 and/or Route 30 is un-walkable).

Second, we reached the Indiana border. A bittersweet event – glad to be checking off the miles as we move westward but sad to leave Ohio.  We liked the people, we liked many of the small towns, and our route was very walker-friendly. It was nice to walk on more country roads, avoiding the heavy semi-truck traffic, while we were paralleling Route 30. Will be interesting to see what awaits in Indiana – so far (the first 10 miles) are boring highway.

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What a difference three weeks makes! The terrain is the same – mainly flat with one or two rolling hills, but the weather is so much nicer. Temperatures in the high 40’s, little wind and only occasional rain. The biggest challenge is boredom – not much except fields and a straight roadway to see. On a good day there is a town to add some interest. It’s like walking on a treadmill – those annoying songs that get stuck in your head come in handy when we get tired of just putting one foot in front of the other.

FYI – we walked through Delphos and can now say that we visited “America’s Friendliest Town” (at least that’s what the “Welcome to Delphos” sign says).

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Our next three days began, again, with cold, windy weather but thankfully no rain. Day two was an absolute gift. Sunny, warm and picture perfect. The only downside was a bad sunburn on our faces. The final walking day was overcast and windy but still better than the first three days. We set out for home the next morning and had an uneventful and relatively easy ride back. All in all, a good start to our spring walks.

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We are walking again! This is our first trip this spring and our first attempt at six days of walking (with a day’s rest in-between our first three days and our second set of three days). Given the number of days we are on the road, we couldn’t leave Droopy (our very old, very sweet cocker spaniel who is physically and emotionally fragile) at the vet for an extended stay. So we are travelling with Droopy. He stays with us in a hotel when we are not walking and goes for a short boarding while we walk. It takes a bit more planning (to find pet friendly hotels and places to board him) and limits our evening meals to take out, but so far we’re making it work.

The weather in Ohio in April can only be described as “cruel.” Our first three days included soaking rain (to the point that the runoff from our jackets created a waterfall directly into our boots), sustained winds of about 30 mph (with higher gusts that almost flattened us) and hail (seriously, hail). We woke up on our zero day (ie., no walking day) to see an inch of snow on the ground. Yikes! But on the upside, the terrain is flat which is easier on the feet.

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Our last fall walk.  The first day we dropped off cookies as a thank you at the Dalton police station and had a picture perfect day for walking.  Sunny, cool and rolling hills – a great start for our longest three day hike to date.  Unfortunately, our luck did not hold out for the final two days.  Day two was cold, and incredibly windy, with a few showers sprinkled in.  Day three was worse – sustained headwinds of around 30 mph with gusts in the 45 range.  Mike and I were practically horizontal most of the time.  We must have looked as pathetic as we felt – not one but three state troopers stopped and asked if we were okay.  We learned that we need to carry id and that it’s best to check in with the local police before we walk.  All officers were understanding and sent us on our way with good wishes.  By the end of the third day, we were looking forward to time off (and attending Dan’s last football game as a college student).  And quite proud to have completed the first 500 miles!

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