CAROL'S CABIN.

A FEW PEOPLE TOLD ME THEY DONT KNOW HOW TO MAKE A COMMENT TO THE BLOG. SIMPLE JUST CLICK ON THE OTHER COMMENTS AT THE BOTTOM OF A BLOG.  THEN TYPE YOUR COMMENT AND SUBMIT

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9th Feb 2011:  3km/2miles west of Ashley to W.Mansfield 52.6km = 32.7miles

Guest of Julie and Pete Thanks for your great help

10th Feb 2011  West Mansfield to DeGraff Jct at 508.  35.1km = 21.8 miles.

Thanks very much to Renne and Alan for putting me up in their luxurious hunters cabin resort called ” Carol’s Cabin ” Tonight and tomorrow, 11th for my rest day  :)

12th Feb 2011. De Graff Jct to Newport. 46.5km = 28.9 miles

Thanks so much to Ted and Jodie for putting me up tonight

13th Feb 2011.  Newport to Union City, Indiana. 49km = 30.4 miles

14th Feb 2011 Union City to Losantville Indiana,  36/35 jct  50km =31.1 miles.

Tonight and last night I am the guest of Dean and Azaliya. Thanks for your kind help

15th Feb 2011 Losantville to Pendleton 36/38 jct (Speedway gas station) 47.5km = 29.5 miles.

Feb 16th Pendleton finish to Westfield airport. 45.7km = 28.4 miles.

Feb 17th 2011 Westfield Airport to Crawfordsville. 53.4km = 33.2 miles.

Tonight, last night and Tuesday  I am the guest of Craig and sons Joey and Jack. Thanks very much lads  :)

Feb 18th 2011. Crawfordville to Indiana/Illinois state line 61.3km  =  38.1 miles.

Staying  with Kevin and Janet tonight and tomorrow for a rest day thanks so much

Total for 98 Road days: 4,363.7 km = 2,711.5  miles = 103.4  marathons

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Nancy and I were dropped off by Jerry where I had finished up yesterday. It was a glorious day  for running with little traffic along 39 west and then onto 21.
The fields were full of beautiful horses, too beautiful to be the work horses they are. They stood in the snow covered fields looking miserable just waiting for the next days work.

Nancy and the work horses.

We stopped after a couple of hours for lunch in TJ’s restaurant for lunch. We both ordered meat pie. I like to treat any runner that runs with me to the snacks.
We made quiet an entrance to TJ’s. We had a good laugh with the locals and even the owner and cook came out for a photo and presented us with diaries and pens.
Then it was time to run on and on we  ran back onto route 36 which was now a busy 4 lane. Nancy retired at 27.7 miles putting her into first place on my ‘ accompanied league ‘ of the world run. Jerry picked her up and let me run on for another 40 minutes to get the extra 4 miles for my 50km. A good day at the office.
Next day was Sunday and I was joined by Stephanie for about 9miles/15km. We were running at a nice pace. So nice to be able to run without Nirvana for a change. Stephanie is an artist. She has an incredible passion for the canvas. She spent some time studying and painting in Paris. It’s a bit cold here now to be painting some landscapes. She is going back to Colorado where she once lived. We agreed to meet up to run again when I get there.
After an hour we arrived at an auto dealership. It was owned by her father Les.
I called out.. ” Les… You got the coffee on? ”
” You bet.. Come on in.. ”

'' You got the kettle on Les? '' Can you believe the word of a car dealer?

I love this running and stopping to talk to people.. I do it all the time. This is a run but its also a journey. I have drawn a mental picture of my route so far from Merrion Square, Dublin from the finish line of the Dublin marathon across Ireland to Newfoundland and across Atlantic Canada. Across the fields of Maine which many people have referred to as a mini Alaska. The wonderful people of New England and the excitement of the Pennsylvanians as their beloved Pittsburgh Steelers prepared for the Super Bowl. ‘ Troy Will Destroy ‘ signs hung on many supermarket walls. They had my support but alas despite a late charge Green Bay triumphed.

