Day 37: Rain Delay (Reynoldsburg, OH to Barnesville, OH - 94 miles)

Today's ride got off to a good start. We had a relatively flat morning, and despite the humidity, covered a decent amount of ground before the pre-Pennsylvania hills greeted us. The climbs weren't long, but they had steep grades that reminded our legs that the trip isn't over yet. The countryside provided a nice change in scenery from the cornfields though, so the riding was pretty enjoyable.

As we were approaching Barnesville, we heard some crashing thunder and saw a few streaks of lightning, so we ducked into a pizza shop that doubles as a video rental place. Side note: video rental places are really popular out here, it's very strange. Anyway, we ordered a pizza while we watched the storm, debating our options for the rest of the evening. We were originally hoping to make it to Wheeling, WV for the night, but we knew that wouldn't be an option even if the severe storm warning was lifted. We tried calling hotels in St. Clairsville, but there's a convention in town so the rates are over $150 for a room. As we were searching on our phones for any other options, I noticed a Warm Showers host was only about a mile away. Thankfully, she said we could stay for the night, which was clutch given the extreme short notice. We're about 25 miles short of where we wanted to be at the end of today, but we're planning to make it up over the next two or three days, depending on the weather. On the bright side, the storm is supposed to break the humidity we've been roasting in for the past week, so we're looking forward to better riding. Tomorrow, we'll be entering PA, and hopefully with the short(er) day behind us, we'll be ready to crank up the hills.