Cat Scratch Fever:

OK Five seconds Bob! Who sang that 1977 hit "Cat Scratch Fever"? And what does Cat scratch fever have to do with going for a bike ride through Ohio. Well this morning as pulled out of Wooster OH, the first thing was about a two mile hill which was followed by a really steep decent. I round the corner and head down the hill. About 3/4 the way down I am doing 37.8 mph when out of the bushes shoots this black cat. The cat is in top gear as am I. I have zero chance to jam on my brakes or swerve and at that speed I don't really want to do either. Although it isn't a really big cat, I am probably upside down, if I hit it. Fortunately I missed the cat by less than 3 feet. A little wiggle and a touch on the brakes avoided disaster. Now I want to say that I am not superstitious but I don't like messing with fate either. So one black cat OK, I can deal with it. But then not 3 miles later there is another black cat which runs out in front of me. It wasn't close and I wasn't going fast. That is 2 black cats, and I am wondering if I should just get off my bike and wait for the SAG wagon to come and get me. Maybe I'll just be extra careful.

The routing sheet had a total of 74 written instructions about have of which are somewhat paradoxical, coupled with the fact that the mileage doesn't match up with the bike computer. So by the time I get into Fulton I am thoroughly turned around. If the sheet had standard directions like North or South on it would be easier to follow but it only has left and right. So let's see I was going East then made a left and two rights and another left and which way am I facing now? Well you get the picture. At any rate I work may self into a state which upsets my stomach so bad that I am feeling nauseous. Then despite the black cats, Marget with the van shows up and I jump. She is headed to the second SAG stop. Perfect! I get a half hour nap, and by time we get there I am feeling better. With only 25 miles left I still get a 50 mile ride in and it is going to be an easy day. Perfect! Feeling revived after my nap and on my bike I spotted a little old time Mom and Pop drive-in and went in. They had 25 flavors of soft ice cream. Although there was only one size of cone for $1.99 when it came it was the size of a small fire extinguisher (I had creme de-menthe as I had never had that flavor in soft ice cream). There was a lady selling fresh strawberries by the road. You could see there were several green houses behind her house so I stopped, being I love fresh strawberries. So despite my cajoling she wouldn't sell me just a handful. It was buy the whole two quart container or not. And she would only give me one sample. In any case we are staying in Niles OH, the last night in Ohio.

During the last very days we have been riding past hundreds of acreages with houses that range from small and large, and from new to old, with everything in between. I have been looking at the really big ones and saying I guess that is how the rich people live. Today I found a real estate magazine and to my surprise the little old ones start in the $30k and the really big ones (3-4000 sq ft) go for $250-300K. There are some deals here in Ohio.

So I did get a little sprinkle of rain but didn't get poured on, had a close call with a cat, got sick, got better, had a nap, got lost, got found, avoided a lot of really bad roads, had a huge ice cream cone, didn't get any fresh strawberries, and had a good time. I guess the black cat thing is just superstition. By the way Ted Nugget did Cat Scratch Fever.

Today's picture is of this big old barn. I saw it and immediately thought of my friend Curt in PA. He takes old barns and turns them into mansions. Curt, I think this one would make a get place.

They give me cat scratch fever!

Terry