OHIO: Flat Routes, Low Altitude, Lots of Oxygen

Today's RV Route to NY

We finally found some great cycling routes while in Ohio.   Seeing on the area maps that there was a "Western Reserve Greenway Trail running up the middle of the county on a rail-to-trail project that claimed "47 Miles, 27 of it in Ashtabula County", we looked up the entry point claiming to be a public park at the end (or beginning) of the trail.  We drove up to the address, and found the trail end, but were astounded to see nothing but a lot full of junked and rusty cars, a very seedy and uninviting neighborhood, no place whatsoever to park, and a bench full of unfriendly looking fellows drinking beer.  We barely found a place to turn around and went to look for other places to enter the greenway.  The next one we found was "Hamilton Point" which claimed another public parking area, which turned out to be a very narrow gravel strip next to an industrial lot in another seedy area of town we were reluctant to park our car in.  A couple of cyclists rode up to the intersection while I was walking the dogs nearby in the grass, so I asked THEM where a good place might be to safely park our car and enter the bikeway.  They mentioned something about being parked in Austinburg, which wasn't that easy to find either, but finally we did, and thoroughly enjoyed riding this lovely trail with it's tree-canopy-shaded pathway much of it's length.
A few days later we left Caesar's Creek State Park and traveled up to the Kirtland area to tour the Kirtland LDS Temple and the visitors' center.
We paid for 4 days' RV parking at Geneva State Park, esconced on the soggy shores of Lake Erie.  They have had a lot  of rain recently, not needing any since it's so wet and humid there anyway.  Puddles of muddy water surrounded every campsite, and most visitors were underwhelmed with the soggy conditions.  The weather was beautiful but the water puddles just would not soak in, dry up, or go away.  There were more tent-campers than RV denizens and most of them quickly opted to set their tents up either on the pavement or concrete pad of their sites.  Several left early, in spite of the anticipation of spending Memorial Day weekend there.  We enjoyed our stay;  we were high and dry in the RV except when stepping off the pavement.  The first time we unloaded our trikes and took a ride we only got half a mile or less and stopped when we encountered saw-horse road blocks and detour signs indicating "go this way...." straight into a muddy dirt path.  We gave up and turned around.
Sunday we attended LDS meetings in Perry Ohio and greatly enjoyed that friendly ward.   May friendly folks welcomed us and made us feel at home.
The prior Sunday we had gotten all dressed up and drove to the Richmond Indiana Ward, only to find the building empty and locked, with no signs indicating where the saints might be otherwise.... most likely at stake conference.  But lacking any signs or notices in the doorways, we went back home to the RV disappointed.
A couple days afterward, we drove down to the West Chester area near Cincinnati to visit our good friends James and Christel Wilson, pals from our mission service together in the New Mexico Albuquerque Mission.
Back to Kirtland and Geneva State park.  Sunday after church, the late afternoon was so lovely I took my trike out for another ride and rode over to the lake side of the highway again to see if the Soggy Path had dried out any.... and it was still a bit wet but not several inches of water like before.  I rode through it and back on to a nicely paved path that took me right along the shore of Lake Erie and over to a beach with all sorts of activity going on...... and a bike path leading farther along the lakeshore!  I quickly turned around and raced back to the RV to get Jacque on her trike so we could ride  and enjoy together.  We rode for several miles, to and from various beachfront sites.  We turned around earlier than planned when I had to go find a bathroom and the area was too full of people to get away with just peeing in the weeds.
I just wish we had discovered the entirety of these trails the first time we attempted exploring.  Like so many other places, there may be a great cycling path available but - all too often - it is sadly undermarked and very hard to find how to ENTER the greenway or path.  Even at "Hamilton Point", there was a lovely kiosk with a large map showing the trail and parking areas all highlighted.... WITH NO ADDRESSES LISTED for ANY of the parks and parking points.  Google and GPS were of precious little help either.  BAH
Today, Monday's update:  As you can see from the link at the top of the page, we drove clear up into NEW YORK (?) to tour Historic Palmyra and the Hill Cumorah and other nearby LDS sacred and historical sites.
Neither of us had EVER had any intention of going anywhere near New York state but since we found ourselves with a few days and no  advance plans, we decided to "Do the Tour" of places we haven't seen  before.  We're even thinking of doing Niagra Falls since it isn't that far from here.  Stay tuned.  We'll see.

