Thursday, we rode about 25 miles out to the breakfast stop and back, just to say we had ridden our bikes. Then, we were off with Pete and Judy for yet another adventure. 
The Miami County Visitors Bureau created a trail for GOBA riders to visit 12 of the 25 Barn Quilts. These displays are renditions of the traditional quilt square patterns hand painted on the front of barns. Judy who is a proficient quilter and I wanted to ride from Quilt Barn to Quilt Barn until it was pointed out that the trail was over 50 miles long! The name of this quilt pattern is 'Card Trick'.
Not too far from here, was the WACO (Weaver Aircraft Company) Museum. We took a little side trip. 
WACO is an important part of the early days of aviation, and a major part in the history of the city of Troy and the state of Ohio. Officially founded in 1920, WACO planes were produced until 1946.
Team Bob having a 59th birthday party in the gazebo, not far from where we were camped. Judy and Pete, our official chaperones and drivers of the Team BOB truck, are sitting in the chairs. The birthday girl is standing, fourth from the left.
Friday morning, we left Troy, again before 7:00 in the morning. The skies were dark, nothing unusual there... About eight miles into the ride, rain started to fall... When we stopped at Gettysburg for lunch, we couldn't get much wetter. The temperature had dropped to the low 60's: all right if you were riding; but not all right standing still. Two miles after the lunch stop, the rear tire of the recumbent blew! Bang! After a couple of futile attempts to put in a new tube, then the discovery that a new tire was needed as well as a new spoke, I rode the 'short cut', twelve miles, to Versailles High School to get help. Almost two hours later, Pete picked up the recumbent and its cold rider. 
Friday evening we attended the Golden GOBA dinner hosted by Bob Evans Restaurants. The sun had come out earlier; we were dry and warm. The Golden GOBA dinner is for those riders who have ridden GOBA for 19, 15 and 10 years. This sign was on a street corner in Versailles.
Saturday, our last day, we started out before 6:30 to ride forty miles. We stopped at Montezuma for turkey wraps (something other than shredded beef sandwiches), free Dannon yogurt and Gatorade, and were back in Celina before 9:00. The sky was overcast; the weather was much cooler.
Next year is the twentieth anniversary of GOBA. See you there!
# posted by Martha @ 7:55 PM
