Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Day 16: Richmond, IN to Indianapolis, IN

We started the day with a brief look around old town Richmond. Unfortunately we didn't really have any time to see anything interesting, since we were anticipating more wind and trying to get to Indianapolis as fast as we could - we didn't want to be arriving after dark, no matter what.

On our way out of town we stopped for lunch at a little bakery. In addition to selling bakery items, you could also buy concrete lawn ornaments. We were very amused by the presence of animal control, keeping those concrete lions in line.

The donuts were delicious. I love donuts. Unfortunately, my stomach does not.

But thank you Cinnamon Spice bakery. You even had a very clean restroom, which is always a pleasant surprise on the road.

We spent the rest of the day riding under a mix of partly cloudy and partly rainy. It never got bad enough to warrant putting on rain gear, but we were always afraid we'd have to seek shelter at any moment.

Although there wasn't much shoulder on the road, there also wasn't much traffic. It wasn't until we reached Cumberland that traffic became an issue and riding became unpleasant. Captaining an 11 foot long bike in traffic isn't a whole lot of fun. To complicate matters, as we got closer to the city we started running into construction. Indiana drivers were also the worst drivers we'd seen since New Jersey, and were maybe even worse. In an effort to avoid traffic we turned up German Church Rd, opting to follow 21st street into the city.

This may have been the wrong choice. Traffic might have been lighter, but there was no shoulder at all, and in some places we actually had to deal with a sharp drop off the pavement into dirt. Riding became a series of sprints in between groups of cars. 21st Street had a slightly better shoulder, but drivers wouldn't give us any room at all.

The plan was to stay at La Quinta, but we weren't sure which one. There was one just north of I-70, off Post street, which was closest. But Franklin street had no shoulder, no sidewalk, and lots of traffic turning onto the highway. We stopped at a Home Depot to reconsider our options. Though it was now getting dark, we opted to stay on 21st street a little longer, cross under I-465, and stay at the other La Quinta. This was a little bit farther, but it was also a little bit farther on route, saving us a little bit of time for tomorrow.

It was an excellent choice. Though it was a pain riding on shoulderless streets as it got dark, the La Quinta was an amazing hotel - by far the best hotel we'd actually purchased a night at so far. Plus the Lincoln Square Restaurant was right next to the hotel. Good food, friendly service, and reasonable prices. The wait staff took an immediate interest in our trip and fed us very well. La Quinta had guest laundry, so Jillian was able to wash our clothes while I tackled the process of finding a route through Indianapolis the next day.

Way back in Granville we'd been warned to not take US-40 through Indianapolis due to safety and traffic concerns. Though we'd been told to stop at a bike shop just inside the beltway, I decided we'd be better off if we just left really early in the morning and tried to make it to Terre Haute the next day. So it was off to bed, with a decision to be on the road before sunrise the next morning.

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