Coast2Coast Day 63:  Tall Oaks Campground/Buffalo to Salamonie Lake State Park/Andrews, IN; Misty morning, dog chase, re-hydration, an Indiana State Park

Leaving the campground this morning, it seemed to be misty to the East.  Nice to get an early start to have some miles melt away while it was cooler.  Very little traffic on the route that early.  The crickets and cicadas started to warm up for their competing choruses for the day.

At just after 8:30A heard a dog barking, and then chasing me!  It was the closest a dog had come, and certainly got my adrenaline flowing!  The roads were grand through to Deetsvile, where the route took me onto what seemed like a very well shaded rails-to-trails, non-motorized section.  Unfortunately, the route had a turn onto a closed road.  Not seeing any detour sign, I continued on the closed section, evading parked road equipment, riding on alternating dirt and surfaces prepped for chip seal.

Shortly after the closed-road encounter, I stopped by the side of the road to consume the lovingly made PB&J sandwich Cathy had packed for me.  While stopped, a nice woman driving by, stopped her car to ask me if everything was OK.  It is nice to encounter caring folks!

Not too long after that, Cathy had stopped by the route to check on my re-hydration.  Since I had been traveling on less-traveled roads, I had yet to encounter any opportunities, so the sight of her was very welcomed.  She plied me with beverages, and re-filled by bottles, and sent me on my way to meet her at our campsite for the evening.

In Lagro, I did come by a Mobil One-Stop.  It was good to hear of the source for the town’s name from Jim, who welcomed me enthusiastically!

From there, the route took me to the State Forest and the State Park.  Gorgeous, well-shaded roads, outside of the ‘mostly flat’ that had been prevalent across the Indiana route.

Christina greeted me at the entry station, and provided impeccable directions to our campsite, and wonderful suggestions to have our stay be more comfortable!

After our dinner, Cathy and I took a stroll to see some of the Lake.  The Reservoir is large, and there are many boats stored at the marina.  There were also quite o few boats seemingly set to spend the night on the Lake.

Dewey stopped by our campsite with their mini-Australian Shepherd.  We discussed some of their travels, and we shared some of our experiences.  He and their dog were surrounded by a number of children, most of them with red hair.  Their dog very much enjoyed the loving attention from the children.  Before he went ‘home’ for the evening, we gave him a story to share with his wife.

Cathy and I enjoyed a viewing of an episode of ‘How to get away with murder’ broadcast through her new projector/screen, while savoring ice cream topped with Huckleberry Cream Liquor!

Tomorrow will be an early start!