Day 34: Chasing Goats on the Way to Chillicothe

 Our previous morning at Albert's had spoiled us so getting everyone out of the tent at 6 was quite difficult but after some coaxing we were on the road to Mcdonalds in hopes of grabbing some breakfast.  The Cincinnati rush hour traffic whirred around us as we trekked down highway 32.  McDonalds not only amply supplied us nutritionally but allowed us to access the internet which we used to set up couch surfing contacts for the next couple days.  We decided to stop at the Walmart next door to resupply our food cache and buy a few extra tubes just to be safe.  After breakfast we aimed for highway 50 which would guide us further and further east over the coming days.  Lunchtime came today around 43 miles in the small Ohio town of Hillsboro where we decided to eat outside of a local Dairy Queen.  Our peanut butter and honey Sandwiches, and crackers as well as Steve "Armadillo Man" Linde's signature food of choice Ramen noodles filled our hungry stomachs.  It was here that we received word that a man named Ralph was going to be able to host us for the night.  With our sleeping arrangements solidified we would now be able to take it easier in the afternoon.  While eating we noticed that a livestock auction was taking place across the way at the stockyards and before we knew it the stockyards had come to us. A small brown and white goat came wondering up over the grass, after some initial shock Steve and I decided to combine our wrangling experience to capture the lost goat.  Before we could establish an effective perimeter it darted across the highway to the neighboring gas station.  It became evident that the goat belonged to a young girl who too was in pursuit.  Steve and I ran after it in our full biking gear as if in back on the farm.  The goat cowered underneath a parked tractor trailer for a minute and we thought for sure out pursuit would soon be over but it somehow evaded our grasp and sprang back towards the road and into a yard.  We took off after it but it was a lost cause. Apparently the girl had just bought the goat but it had jumped out of her arms on the way to the car.  Steve and I watched helplessly as it slipped into the tall grass before entering a wooded area.  Although sad it was time to end our chase, life must go on, and so does biking, so we saddled up and began the last 40 miles on our way to Chillicothe.  The afternoon ride was a gorgeous one through perfect weather and blue skies.  Trivia passed the time on our ride that brought us ever closer to the mountains coming in the coming days.  We pulled into Ralph's garage around 5 o'clock and relaxed a little while he finished up a project in his garden and met his two dogs Flash and Honey Bear.  Ralph, a former professor of french horn at Arizona State was incredibly hospitable to us by offering us showers and snacks before an amazing dinner.  He brought out his wok in which he fried up some chicken and broccoli which he poured over some steaming rice.  It was neat to discuss the field of music d his many life experiences over dinner which culminated in ice cream.  We are continually thankful for the blessings that we have received each and everyday and the amazing suprises that are making this trip increasingly memorable

86 miles, high 75,clear skies