Rally Day #2: 55.47 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 4 hours 18 minutes, average speed: 12.8
A full Breakfast was served at the Farmstead Inn starting at 6:00 a.m. which allowed plenty of time to eat, visit and then get to the staging area for the mass start by 8:45. A very impressive police force was on duty to stop all traffic in town, including all buggies, to allow all tandems a worry-free trip out of town. The community members were in awe as our group of 467 teams quietly rolled past. The locals took such interest in our event that we really felt welcomed in Shipshewana. We saw cameras peeking out from screened porches waiting to snap a photo as our mass group descended on this community of 500 inhabitants.
Comments: Ride Time was 4 hours 18 minutes, average speed: 12.8
A full Breakfast was served at the Farmstead Inn starting at 6:00 a.m. which allowed plenty of time to eat, visit and then get to the staging area for the mass start by 8:45. A very impressive police force was on duty to stop all traffic in town, including all buggies, to allow all tandems a worry-free trip out of town. The community members were in awe as our group of 467 teams quietly rolled past. The locals took such interest in our event that we really felt welcomed in Shipshewana. We saw cameras peeking out from screened porches waiting to snap a photo as our mass group descended on this community of 500 inhabitants.
The first rest stop on the medium route was at the 24-mile mark. The winds were really picking up as we parked the bike in the Wolcott Mills Elementary School lot and went in search of bathroom facilities. Upon our return, the bike was down on its side. We were glad to note the only major damage was to my helmet as it smashed between the bike and road surface—time to shop for a new helmet.
Our lunch today was provided by the Carriage House near Topeka, IN and was served by an Amish family. The cold sandwiches were great after fighting wind gusts of 30 mph for the past 28 miles. We were guaranteed a full coarse meal and this is what we got—fruit, vegetable and dessert along with a turkey sandwich gave us what we needed to get back on the bike to finish up the remaining 17 miles.
We shared the roads of the Lagrange countryside with many horse-drawn carriages and were constantly on the watch for “horse apples”. Amish and Mennonite families sat in their yards waiting for us to bike by. It was clear the children of these families were expecting the MTR riders and were ready to wave as we passed their farm properties.
Our lunch today was provided by the Carriage House near Topeka, IN and was served by an Amish family. The cold sandwiches were great after fighting wind gusts of 30 mph for the past 28 miles. We were guaranteed a full coarse meal and this is what we got—fruit, vegetable and dessert along with a turkey sandwich gave us what we needed to get back on the bike to finish up the remaining 17 miles.
We shared the roads of the Lagrange countryside with many horse-drawn carriages and were constantly on the watch for “horse apples”. Amish and Mennonite families sat in their yards waiting for us to bike by. It was clear the children of these families were expecting the MTR riders and were ready to wave as we passed their farm properties.
Living among the Amish and Mennonite communities for these few days made us curious about their history so we went to Menno-Hof to see and hear the Amish-Mennonite story. The presentations and displays of the attraction were well-done and very entertaining. We learned that the Amish split from the Mennonite faith in 1693 lead by Jacob Ammann whose goal was to resist modern conveniences. Today the Amish are located primarily in the USA and Canada and most of the 200,000 Amish live in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. We had very little time to spend here as a 5:00 evening event was scheduled for all COWS members attending the rally. Our COWS presidents, John and Joan Laabs, organized a gathering in the party room of the Country Inn and Suites and provided snacks and beverages—another example of our club’s great leadership.
The hospitality gathering came to a close around 7 p.m. allowing enough time for a group of remaining party COWS to stomp over to the Blue Gate Restaurant to have an evening meal. The food here was great and the price was right. We enjoyed the company of 6 couples while we dined making the 45-minute wait for a table well worth it.
We enjoyed this second day of MTR to its fullest but sleep now became a priority as morning would soon come and rest will be needed to ready us for Rally Day 3 in Indiana.
The hospitality gathering came to a close around 7 p.m. allowing enough time for a group of remaining party COWS to stomp over to the Blue Gate Restaurant to have an evening meal. The food here was great and the price was right. We enjoyed the company of 6 couples while we dined making the 45-minute wait for a table well worth it.
We enjoyed this second day of MTR to its fullest but sleep now became a priority as morning would soon come and rest will be needed to ready us for Rally Day 3 in Indiana.
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