A little later Nancy drove out to join me for another hour before Jerry arrived with Nirvana in the back of his pickup.
More goodbyes… The never ending goodbyes.. It’s so hard. I find it very easy to make solid friendships but the reality of life on the road is that almost all of these goodbyes are permanent. A few I will probably see again but fewer I will forget…. I will never forget how these hundreds or is it thousands of ordinary people have taken me to their hearts. Just like a son, even though I am older than many of them their maternal instincts are making my world dream a reality.

Then a little while later I was met on the road by Mark, a friend of Nancy and Jerry. Mark and his wife Debbie were to put me up for 2 nights in their Mt. Vernon home. These two days I averaged a little over a marathon a day. The traffic was heavier with a very narrow hard shoulder on US 36w/229w. There was also a lot of slush I had to run in and out of as I ran along. Running on snow and slush can make your feet cold as opposed to running on the blacktop.
As usual a precious two day invite means I can run without Nirvana. I never cease to be amazed by the efforts people put in to help me. It seems everyone is on flexi-time in their jobs or they just loose time.

Great American people Mark and Debbie put up with me for two nights in Mt. Vernon.

Mark works in construction. There is not much going on at the moment during the winter. Also the recession has hit Ohio very badly. Along the highway there are houses that are literally abandoned. Many of them are literally falling down due to neglect. They were probably owned by an elderly person that has died. Perhaps their siblings live too far away to be able to care or sell the property or even want to pay the property taxes. Besides some properties in Ohio can be bought on Ebay for a couple of thousand dollars.. In many cases one can withdraw the purchase price from an ATM in a couple of days. Big industry has deserted the area. A steel mills in Youngstown has gone to China.
Over in Detroit where the motor industry has literally crashed the local authorities tried giving away (for free) vacant houses to other adjoining residents to encourage them to extend out. There was limited take up on this offer as many people were so cashed strapped. So in order to avoid ghettos the authorities just flattened vacant houses.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago about the Amish community in upstate New York and how they reject modern conveniences and technology preferring to live a simpler more labor intensive life. Many Amish also live in Pennsylvania and in this part of Ohio.
Yesterday I saw an Amish horse and buggy struggle up a steep hill. About 3 times the horse stopped, took a breather and then gave it another go till he eventually got to the top. All this while a patient motorist waited behind till it was safe to overtake. This made me happy as I continued my own struggle up the hill with Nirvana!

AMISH BUGGY

Well I witnessed for myself this morning how one Amish man skirted around the rules. No telephone means not in the house but a payphone was set up in a home-made telephone kiosk shed. By luck yesterday I had finished  for the day at an Amish hand-crafted furniture factory. AS is my normal practice I  photographed my finish location which happened to be the sign for their factory.

Even luckier just as I was getting ready to leave an Amish man called Moss came along to make a phone call from the kiosk!
” Hi My name is Tony, I am from Ireland and running around the world! What’s your name? ”
” Moss. ”
” I got a buggy too! ” I said feeling a bit dumb.
And then dumber.
” I lead a simple life too but only sometimes! I sleep in barns, camp and run around on foot! ”
And even dumber!
” I know you don’t use computers so I wont bother you with my website. ”
” Where do you get your news from Moss? ”
” The newspaper. ”
” Do you use any form of old radio? ”
” No. ”
” I would love to spend a night with an Amish family.. Would they welcome me? ”
” Yes but you would find it different! ”
” Are you going in there to make a phone call? ” I cheekily asked.
” Yes. ”
” So its not allowed in the house but in a phone kiosk in the garden? ”
” We don’t like phones in the house as it is too much of a disruption. This phone is for the community. ”

AMISH TELEPHONE KIOSK AMONGST THE TREES

” But Moss I see you got an led flashlight on top of your cap! Is that not modern technology? ”
” Yes I like this. There is no light in there. ”
” I don’t want to offend but can I take your photo Moss? ”
” Well we don’t do photos. ”
And then Moss asked me about the run and we parted.

