An Actual Amish Almost Accident

Thurs. July 22nd: Skyler's ankle just couldn't take it anymore. We got up at 4:30 AM to take him to the O'hare airport in Chicago. I can tell he was excited to see his family because no matter how hard we tried we never could get him up before 10:00 AM any other day. We are going to miss Skyler, he is a great kid. At least he can say that he rode farther across the country than 99.99% of all teenagers.

Today I rode through downtown Chicago. A couple of times I got temporarily lost and ending in places that I should not have been, but I won't give any details because I know my mother is going to read this. It takes a whole different set of skills to ride in a big city. You have to be constantly alert of everything. The skyline was a sight to see with the Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower, (the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere). I went by Soldier Field football stadium where the Chicago Bears plat. Then I rode along Lake Michigan. It was gorgeous.

I rode up to the Orak Shrine Center in Michigan City, Indiana. The guys there were great to us. As I rode up they had a newspaper reporter waiting there to interview us. Then we got a tour of the Shrine Center and they also got us a hotel room for the night!

Friday July 23rd: The girls went to play at Lake Michigan while I rode today. I stopped at a dollar store in South Bend, IN and bought sardines that I ate as I sat on a display table.

Thanks to Mr. Daley of Elkhart, IN. He took real good care of us. He cooked a fantastic buffet style dinner for us.

Saturday July 24th: There are a lot of Amish in this area. I am the only person around on a bike that is not Amish so I think they stare at me more than I stare at them. I was riding my bike on the main road and an Amish horse and buggy was coming up on a side road. Not only did they not stop, but they didn't even slow down. I had to swerve real wide to keep from being hit. If there had been an automobile in my lane I would have been ran over by the Amish man in a buggy, or even worse I could have done a face plant right in the behind of the horse! It seems odd that I have gone all this way, at times riding on hectic city streets like Chicago, and my only near hit was an Amish in a rural area.