Hometown Ride

Earlier this month I flew back to my hometown for few days. By flying, I didn't have my bike with me for the trip and I dearly wanted take a ride while I was home. My brother in St. Joe lent me one of his sparingly-used bikes. It required some air in the tires to get it in working order. It wouldn't operate quite as smoothly as mine own, but most important it was with me and not 750 miles away.

The night before my ride, a strong thunderstorm ripped through the area and left plenty of damage in its wake. All along the ride, I saw signs of this storm's fury.

From my home, I rode downtown, jumped on the riverside trail for a short stretch, headed to the historic train station, and passed my old high school. The weather looked uncertain, but I decided to chance a longer rode and turned toward South Bend. On Hollyhock, I encountered, the worst of the storm's damage, a large tree completely blocking the road. My mom told me later, the paper carried a picture of it.

After detouring around, not over, the tree, I stopped at a property along Juday Creek that has literally been in my family for generations. Currently, it is owned by my aunt. I met the distant relative who lives next door. From there, I rode through a nearby university campus that bustled with workmen cleaning tree carnage and then I stopped for lunch at a Chipolte in a nearby development.

Back on the road, I started to feel the summer heat, but having reached the doorstep of South Bend, I wanted to continue to some old haunts, and explore a few new roads. I zig-zagged toward the former Walnut Grove home of my Grandma Kintz on Cypress Way. Though I hadn't intended to ride so far, I continued on to my Aunt Mary Jo's house in Mishawaka. My uncle was out washing the T-Bird so I complimented him on his nice car. It took him about fifteen seconds to recognize me. I only stayed long enough for short visit and to re-hydrate (my brother's bike didn't have a water bottle holder).

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From their house, I started the return ride. I rode through some of the new parks that Mishawaka build since I left town. For the rest of the ride I pretty much hugged the St. Joseph River, which took me along the East Race Waterway and to Leeper Park, where we used to go to feed the ducks.

I arrived home pretty spent and very thirsty after riding about 43 miles. I didn't have a GPS, odometer, or camera for this ride. I estimated the distance and created the map based on track I drew from memory.