Day 75 - Ohio to Erie Trail - August 25th

Millersburg, OH to Cleveland, OH

I didn't sleep much last night, I was too worried about my drivers license (DL), so got up early and got ready for the ride to Cleveland. I phoned the motel several times before I left to ask about my DL, but no luck. All I got was a recorded message with no option to leave a voice mail. My only option would be to try again later.

I was on the Holmes County Trail about ten miles from Fredericksburg, when I saw someone coming up pretty fast behind me on a bicycle. It did not take long for an Amish lady to pass me. She had a big smile on her face, and baskets on the bike. I assumed she was going shopping. I was surprised to see that she was riding an electric bike. As I watched her disappear in the distance, I figured she must be very comfortable with the bike, going at what I estimated to be around 18/20 mph, making me a tad jealous :-) I can only go fast on the downhills!

A quick prelude - there are two categories of trikes, the Delta (one wheel in front, two at the back), and the Tadpole (two wheels in the front, and one at the back). I ride a Tadpole.

I saw what looked like a nice coffee shop, (Salt Creek Cafe), and decided to stop and have a much needed coffee break. I parked next to a Delta trike that had an electric motor, and a big steel basket on the back. As I was locking my bike, an old Amish gentleman (maybe a bit older than me 😅) came along, greeted me, hopped on the Delta, and took off. Never let it be said that the Amish only use 'horse and buggy' transport.

On my way into the shop, I noticed a sign indicating a charging station for bicycles in the rear. Obviously I had to go and check it out. Pretty neat. It can take ~8 bikes and is a solar charger. The first bike solar charger I've seen, and the big bonus, NO FEE.

After a nice cup of coffee, I got on my way again. As I passed through Seville, I saw a bike shop, 'Electric Pete's E-bikes', and decided to stop and see if I could get a new flag for the bike to replace the one that got wiped out in the last storm. Unfortunately Pete did not have any in stock, so that didn't work out. Pete asked me about the trip, and the conversation drifted into me losing my drivers license, and not being able to get hold of the motel front desk. As we were talking, I checked and saw I had a signal and immediately phoned. To my surprise the lady that helped me, answered the phone. She indicated that she was not aware of my license having been found in their office. That was not good. I then asked her to please check next to the computer, and the machine they use to code the key cards. She asked me to hold on, and after what seemed like an eternity (seconds actually), she returned with the good news that she had found my license, and wanted to know whether I would drop by to pick it up. Clearly not a great option! Pete leapt into action and called his sister, asking her to pick it up and drive halfway to Seville where he would meet her, and bring the license to me. There was no hesitation in reaching out to help a stranger. I was tempted to accept the offer, thought about it briefly, and then asked the motel lady to email front and back images of my license to me, and mail the license to our home address. I received the electronic version minutes later, and a promise from the manager that he would mail the license home and confirm. I received the confirmation when I arrived in Cleveland. Drama over!

Big THANK YOU to Pete and his sister.

Historical Marker - Holmesville, Ohio