It makes no sense to me that a day with less mileage would be more tiring than a longer day, assuming that the terrain is comparable. Yet today's 61 miles, seven miles less than yesterday, resulted in my being more tired.

There are a couple of possible reasons. It could be because I did not sleep soundly last night. Finally falling asleep around 11 PM (I went to bed at 9:30 PM), I woke around 1:30 AM, and never got back into a deep sleep. Or it could be that the heat zapped me more than I thought. Frankly, I did not feel overheated at all, but it may have snuck up on me. Or it could be theory #3: I have been drinking a lot of sweet tea (4 glasses at dinner last night). Maybe the caffeine is keeping me awake. Tonight I drank only water. Theory #4 revolves around accumulated fatigue. Theory #5 is that it could be, and probably is, a combination of the above.

If you have ever read the print out of Google maps, it is somewhat non-sensible. Yet last night I pulled up Google maps on my tablet, and, using a print out of today's trip, went through every turn. Suddenly, it all made sense. And the day went smoother because of that exercise. It is funny how we all have different learning styles, and that one worked for me. When today's journal is completed, I will be doing the same thing for tomorrow's route.

The weatherman extended the heat advisory to include today. Temperatures were projected to be in the low 90's, with higher than normal humidity. I figure that an early departure would help. I wanted to worship somewhere along the way, and the possibility of a thunderstorm in the late afternoon/early evening gave added incentive to an early start. A few minutes after 7 AM, I was on the road.

The roads I was on were very quiet. In the first 90 minutes, I was only passed by four vehicles. The route took me into the town of Delaware, home to Ohio Wesleyan University. I had heard of the school but was unaware of its location until I rode by it today.

A few minutes after 9 AM, I noted a number of cars in the parking lot of a Methodist Church in town. Apparently their service had just started. Not seeing the main door, I entered through the handicapped entrance, and found myself standing in the front of the sanctuary, as a hymn was being sung. I quickly found a pew. (Speaking of pew, I was really stinky. My shirt, shorts arms and legs were soaking wet from perspiration.)

The service was good. The title of the sermon was "Is that your final answer?" The disciple John said that Jesus came to take away our sins, destroy the works of Satan, and to show the love of God. What was the final answer? That every day we should pursue a life worthy of Jesus.

The church was very welcoming and friendly, despite my appearance and smell. They asked me to stay for Sunday School, but I had to get some food in the belly, and move on. So far that morning, I had ridden 20 miles, and had a long way to go.

This part of the country is picturesque. Unlike much of the three previous staes, in which most bicycling roads were either north/south or east/west, these roads were seldom straight for very long. There were lots of trees and wildlife. I saw a couple of ground hogs, and a doe with two fawns.

The last portion of the day was a dozen miles on the Heart of Ohio Trail. It was a nice bike trail: clean, paved, cool from the shade trees, and little bike or pedestrian traffic. I was surprised to see another touring bicyclist on the trail. I am far from any established bicycling routes so I did not expect to meet another tourer. It was a young lady, probably in her mid 20s, who was riding solo from Boston to the west coast, exact location to be determined. She was camping along the way. 

As I pulled into Mt. Vernon, Ohio, the clouds were beginning to look ominous, and it smelled like it was going to rain. And it did. Not hard, but not lightly either. I did not put my rain gear on. Why should i? I was already soaking wet from perspiration, what harm could the rain do. In fact, it felt great!

 Tomorrow will be the longest ride of this stretch to Pittsburgh, somewhere in the 70 mile range. It will take me directly into Amish country, where the horses and buggies will outnumber the cars. It should be interesting. Rain was previously forecast. We will see if that still holds true. 

Did I live my day worthy of Jesus? I certainly hope so.