Stealth camping in Monclova was quiet until acorns started dropping from the sky…maybe someone’s mouth was full or the sky pantry was too full. Either way it started raining acorns and I woke up hoping it wasn’t Mr. Thumbs 🦝 or his brother the Squirrel coming in from up above lol.

We got up super early to head out. The weather forecast called for a heat advisory and bad head winds. By 430am we were on the bike path cruising along, sipping on cold coffee.

By 630am we had 20 miles in and stopped to refill our water find a park bench to sit on and have first breakfast. The Wabash Cannonball trail is nicely paved and well maintained….in some areas. Other areas definately not so much. Those particular parts are akin to an old railroad trail that has not been maintained for many years. We chose a few paved roads to take us closer to the end of the trail. It was worth the detour at times.

One final detour, and we found an open coffee shop Jumping Beanz! Delicious!! We got Chillers. Beware you must drink these slow or you could end up with a brain freeze. Ask Matt.😁

Great treat especially near the end of our day!

https://www.facebook.com/Jumpin-Beanz-A-Coffee-House-1527983720584820/

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With afternoon storms approaching, we canceled our plans of stealth camping and made a beeline to the nearest low end motel. The Rainbow motel. To our surprise, no vacancies. Next. Roadway inn. Wouldn’t match the priceline quote. Next. Called Quality inn and they were right up there with IHG. So IHG it was.

I hate spending money on a hotel in the middle of what seems like absolutely nowhere, Holiday City, Ohio. But with the storms rolling in, the heat sweltering and my patience wearing thin, we got a room.

The thermostat in the room was set at 66 degrees. Nice! Showers, laundry, breakfast, lunch, dinner, ice, water and a comfortable bed. All of these amenities make it worth it, but its painful on the budget.

If the storms weren’t so bad we would both opt for camping. Somehow hammock camping in sideways rain, heat and intense wind after 49 miles just didn’t sound too inviting.

The next day we set off for the Three corners state lines.

Rosie hadn’t been to 2 of the 3 states so she was just as excited as I was!!

After the three corners, we rolled back into Indiana and headed West to Pokagon State Park. More miles of little rollers, dirt roads and good pavement were before us. As we crossed the last major road there was a bike path! It led all the way into the State park! Awesomeness!! Except Google had us miss the last section and we took the long way around. Sometimes I hate Google. I need to work on not being reliant on the step by a step and just pedal and discover.

Earlier, I received a call back from the bike shop Bike and Soul in Angola, Ohio. I am in need of a new back tire. Shocking. Lol. I shopped around and found one at a bike shop 6 miles in the opposite direction. So instead of tacking on that extra 6 miles we decided to go the next day. Plus there is a coffee shop near the bike shop. Win win!

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/therosecra1/coffee-biking

Matt and I rolled into Pokagon State Park and got a walk in primitive site. This is a well maintained and very activity centered state park. Wish we were here on the weekend to see how fast Matt and I can have on the Toboggon!

https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/pokagon-state-parktrine-state-recreation-area/?utm_source=Wed&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=&utm_term=&utm_content=

Just after the Campground gate was a General Store. We parked our bikes at the picnic tables in front of the store and went into grab some essentials. Cold milk, sausage and 2 cold sodas.

As we sat down we almost immediately began answering questions about our tour.

A gentleman who retired from Amtrak shared his travel by train adventures that he and his wife went on. Indianapolis to Chicago to Seattle to Los Angeles to Arizona to Jacksonville to DC and back to Chicago. A 6 week trip with all the stops along the way. Matt and I were intrigued as travel by train is on our bucket lists.

While we were finishing our conversations with the gentleman from Amtrak, a Father with two young sons came up. The Dad was super excited about our bicycles and gear. He had recently completed his first tour, an 81 mile 3 day trip with a friend. His enthusiasm was contagious. As he and Matt discussed gear and I brought Rosie down off the observation deck to meet the boys. I introduced her and I could here Matt motioning in the background to get my attention, “Rose they’re boys”. Lol

They met Rosie Sparkle Farts. The Dad asked me to repeat her name. Rosie Sparkle Farts! The boys both giggled on cue at Farts. 🤪🤣😂 She really is the best adventurous unicorn!

The Dad got our contact info for our blogs and continued into the store with his boys. Matt and I rolled out to find our campsite. We could have probably been at the General Store for hours fielding questions, but we both needed a shower and to wind down for the day.

At camp, we set up camp, relaxed a bit, grabbed showers and started on dinner.

Chedder and Jalapeño Grits with Sausage links. $4.50 dinner for two.

The Chedder and Jalapeño Grits were paired wonderfully with the sausage. Add freshly grated Asiago cheese and it is complete! Absolutely delicious!

Wrapping up our evening at camp, we set up our hammocks and retired before sunset. Matt noticed how still the weather had gotten. I checked the weather and he was right there was a rain coming in overnight. We both put on our rainflies and prepped the other gear for the incoming weather. Back in the hammocks, I was right to sleep like a doll whose eyes close when you lay her down. Out cold. Lol.