May 2: Plainfield to Centerville, Indiana
Friends are priceless. Salt Lake City resident John Johnson showed up to ride with us today. He does not even own a road bike. Rumor has it that John has been seen with a mountain bike, but he is no longer allowed to wear anything but dark shirts because the blood won't wash out of his white ones. At any rate, John mounted himself on a borrowed road bike and off he went. He lasted a lot longer than anyone expected. Seventy miles later, which was 20 miles short of our destination at Centerville, Indiana, John declared our friendship at serious risk unless we let him ride the rest of the way in the support vehicle. Upon entering the very quaint town of Centerville, we were greeted by an energetic Jim Resh, of Wayne County's Convention and Tourism Bureau. Jim began to pour on the hospitality. Our night's stay was provided free of charge by two separate bed and breakfasts — the Dennison House and Marcia Hoyt's Lantz House Inn. Jim topped off his welcome to us by publishing an article in the local paper about the journey.
 Click on the image to read the article.
May 3: Centerville, Indiana to London, Ohio
We started the day off with the breakfast of champions - three glazed donuts. Then off we went to meet with a huge crowd of 3rd grade students at Centerville Elementary. Jim Resh was there, excitedly snapping pictures for the local paper. On the road, we took a major wrong turn, as a result of Jeff turning over the navigation duties to Marc for the day. The 95 mile day turned out to be 115 miles. Jeff won't do that again. The day ended In London, Ohio, where the riders stayed at Alexandra's B & B, a restored historic home built in 1873. If you are ever in London, don't miss Alexandra's .
May 4
London Elementary 5th and 6th graders were our captive audience today. At the end of the assembly, the students presented the riders with a gift: a 10-inch long goofy looking stuffed animal, which vaguely resembles a fish. They said it should ride on Marc's rear bike rack with the rubber Scorpion (which you may remember has been officially named Scorch).
May 5
The ride yesterday from London to Athens, Ohio had some of the most beautiful scenery we have seen thus far. Athens is a college town and the home of Ohio University. Today we met with the “real youth” of our journey. We found this audience of 4 year olds at the Athens Community Center, where the Mayor of Athens also greeted us. After a warm welcome from the 4 year olds, Jeff drove home the message of Peace, Youth and the Environment. Athens ' Mayor, Richard Abel, then read a proclamation formally declaring May 5 as “Athens Bike Day.” On our way out of town, we rode along the new 19 mile Hocking Adena Bikeway, a paved bike path built upon an old railroad bed, and named in honor of the Adena Indians who first inhabited this region.
May 6
Jeff and I (Marc) were the guests of honor at a ceremony held by the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium, located in Morgantown , West Virginia . The NAFTC develops curricula and offers training and outreach education about alternative fuels and advanced technologies to improve air quality. The mayor of Morgantown, Ron Justice, was there, which attracted local and national media, to publicly embrace Mayor Anderson's mission statement. Jeff and I were very energized when the entire West Virginia University Cycling Team escorted us by peloton to and from this ceremony and they invited us to their post-final exam party.
May 7
Just before we were ready to head off toward our next destination, an interesting dude rode up to our hotel on a very fast, high-tech, recumbent cycle--Nick Hein. He heard about Mayor Anderson's mission that morning, threw on his clothes and was out the door to meet us. Nick explained that he is an enthusiastic supporter of National Bicycle Greenway. The goal of National Bicycle Greenway is to connect bike routes and trails among all cities across the nation, so bikers can travel safely anywhere. What an undertaking, and Nick says they are making huge progress. The organization was started by a cyclist who recovered from a coma after being hit by a car. He decided he was given his life back for a purpose. The web site is www.nationalbicyclegreenway . We also met a couple riding across the country on motorcycles. Check out the passenger. This day blessed us with a healthy dose of rain. We each went through a set of brakes trying to control our bikes through the rolling terrain which was our introduction to the next day's climb up the Appalachians. We ended the day in Cumberland, Maryland. May 8
Our toughest day of big climbs was saved for the last. The road across the Appalachians was ridiculously steep. Top speed going up was 6 mph. Top speed going down the other side—Jeff won't let me tell (something to do with his safety reputation at SLC Dept. of Public Utilities). On the way, Jeff made a couple of new friends at a convenience store in Flintstone, Maryland. Check out the pics. We ended the day in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.
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