PERRYSBURG, IN

Pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114349&id=672758511&ref=mf

I have only 13 miles to go today to get to a little town of Perrysburg which just appears by name on my GPS. I will see what develops when I get there.The day starts out fair with a temperature in the low 70's and since it is a short leg, I only fill my 3 liter Camel-bak and don't fill my reserve bottle. This would prove to be a mistake, one of several on this beautiful day.

I start out a little stiff and sore which progressively gets worse. I decide I will definitely make a stop every 45 minutes and rest, refresh, and change socks for 15 minutes to maintain my diminishing stamina. My pace has slowed significantly today and I am making about 2 miles every hour even though I feel good. My energy level is up, but my feet and knees are protesting. This is where the exhaustion begins.

The road out of Rochester splits into the new 4 lane hwy and also continues as Old Hwy 31. The old hwy is the shorter route to Perrysburg, but is difficult to manage due to the small shoulder, actually it's nonexistent. This forces me to walk mostly on the pavement which is even harder on my lower extremities. At this point, I keep telling myself it is only another 8 miles to my destination. I have learned that when I start talking to myself like this, it makes for a very long day.

I trudge along, making my scheduled stops, and this is when I realize that the only person that has offered a ride throughout this state was when I first started out of South Bend, IN. After my experiences as a perceived weirdo in Argos, I am realizing that the IN people are polite and friendly, but you have to meet them first and make a good impression. That's hard to do when they are enclosed in vehicles and passing by at over 60 miles an hour down the hwy.

I finally get close to new Hwy 31; they again merge where the new hwy will take me the last 5 miles into Perrysburg. I decide to take a break and refresh. Before I remove my pack I decide to take another drink from my Camel-bak and after a couple of sips, it runs dry. This is not good. I then decide I will have to walk another 1/ 2 mile back up Old Hwy 31 to a trailer home I had seen and ask if I can refill with water.

Thankfully, there are no dogs and I walk up the steps to the door. I won't go into too many details, but there were plenty of children's toys, empty beer bottles, and piles of trash on the deck. I don't know what the tenants will think of a "weird stranger" asking for water, but I knock on the door and wait for a response. After a few moments, a nice young lady opens the door and I immediately introduce myself, explain my predicament, and ask if she will fill my one liter water bottle. She immediately replies, "yes," takes my bottle and disappears inside. She reappears with a full bottle of water, I give my thanks, and head back down the road.

It is a LONG 5 miles down the new Hwy 31 and I finally arrive to the Perrysburg turnoff. It is another mile into Perrysburg so continue on to the "city limits." It is definitely a Burg with a population of probably not more than 30 people. It is a village that sits on two blocks in the middle of fields and pastures. I am exhausted and am having bad feelings about where I will stay for the evening with further thoughts of where am I going to eat tonite and tomorrow morning.

I continue into the town and a dog starts barking and running toward me. While the dog approaches, a woman, whom I suspect is the owner frantically starts yelling, "Abby come back here!" over and over again. The dog proves to be harmless, and allows me an opportunity to introduce myself and ask this nice lady a few questions about this small burg. She introduces herself as Debbie and as she does her husband joins us and I found out his name is Randy, a retired Air Force Vet from the Grissom AFB; located south of Perrysburg. (Debbie and Randy are pictured above) They inform me there is no place to stay in "town," but would be glad to offer me a ride another 10 miles down the road to Peru where there is lodging right on the hwy. I gladly accept and Randy takes me to the Knights Inn where I decide to spend the nite.

I check in, clean up, and head to the Lincoln Square restaurant for dinner. I am exhausted and hungry and am met by Iban, a young man from Mexico who moved to IN when he was 15 with his family. He and his father own this restaurant and also own a vehicle upholstery shop. We have a nice discussion about life and this gentleman at the age of 21 owns several businesses, is working his way thru university studying mechanical engineering, and is taking care of his family.

I eat my meal, thank Iban and wish him will with his life. He truly understands the American dream and is striving for all of it. I wish him well.

I retire for the evening and realize I will need another day to recover. I can barely move. I call the front desk and ask for another nite. Again, this hotel is reasonably priced and I can definitely use the rest. I will take another day off and then see what the next leg will bring.

The next substantial town on this route will be Kokomo. I don’t want to make the same mistakes I made with Perrysburg; running out of water and exhausting myself only to end up in a town so insubstantial that I need a ride another 10 miles to civilization. I guess this can be expected as you move thru the United States on foot.