Rain, Rumbles, and 15 Beans
I drove about six miles to a Cracker Barrel because I couldn’t find any other place to stay last night. I pulled in around 9:20pm and noticed there was only one camper in the back lot, and four cars from Texas. The cars from Texas weren’t together, and each had window coverings. None of the four cars looked like they were in very good condition. I pulled into a spot away from everyone and put things in order before crawling into bed around 11pm. It was raining, but the hum of the interstate nearby and the sound of airbreaks didn’t allow me to quickly drift off.
Eventually, the sounds subsided and I fell asleep. Around 5am, it sounded like everyone around Akron, Ohio had awakened. Traffic was back on the interstate even more heavily. Garbage was being picked up at Cracker Barrel and the beepoing sounds of trucks alerting anything behind them that they moving backwards. I tossed and turned through this kalydascope of noise and finally pulled myself out of bed at 7:15.
Workout
My orginal plan for the day was to go for a 30-40 mile bike ride on the trails in Cuyahoga National park. The weather indicated rain all day. I sent off a request around 8:30am to a Harvest Host in Millersburg, OH, closer to the capital, Columbus, OH.
At 9:15, I drove to a PLanet Finess ten miles away. For the next three hours, I rode the bike, climbed the 103 floors of the Eifel Tower, and did an upper body workout with weights. The shower felt heavenly, and at the end I endulged myself with a 10 minute hydro massage as part of my black membership. It was warm and relaxing. I’m still surprised that I’ve had no pain in my hips or lower back since switching to the bed in the van. A month ago, I couldn’t make it 50 floors without a lot of pain.
I found a Walmart grocery store 2 miles away and picked up ingrediants for the 15 bean soup I was planning for dinner. This weather certainly was calling for soup to take the chill out of my bones.
Trip To Millersburg
I then began hour and thirty minute drive to Millersburg. I dashed off a note to my hosts to let them know I planned to arrive between 2:30-3:00pm. I hadn’t expected the diluge of rain that I encountered several times along the way. I pulled up behind a tractor-trailer doing 35 in a 55mph zone. I stuck close to him, because I could just barely see in front of me. I also had to wait for 5 different amish buggies close to my destination.
I was delayed 30 minutes and arrived around 3:30. I promptly began to make dinner. My host came out to greet me and we talked for about 5 minutes when it began to rain again. My camping spot was beside a stream with an amish farm in view outside my door.
I made 15 bean soup which consisted of the following:
Ingredients:
1 cup: 15 bean mixture (I guess any 15 beans would work)
1 large white onion
14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp chili powder
Juice of one lemon
2 cloves garlic pressed
1 lb. grilled chicken, ham, or sausage
I added red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, and salt to taste.
Directions:
Rinse the beans and place in 5 cups of water.
Bring to rapid boil; then reduce boiling and allow to cook for 1-1/2 hours
Add remaining ingrediants and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
Yields ~6-8 servings
I cut a few slices of Gryuer cheese and grab a handful of multi-seed baked rice cracker. This would also be good with whole-wheat toast. Unfortunately, I don’t have a toaster in the van. On a very rainy day, this hit the spot.
A little online work and then off to bed early to listen to the rain beat on the roof of the van.