Heading down the road to the next rest stop, we discovered that the water supply had been exhausted.  Alex chose to fill his water bottle with a potent mix of Gatorade and Mountain Dew.  We quickly sped into Eaton, with Alex helped along by caffeine, sugar and a great tailwind.

Mike, Janine, Jan, and Allan invited us to ride the shuttle bus with them to a restaurant for dinner.  Jan and Allan chose a deli-style diner.  Since Alex wanted more traditional fare, the rest of us crossed the street and ate at Frisches.  Walking back, we passed a cute wooden deck and stopped to ask the owner about it.  Alex stayed with Mike and Janine to attend a Boy Scout Cycling merit badge meeting, while I walked downtown to use the internet connection at the Eaton library and e-mail home.  Afterwards, Alex and I biked to the Roberts covered bridge, the oldest double barrel  covered bridge in America,  and enjoyed the twilight while we played in the shallow water above a small waterfall.

Left: Looking out the window of the Roberts covered bridge.

Right: Playing above a small waterfall in Eaton

Friday we left Eaton behind, quickly coming to another covered bridge--where again we saw Steve and Derek, our friends from the earlier covered bridge.

Riding down the road, we came to Alex's very favorite snack stop.  The stop was located next to a large farm pond, and riders were encouraged to swim in the pond.  There were many ways to play at the pond.  Alex's favorite was a seat on which he could swing out over the water and drop in.  Others chose to swing on a rope and let go, while gentler souls could choose a sliding board.  There was also a diving platform in the middle of the pond, and I discovered that the diving board felt very wobbly thanks to the bobbing of the platform.  Just before we left, I decided to stand shoulder-deep in the water and take a picture of Alex as he swung into the water.  As I stood motionless, I was startled by a sharp pain in my nipple.  Apparently an enterprising fish was looking for milk :<)

Dan swings into the water.
(By Alex Sheridan)