Hey Moss I got a buggy and like the simple life too.

Later that evening Mark told me about some of the gun laws in the state. About how many people have permits to carry around concealed pistols. It’s called ‘ Carry and Conceal. A permit holder once he has passed a competency test can carry a handgun.
” It all adds up to a safer society. ” Says Mark.
And then adds. ” If a criminal knows I have a gun he is not going to break into my house. It has been proven that in mandatory gun ownership communities that the crime rates drop..”
” And they are even considering allowing concealed weapons into bars providing the owner is not drinking because the type of person that goes in to such places with a shoot up in mind knows that nobody else will have a gun… Same on a school campus.”
Then he showed me his Ruger38 handgun and Smith and Wesson 380  and a selection of antique muskets, Chinese military and modern hunting rifles. Quiet a collection.

Tuesday I left Centerburg looking for route 521 which was about a mile outside of town. I had decided to take this little used route to Delaware as 36 was very busy with little or no shoulder. It was a very cold morning. Somehow I missed the sign or more likely there was none. Before I realised it I was almost in Sparta 6 miles/10km out of my way. I was not going to turn back as I could still head west from Sparta on route 229. I ran on through a couple of small villages and at the end of the day stopped for plate of beef hot pot in Ashley. It was to be a bitter cold night. Many people have told me over the last few weeks that this winter has been the harshest in living memory.
I need to find some place to stay. My contacts have all run out in this area.
I knocked on a couple of farmhouse doors just outside Ashley. I introduced myself in the usual manner and asked if I could sleep in their barn or garage. I got a whole load of refusals from a series of nervous people even though they could see I was running.
When I went up to one house two dogs came out! These dogs are rarely tied as rural houses have an invisible electric fence which give the dog a zap. The dog soon learns his boundaries and does not venture further. Often as I go by they chase me to the boundary and mercifully stop! Here I was behind the boundary. Luckily the owner came out and called the dogs to heel. Sorry cant let you stay here… No room, not my house, the dogs would bark at you all night were the reasons.
Jason in the 4th house said yes. So I settled down on some insulation material, my air matress and sleeping bag for an early night.
A few hours later Jason told me his wife Leighhel had told me to come in.
Next morning over breakfast Leighhel joked that she had given out to Jason.
” What do you mean you are letting a stranger sleep in our barn? Are you crazy? ”
Later after she had checked my website from a piece of paper I had handed Jason.
” What are you doing letting him sleep in the barn. Bring him into the house. Are you crazy! ”
Women!
So I was brought inside to a nice toasty bedroom with a heater running all night.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE IS A STRANGE MAN IN THE BARN? ARE YOU CRAZY GET HIM INTO THE HOUSE!

Off I went in the morning into the cold wind. It has been the coldest few days of the world run so far. The wind cut through my face. Moisture on my eyelashes froze.  With my balaclava it is often difficult to breathe.  It’s too difficult wiping my face without moving the balaclava. My face is sore from the rubbing of my leather gloves.
It’s very tough but I am not complaining as I am living my dream. I am having a blast. I am tougher than I have ever been in my life. I got to be, I need to survive.

