Saturday, September 28, 2019
Start: Frankfort, Indiana
End: Indianapolis, Indiana
Mileage today/cumulative: 61 / 219
Elevation Ascended: 571′
Weather: Sunny, 63° at start; Sunny, 90º at finish; Winds: mixed
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 0 / 1
After being beat up on Day Two, everyone was happy to wake up to sunshine and no wind. It got hot and humid as the day went along, which just made Bev and me feel right at home.
We began the morning with a two mile ride to Frankfort’s Downtown Diner, where all of the locals go for breakfast. It was pretty much what you would expect from a Midwest diner – great food, super friendly people, and very little ambience. It was sort of like the “Cheers” version of a diner, where everybody knows your name. It was a perfect way to start the day.
This was Homecoming Day for two of our ride leaders, Bob and Susan Long. Bob grew up in Frankfort, Indiana and Susan grew up in Indianapolis, where we finished the day. Rolling out from the Downtown Diner, Bob led us on a brief tour of Frankfort, with stops at his childhood home; the former location of his elementary school; and his Frankfort High School, which has a 6,000 seat gymnasium for a town of 14,000 residents. Yeah, basketball is a BIG deal in Indiana. Oh, and the high school mascot is the Hot Dog. No joke.
Leaving Frankfort, we quickly found ourselves on gravel roads for about five miles. Some of the gravel was deep enough to make it challenging to stay upright and I was begrudgingly thankful that Andrew, our trainer at Fitness Together, has made me work on my balance and core strength. So, thank you Andrew for keeping me from falling over into a pile of gravel and, worse, scratching up my bicycle.
On our way to Indianapolis, we met a farmer and his chocolate Labrador, Cindy, who loped down the road after Bev as she rolled her bike to a stop. While we all had a nice chat with Cindy’s owner about harvesting corn, Cindy made the rounds to get a little bit of loving from all nine riders. There’s nothing like a goofy Labrador to make everyone smile and, for a moment, forget how insane it is to ride a bicycle this far.
When we got into the outskirts of Indianapolis, Susan took us by both homes that she lived in during her Indiana years. Earlier in the trip, Susan had shared with the group that her childhood home was on a cul-de-sac, where she grew up riding her bicycle around and around pretending that she was in the Indianapolis 500. So, of course, when we came to her street we all had to do a few “laps” in Susan’s honor. I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing as I rode my bike in circles, feeling like a kid again!
As we entered Indianapolis proper, we jumped onto the Monon Trail, a paved path that follows a former section of the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway. We rode it all of the way to the Broad Ripple Brew Pub for a lunch and cold beer stop. Bev’s goal is to pet dogs on our entire route. Mine is to sample local beer all of the way to New York City. Setting goals is important and I’m pleased to report that I am achieving mine. It was just a few more miles on the trail to arrive in downtown Indianapolis, where we’ll spend a full rest day exploring some of the city on foot.
Sounds like lots of fun. Bet Tom wishes he was with you. Stay safe.
Love your commentary and the photos! Keep up the good work–on and off the bike.
Patting dogs and drinking beer – two very worthy goals 🙂