Day 65: Hi-Ho-Ohio, Factory Farms, I Want My Maumee

Day 65: Saturday August 9th, 2014.
Monroeville, IN to Grand Rapids, OH. 77.4 miles.

Waking up at 7:00 am, I was in a hurry to check out of the community center before the nervous wedding party and family arrived to finish setting up the reception area, and to re-tape the plastic table skirts that had been periodically sluffing off throughout the night.

In town, I went to the Blueberry Pancake House for a hearty breakfast.  From there, I started out, heading about 3 miles East to the state line between Indiana and Ohio.  I turned left (North) onto "State Line" road.  To my right, rows of corn in Ohio.  To my left, a house and trees in Indiana.  I would follow State Line Road for several miles, skirting the border in a no-man's-land.

Eventually, my route turned right, and immediately into Ohio.

I navigated through several small towns.  I could tell that I was approaching one, as the expanse of corn and or soybean was interrupted by a grouping of trees in the distance.

While traversing through them, I noticed on several occasions a sign displayed in the front yard of homes.  It read, "No More Factory Farms".  

I found this pushback from the corporate influence on American farmland to be interesting, especially when observed right in the heart of where it is all happening.  Certainly, the massive soybean and corn fields, sometimes going on for as far as the eye could see, were not ajoined to a small farmhouse.  Rather, big industrial warehouses could be found here and there.  These were big operations.

It made me wonder just how many of the farmhouses that you see in small towns are now separate parcels from the fields surrounding them.

As I made my way toward the small city of Defiance Ohio (pop. 16,622), I traversed along the Auglaize River for 8 or so miles.  It was a wide river, flowing in the same direction I was headed - Northeast, and the water surface was abuzz with boaters, waterskiiers, and the like on this fine sunny Saturday.

On the map, Defiance looked like the hub of a bicycle wheel, the spokes of many creeks and rivers, roads, and rail lines converging at the city center.  One of the spokes, gathering all the water from this convergence zone, the Maumee River (the locals pronounce it "Mommy"), would flow out of the city toward it's ultimate destination of Lake Erie.

It's always fun riding on the weekend because of all of the activity that can be seen.  Privacy fences don't exist between houses.  Out in front of one house, the husband was on the riding mower while the wife was steering the push-mower along the white hydrangeas around the foundation of the house.  On several occasions, I saw a family, and probably neighbors too, sitting around in a circle in their yard, hanging out, chatting, enjoying the sunshine, warm weather, and breeze.  Others were out in the field, hard at work.

The breeze was steady, out of the East, making my ride a challenge.  My legs were getting tired.  But, the frequent, interesting towns kept my mind focused away from the wind, and the next thing I knew, I was in Florida!  Wow, I made more progress than I was aware of...

Established in 1834, this "corporation" has lots of character and charm.  The large steeple in the background is now home to the Florida library.  Situated on the Maumee River, a means of portage of homesteaders and goods from the East Coast by way of the Great Lakes, it's no surprise that this town has an earlier beginning than some of the other off-stream towns in the area.

The old barn in the photo below, while still standing, was missing some of the roofing, probably peeled off in severe thunderstorm winds.  I've noticed, on new and old structures, missing strips of siding and roofing here and there.

Continuing along the Maumee River, I headed to the town of Napoleon.  On the way, I stopped next to a bicycle sign, with an arrow pointing downwards at me, and waited for the reactions of the people zooming by in cars.  Apparently, I thought it was funny, but no-one else did, or they didn't get it.

As I entered Napoleon, crossing the Maumee River onto the South side, I noticed a strong odor.  It smelled of cooked vegetable/tomato, and it was somewhat familiar.  Then, I came upon the source.

With their own water tower, the Campbell's soup/V8 plant was massive.

Leaving Napoleon, I had about 14 more miles to go to reach the Mary Jane Thurston State Park and Campground, just outside Grand Rapids, Ohio.  Riding along this section of the Maumee, the riverfront property was dominated by RV resorts packed with people partying, playing games, music blasting from their radios, and relaxing after a day on the river.  The scene reminded me of being on the Colorado River at the resort near Lake Martinez, a place my family use to frequent in the Summer.

As the sun set with brilliant red colors, now a few miles from the campground, the full moon could be seen above the horizon in front of me, beyond the soybeans.

Head-butting the East winds all day, my legs were tired and I quickly settled into my tent for the night.