Alarm went off way too early at 5:20. It was supposed to rain. Whine, Whine.
By the first 30 miles it was pouring rain. I was covered in road grunge from the knees down and wet. I resolved to put my head down and finish the ride as soon as possible. I was debating today's ride ranking ... Was it worse or not as bad as the current #2 worse day of riding - the Kansas headwind day.
Then, about 53 miles into a 75 miles ride I noticed something interesting. Towns started coming quickly along highway 40 - and I noticed a sign designating it as the country's first National Road commissioned by the federal government in the early 1800s and completed in Indiana in 1834. So that means we started seeing a lot of very old houses and buildings in towns that had popped up along the road as one of the first highways extending west. Then in the town of Cambridge City I saw several historical designation signs.
One historical designation sign stirred me out of my grumpiness enough to prompt a turn off to the right ... to the home and pottery of the Overbeck Sisters. As a former obsessive Antiques Roadshow watcher I'd heard of them ... their pottery helped set the standard for American pottery in the arts and crafts period of American decorative arts. So as I rode over to the house I saw a pretty old house and a lady working in the front garden. I stopped and said hello and we chatted a bit. And she beckoned her husband over.
Meet Phyllis and Jerry Mattheis. They made my day, and I have no doubt meeting them will be a highlight of this trip. They were so generous with their time and knowledge and spent at least 2 hours with me showing me the sisters home they had bought in ruins 35 years ago from an owner who planned to turn it into a parking lot and restored themselves. We chatted about family, they educated me about the history of the sisters, the area and the pottery and about bicycling. Turns out Jerry rode from Indiana to Miami with a friend in 1951 and they stayed in fire stations and police stations along the way. Sounded like a great trip.
Phyllis and Jerry are very modest about their accomplishments but it's clear they are movers and shakers in that community. Just the act of buying and restoring the home and pottery and getting it on the National Register is a huge service to anyone who cares about art and history and a gift to everyone. And Phyllis also helped set up the local museum, sees to restoration of other buildings and is involved in the Overbeck pottery museum at the local library.
She offered to take me to the library and show me the collection and I jumped on it. So we hopped on our bikes and road on the newly built sidewalks (Phyllis likes to ride on the sidewalk) and went to the library. They opened the museum which was housed in the basement. She showed me the pieces and we watched a video that she and Jerry were featured in as preservers of the home. The library was buzzing with activity above. There were numerous nice and very valuable pieces donated to the local museum, which is great to have them here rather all in private collections.
Their pottery ranged from vases in all kinds of glazes and shapes and decor to figurines and grotesques that were funny and showed the sisters humor.
It was a wonderful experience. For more info and to see some of their pottery go to http://www.waynet.org/nonprofit/overbeck.htm
Another thing Phyllis did was help get some important women's history recognized in the town of Dublin just up the road from Cambridge City. She worked with a state women's organization to get a plaque erected recognizing the first women's rights convention, held in 1853 that demanded equality in political, social and financial rights for women. Of course this was instigated by the Quakers, who have a very strong presence in Indiana.
In fact, Quaker founded Earlham College, sister college to Guilford College where I went to school is on the route. It was founded about 10 years after Guilford, and many of the Quakers came from North Carolina. So I cruised through the college with Brian and it looks pretty similar to Guilford. Similar old buildings. Classes that emphasize how to be a good liberal. They even have an equestrian center on campus.
Jerry and Phyllis have a granddaughter going to Earlham. I assured them it was possible to graduate from a Quaker college with a liberal arts degree and actually earn a living later. They looked a little skeptical.
So a great day. Reminds me that a trip and a day - and a life - is what you make of it. And the best things on a trip are not the sites but the amazing people you meet along the way.