I ran about 20km/12 miles to a village called Prospect. I went into Subway for lunch. Three people, two men and a woman are at a table. the woman is particularly interested as her name is Julie and she is a runner. One of the men, Pete is her husband. After the usual questions Julie is excited. I would love to run a bit with you she tells me. so I tell her to go home and get changed. But I got one rule…
My runners push Nirvana!
Julie returns and I am still eating lunch. She asks Pete to pick her up on the road after about an hour and a half. then I ask Pete to put Nirvana in the back of his pickup to save his wife the bother of pushing the buggy! I love small town America.. A short while ago these people were strangers and now I am handing over my most prized possession without a moments hesitation.
Out on the road Julie has told me I can come back to their place tonight and they will return me in the morning. I can even run on a bit longer on my own and Pete will come out again for me. So I do and get over 52km/ 32 miles for the day.
Back in the house Julie tells me she did a lot of volunteer work in the Peace Corp. can you believe she brought a dog back from Mali?
From Timbuktu, Mali to be exact and there is no quarantine required for entry to the United States. Just a certificate of health and fitness from the local vet in Timbuktu!
Now it was my turn and I said with a big grin my most hated head-wrecker question!
” Hey Julie.. How did you get it across the ocean!? ”
” On a plane of course! ”
” What on the seat next to you? ”
” No in the cargo hold. ”

PETE AND JULIE OF PROSPECT OHIO.

Next morning Julie leaves me back to the Logan county line just outside of West Mansfield. It’s even colder today but it’s supposed to take up tomorrow for a few days. I was very tired today. Not just because of yesterdays effort but because the logistics, the constant stream of emails and the effort I am putting into this blog is eating into my rest time. I am not getting enough sleep and the cold is energy sapping. I run on. Its about 24km/15 miles to the next town called Bellefontaine. I approach town  with my stomach falling out with the hunger even though I had a huge breakfast. It’s a big town with little traffic on the 4 lane highway on the way in. I follow US 47 west which bypasses the downtown. Before I know where I am I am on the way out of town without even seeing a single restaurant or gas station. I stubbornly refuse to backtrack even though there is probably nothing for 3 or 4 hours run.
So I push on for another half hour and sit on a fence in the cold. As water bottles freeze so quickly I rely on my thermos for my drinking water. That’s a joke I drink more coffee than water and got a whole highway of yellow snow to prove it.
As I was sitting on the fence a cop car stops in the middle of the highway and I tell him I am running around the world and about not getting anything to eat in town. I tell him I am having a picnic. My canned tuna and fruit are also frozen. Everything is frozen and my hands are starting to freeze.
The cop tells me my best bet is to go back to town and I say there is no hope of that! Then he says go about 7 miles up the road, hang a left on 508 for De Graff and go 3 miles out of my way.. No hope either.
He drives off, I pack up and run the 7 miles. I came to the junction and see a restaurant at the junction. It looks closed and there is a sign counting down the days till spring. If it was open the cop would have known. I see three cars and as I have nothing to lose go over. Much to my surprise Val’s Diner is open. I’m delighted and order a plate of fried liver, onions, cottage cheese and a baked potato.
I have run a little over 35km and just under 22 miles.
Because there is such a huge interest in my trip I turn it to my advantage and finish for the day.
When the inevitable question comes around about where I am going to stay tonight I say that I was hoping someone would know someone with a barn I could sleep in.
The customers are very friendly. I am talking to the waitress Amy when the owner Brandon comes out to me while talking on his phone.
Brandon hangs up and says.
” I got a place for you! It’s a local woman called Renne. She got some luxury cabins she rents out to hunters and there are no hunters in town now! ”
I am delighted. Soon Renne comes over to the restaurant. I leave Nirvana in a backroom and just take my night baggage.

Brandon tells me my dinner and breakfast in the morning have been taken care of!

WITH BRANDON, RENNE AND A CRAZY LOCAL!

Renne can’t do enough for me. She drives me over to the 5 star hunters cabin called Carol’s Cabin: named for Aunt Carol Morgan, a little country farm girl that grew up to embody grace, beauty, patience and a love for creation.

It’s not really a cabin. It’s a huge house. It even

has a pool table and all the food I can eat
Her son Xavier arrives to stoke up the wood burningstove. No messing around with matches or firelighters. Xavier lights it up with a blowtorch!
” I learnt that in the boy scouts! ”
As I settled down for the night I could hear the coyotes howl in the distance.

INSIDE CAROL'S CABIN. I AM ENJOYING MY REST DAY.

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