X-Country for a Cure 2023 (aka Barbara's Big Bike Ride!): Day 38: Marysville to Wooster, OH

Today's Ride

https://give.michaeljfox.org/barbarasbigride

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/124429098

The Stats

102 miles

4,252 ft. climbing

Miles Completed: 2,658

Miles to Go: 738

States Visited: 10 of 15

Total Climbed: 82,272 ft.

Milestones: Back-to-back centuries-plus

Challenges: Blustery winds, rain, and most of climbing in last 20 miles!

The Ride

While the major rain storms seemed to have passed during the night, the morning started out blustery and windy, albeit with no actual rain in the forecast. So much for forecasts, as the grey skies turned to spit then drizzle, then a bit more, but fortunately not the torrents we saw at the end of yesterday's ride. With all that, with few exceptions we were on back country roads, with gentle rollers to start the day and relatively little traffic. And while it was "more of the same" farmland to start, the route wound through some cute towns, eventually followed a flowing stream on a tree lined road, and ended with some "proper climbs," as Steph would say.

Admittedly, I had been tiring of farmland. But the farther east we got, the more it transformed into a more suburban setting, that was pretty, but more familiar, and therefore less dramatic and exciting.

I spent the first part of the ride literally cracking myself up trying to conjure up lyrics to "Sweet Caroline" about the women's bodily woes on the trip. Stay tuned for tomorrow's Route Rap Rappers presentation! Otherwise, I continued to moo at cows, neigh at horses, and baaaa at sheep, but didn't know what to say to the llamas, which apparently are "trendy" around here, according to a local I met later on.

Local llamas in Ohio

I didn't see them, but apparently there were Amish with horse-drawn carriages in the area (see Wooster, below).

Thanks, Jill, for the photo!

Today was also the first time I saw an American flag coupled with a rainbow Pride flag, and a lawn sign pleading people to "vote blue." Perhaps the east coast is closer than I thought! (As it was during the blustery part of the ride, I didn't stop for a pic!)

Overall, despite the distance and some early dodgy weather (not to mention the distance of yesterday's ride) it was really pleasant riding and I was pleased for not feeling totally spent at the end -- just ready to get off the bike and have something to eat and drink!

Wooster

According to the city's website, the city is the county seat and the dairy capital of Ohio. For once, we weren't staying in the proverbial "Taco Bell hell" along the fast food strip servicing the interstate, but in the "historic downtown" of Wooster. That meant there were restaurants and bars within walking distance. Though most were closed (it was Monday, and that's a thing), the City Square Steakhouse was open and turned out to have a lively but not overwhelming bar scene (which I opted for over our catered chicken and rice dinner in metal tins to be eaten with plastic utensils).

I took the opportunity to sample all the major food groups (vodka/white/red/tequila)!

I biked 207 miles in 2 days. I deserve it!

The things you can learn sitting at a local bar (or at least at one in Wooster, Ohio):

Wooster as a micropolitan is ranked 7th nationally and #1 in Ohio.
Wooster is an upwardly mobile micropolitan, as last year it was ranked 14th.
A micropolitan has a population between 10,000 and 50,000.
The majority of the top-10-ranked micropolitans in the US (ranked by whom I'm not sure) are in the northeast, with most in New Hampshire.
The Old Fashioned is the most popular drink in Ohio.
More Amish people reside in Ohio than in Pennsylvania.

And there you have it!

Employee of the Day (and an aside)

Kayleigh at City Square Steakhouse was a burst of positive energy from the moment I walked in. Greeting me with her neon chartreuse nail polish, she couldn't help address me by "ma'am," apparently because of her grandmother and not because she was raised in the south (which she wasn't). She was intrigued with my journey, and wound up sharing my story (with my permission) with Gina. She was also sitting at the bar, and I enjoyed talking with her and sharing stories about where we've been and where we want to go, not only geographically but in life. Gina was an exemplar of the kindness and generosity of strangers, as after we parted she donated to my ride. These are the interactions that have been the highlights of this journey and extremely motivating during those tougher rides. Thank you so much, Gina!

But back to Kayleigh. She was engaged with the "regulars" and made the effort to know the names of newcomers so she could make them feel like regulars. She helped create a bit of a "Cheers" moment for all of us, and foster conversation. Because of her, I also got chatting with Rod, another local who runs a management coaching/consulting business in the area. He was the source of many of the "things you can learn in a local bar" section above. So thank you, Rod!