Monroeville, IN

This city is amazing. But let me first recap the last several days.
The family that I stayed with in Momence rocked. Friday morning, they drove me to Iroquois to pick up the Norther Tier Route, where I met Von. I saw his bike and trailer outside a local pub, so I walked in to introduce myself and see where he was going. We greeted one another like old friends, both of us belonging to the secret society of brightly colored jerseys and tight black shorts... He's biking from Iowa City to Washington, D.C., in honor of his mother, who died of cancer earlier this year. Get your colon checked!
We biked together Friday, and camped in Buffalo, IN. It was nice to have company, and he brought a travel guitar, so we joined a campfire and sang some songs. Saturday we biked together for about 50 miles, and then I broke off the trail to join Betsy, Debbie, their families, and Shana, for a hog roast. Oh yeah, you read that right. I ate way too much food, and passed out early. Sunday morning though, I woke up fairly early, and chatted with Betsy's mom, who is also a cyclist, as is Betsy's stepdad. Then I went for a swim in the lake, which was fabulous.
Eventually, I said my goodbyes, and Shana drove me and my bike back to the route, stopping for brunch along the way. She dropped me off around 2pm, and I got to bike through this amazing state forest... I could have spent a lot longer there, but my legs were well-rested and itching to pedal. I had decided that there was no way I was going to make it to Monroeville last night, since it was 68 miles away, and I got such a late start... but then at some point I decided I could do it... and I did, though I did spend the last eight or nine miles biking in the dark. There was still a sliver of orange on the western horizon...
So, on my map, it said there was a free, indoor shelter for cyclists, with a shower and washer/dryer in the city park. I located said shelter, but it was locked, and my cell phone didn't have reception, so I couldn't call the numbers listed on the building. But, as luck would have it, a van pulled up next to the park, and was kind of lingering. I walked over, and asked if they happened to be people who could let me into the lodge.
"We're on the park board!"
Sweeter words, my ears have never heard.
So, I spent last night in this shelter, where I took a nice hot shower, did a load of laundry, and slept in.
This morning, I unloaded 7lbs, 3.5oz. at the post office (doesn't sound like I got rid of a baby?). I spent some time at Monroeville News, chatting with Lois and waiting for the library to open at noon. Oh, and I ran into Von again, who's also currently updating his blog/internetting!
I love this town.
I'm probably going to leave today, but make it a short day of biking. I should be able to reach Bowling Green by Tuesday afternoon/evening, but I have not managed to make contact with Andy or Dana yet...
So, Von is taking a route from Cleveland to Pittsburgh to D.C. I'm leaving that as a possiblity, depending on how I feel when I reach Cleveland. Otherwise, it's all the way to Bar Harbor, ME, before heading south to Philly.
I'm having an amazing time! I feel so lucky to be able to do this, and encourage anyone thinking about doing something similar. It's incredible, and I want to thank everyone who has offered positive feedback along the way.
Keep the comments coming, and call me! I'll try to return calls as my reception permits.