(roller) coasting

Today's ride was 90 miles to from Napoleon, Ohio to Sandusky, Ohio. Perhaps not surprisingly, we rode through more farmland.


When I got into Bowling Green at mile 25, I rode by a place called Grounds for Thought, a combo coffee shop and bookstore. I knew our first rest stop was just down the road, but there were several bikes parked outside, and I decided to stop there as well for a second cup of coffee and a bite to eat. Normally, we stop for breaks and snacks in small groups, but somehow we all managed to end up at Grounds for Thought and had a nice little rest there.

I rode for most of the day with Kathleen and Caitlin and had all sorts of good conversations. We stopped at a gas station for a drink, and a man in the parking lot asked about all the bicyclers he'd seen coming by and what we were all up to. After we told him, he went back to his truck and brought back a bag of kettle corn. Apparently, he was Papa of Nana & Papa's Kettle Corn. We waited until we got to Sandusky to get into it, but once we opened it, it was gone in no time flat -- it was absolutely amazing! If you're ever passing through Ohio, I'd definitely recommend seeking it out.

Later in the afternoon, I saw the sign below and thought "Well, you had me at 'ice cream'... but smiling's nice too." :o)


We went along pretty speedily through the afternoon as we had our sights set on Cedar Point, the massive amusement and roller coaster park located in Sandusky. I grew up going to Six Flags in Georgia, but Cedar Point puts Six Flags to shame. We were staying at the KOA Bayshore campground in Sandusky and shortly upon arriving discovered that we could rent these little (air conditioned!) cabins at the campground for only $16 -- and they sleep four! At $4 each, this was a no-brainer, so Kathleen, Geena, Caitlin, and I shared a cabin for the evening.

We then hopped on a shuttle to Cedar Point, and were able to get discounted "starlight" tickets which are available after 5 pm. We started with the Millennium Force, one of their biggest roller coasters, and waited in line for eons. But it was amazing and definitely worth it. I think Kathleen may not have agreed with me. I looked over during it, and her face was literally green (previously, I thought this only happened in cartoons, but that turns out not to be the case!).

After dinner, we found a Chick-fil-A, and I ate it for the first time since arriving back in America. Every bite was as glorious as I remembered. Even Brian, who's usually a vegetarian, understood that Chick-fil-A was worth splurging for. We didn't stay too long at Cedar Point -- though definitely long enough to partake in a funnel cake -- and headed back to our lovely air conditioned cabin for an amazingly restful night's sleep.