Friday, October 10, 2014

Day 96-Milford to Kendallville (36 Miles)

I woke up to Tom dispatching his First Choice crew to a job in Nappanee. Breakfast and a driving tour of his community and the summer camp along the shores of Dewart Lake followed. We later drove north into Syracuse to scout out how I would run through town when I got there in about an hour. Tom then dropped me off at the secondhand store he picked me up at yesterday evening and I started my run. As I passed Wawasee High School and head towards downtown, I ran into him again and bid him my final goodbye. It was great to meet and spend time with Tom and Esther and they were incredibly hospitable hosts.

After sticking to county roads, I crossed US Highway 33 through the campus of West Noble High School. Google Maps told me to cross through the campus to get to more county roads. A bearded homeless man pushing his belongings in a stroller drew the attention of the campus police and the stop proved to be quite the spectical for an outdoor shop class. The pit stop was just a minor inconvenience to take a route that would save a mile, but it ended up being for not as a road that was part of my shortcut ended up being closed.

I continued north to County Road 600 that would take me straight into Kendallville. Drivers along this road were either as good as they could be (slowing down, changing lanes, and/or stopping if there is an oncoming car) or absolutely terrible (staying the course as if I wasn't even there). As the traffic picked up, I turned south onto the busier divided State Highway 3 which had about a 10-ft wide newly paved shoulder. I turned back east after a mile to Waits road where I climbed and descended the two biggest hills I've seen in Indiana before arriving at the Routsong home.

My uncle Jason had connected to Bill and Linda through church about hosting me for the evening. They were wonderful hosts and had a beautiful old home in the woods a few miles outside of town. After dinner, I went with them to meet several members of their ward at the church and took a driving tour of the town. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing with conversation and TV. The survivalist show we watched reminded me that it has been since the Mississippi River that I have spent the night outdoors. Great hosts like the Routsongs have made it possible.

Lake Syracuse

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