Today the Big Riders will be doing their second century in a seven day stretch of riding. The ride is long with some rolling hills and a few larger towns. There are many smaller Amish and Menonite communities after the check point in the town of Wakarusa. The name "Wakarusa" comes from a word in the Potawatomi language meaning "knee deep in mud. The riders will be camping at Bixler Lake Park in Kendallville.
Something about Kendallville: Kendallville is a city in Wayne Township, Noble County, Indiana. Kendallville is the largest town in Noble County with a population just under 10,000. Vintage architecture and great antique shopping can be enjoyed in the Downtown Historic District.
If you take a leisurely walk down Historic Main Street located in the heart of downtown Kendallville you will enjoy the stunning architecture and quaint small town shops. The city's worst natural disaster was a 1992 tornado that did millions of dollars in damage to businesses on Main Street. Repair and recovery in some cases involved restoring the nineteenth-century facades that had been covered over with metal cladding for many years. It's a handsome downtown. For the most part, the photos speak for themselves.
Kendallville is well known throughout the area for its festivals and events. From the Apple Festival to the Bluegrass Festival, there's always a family-friendly event just around the corner!
Mid-America Windmill Museum is nearby and features full-sized, restored, working windmills to commemorate an important part of the community's industrial history, the manufacture of windmills and water pumps that found use on many farms in the local area and around the world.
Windmill Museum
Bixler Lake Park, where the Big Riders are staying tonight, completely surrounds 117-acre Bixler Lake. The natural beauty of the area has been combined with development of facilities. The Chamber of Commerce are feeding the Big Rider's dinner and breakfast at one of the many pavilions at Bixler Lake.
Bixler Lake
Today's Forecast for Kendallville:
Temperature: 71.7 °F
Dew Point: 70.8 °F
Humidity: 97% 98%
Wind Speed: 0.0mph 2.0mph
Wind Gust: 2.0mph 3.0mph
Wind: SW
Pressure: 29.94in
Precipitation: 0.00in
Today the Big Riders rode the 109 miles to Kendallville in another headwind. Chuck thought the winds were supposed to be westerly (that is what was forecasted)but they ended up being more NE. Chuck said that the ride was flat, long, hot, humid, tiring and boring. Between his sinus infection, allergies, being soaked for a couple of days, not getting enough sleep, and just overall fatique he is beginning to look forward to the end of the trip. The highlights of the day were the old crashed airplane in a corn field, seeing a bi-plane, getting up close to a baby lama, and getting to see Kevin Stone from BRAA 2008.
Kevin, his wife, and step daughter were at the first check point with snacks for the riders. He lives in Michigan City, very close to the first check point. They had donuts, coffee, watermelon, banana muffins, grapes, and other good stuff. Chuck was sad that he didn't get to chat for longer but he was only 25 miles into a very long day. He said goodbye to Kevin after only a short visit. The riders crossed into another timezone so they lost an hour today.
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