Birthday Ride DONE. Still Alive

Today's Frog-Strangling Track across Ohio
Well, Monday's ride of 71+ miles proves I don't have to be in "shape" to make such a ride.... but it would certainly help shorten the time and ease the pain.
There are all kinds of rails-to-trails bike and multi-use paths here in Ohio and the closest one that had any length to it was the Little Miami Scenic Trail .  Our closest access point was in Corwin so we drove there to start the ride.  Unlike any New Mexico trails we know of, this one has several small towns that sport very nice accommodations for cyclists, including bathrooms, bike racks for parking, shaded picnic areas, and fresh water.  Corwin is one of such and it was a very nice launching point.
Once we figured out which way was "North" I took off in that direction.
(I notice from the tracking map there is a huge gap in radio coverage from South Charleston to quite a ways north of London)
First off I was impressed with the smoothness of the pavement and the canopy of trees shading the path much of the way.  In spite of the plethora of trees and vegetation everywhere, there were no tree-root upheavals or bumps in the pavement.  The otherwise wonderful Bosque Trail near Albuquerque is full of such traps for the unaware rider.
Corwin was a very tiny burg of ancient origin.  The graveyard is huge and full of 1840's vintage stones.  Northeast of there the roadway opens up occasionally for expansive views of lush farms and multiple waterways.  Thankfully the sun was hidden both by overcast most of the day and the trees.
It was surprising to hear trucks and machines rumbling alongside me in spite of not being able to see them or determine what they were.  Occasionally a gap in the foliage revealed highways on both sides of me, sometimes separated by less than a hundred yards or so.  Every few miles would be a Cyclist's Stop Sign, indicating a road crossing where the motorized public enjoyed the right-of-way, but I never had to wait for any vehicles to pass since there were very few vehicles in the area.
The next town I encountered was Spring Valley, where I passed through unmolested.
Within a few more miles I passed a turnoff with a sign that said "Travel Town".  A hundred or so yards farther I decided I had to check that out, so I turned around and rode into what turned out to be just an entry point into Xenia, with no facilities other than some imposing commercial buildings on a well traveled highway.  Turning around again, I returned to the bikeway and continued onward.  Suddenly an interesting vista opened:  Xenia Station, with old railway offices and train cars and engines arranged into a park display.  An imposing old railway station offered public bathrooms.  Stopping to take advantage, I found all the doors locked except for one that announced "Enter Here", leading to more locked doorways but unlocked doors for the bathrooms.  Very nice.  Perhaps at other times the place is open for tours instead of just bathroom use.
Just past Xenia Station, the "path" stopped at a traffic light with no clear directions or signage about which way to go to stay on the trail.  I crossed at the light, tried going left on the sidewalk, which dead-ended at an empty business.  As I turned around to go back the way I came, I noticed a small ramp in the woods with a small sign about a bikeway.  I took that route, and wound up on the OH-Erie trail which also led to several signs indicating I was on "US 50" with a bike symbol.  Googling that from the smartphone, I found info on the route:  USBR 50
Now that I looked up Xenia Station I see that I missed the turn from there that would have kept me on the Little Miami Trail.  Ah Well.  Story of my life:  Confusing or missing bike path signs.
Along the USBR 50 way, the metropolises of Cedarvale, South Charleston and London also had nice bike facilities but THEN forced me off any dedicated trail and on to city streets to the other end of town.
Thankfully none had any real traffic to deal with.
This route also had several signs designating it as the OH-Erie trail, which sounded intriguing until the trail abruptly ended about 20 miles north of London at Darby Creek Metro Park.  I and another cyclist circled around the park where it ended, signless again.  The park adjoined a high speed highway;  perhaps cyclists are assumed to want to ride up there with the motorized traffic.  Not me;  I turned around.
By now I was getting a bit on the tired side.  Riding recumbent, with feet pedaling in an elevated pattern, results in numbness in the feet.  This numbness was my worst problem, far exceeding the fatigue.  I found that stopping occasionally, removing my shoes, and massaging my feet really helped, in addition to standing up and stepping around to get more circulation down into the footsies.
Still, I was in numbness agony by the time I got back to London where Jacque was waiting to rescue me after 73+ Miles. I had every intention of going no further than 71 miles but I had miscalculated my turnaround point.  I was covered with road gunk and a lot sore but I was still able to walk... barely.
I took several short videos and a couple of Iphone photos, but my internet connection is super weak in this Caesar's Creek campground where we're encamped with the RV.  I'll try to upload some of the video when we get into a better wifi / cell phone reception area.

Ride Started: 8:12 AM    Ride Ended:  7:51 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   13.0 Ending Voltage: 12.9  Lowest:  12.8
Beginning Blood Glucose:  130      Ending BG: 85 (Kinda spacey at this point) 
Lowest Temp  75 F      Highest Temp: 85 F   
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  73.08 
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed  
6.2 MPH                                 8.2 MPH                     16.4 MPH 
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time 
11 hours 46 mins                     8 hours 57 mins        2 hours 49 minutes

Changes in Plans, Of Course

This Week's RV Wanderings

As viewers of the above link can detect, we left New Mexico last Monday on the 14th and came EAST.  Quite a ways East. We stopped overnight at the Sams Club in Amarillo, then another night (driveway-surfing) at Ben and Sherry's in Piedmont, then spent a night at the Indigo Sky Casino.  Coming through Springfield MO we stopped for a quick late lunch and a couple hours swapping lies with our dear cousins Jerry and Sally Anderson.  Using our Freecampsites web link, we found a small gravel parking area at Bear Creek just east of Lebanon MO and spent a really quiet night at that deserted spot.
Then on to Richmond IN where we spent last night and tonight as a launching point to attend the Dayton Hamvention (now relocated to Xenia, OH).
My plan to ride 71 miles for my 71st birthday have thus been ripped sideways out of the NM area and my current scheme is to ride the Little Miami Scenic Trail here in Ohio on Monday..... IF the weather will cooperate.  NM is in the depths of a severe drought, and since Amarillo we have encountered more rain than sunshine, especially so here in Ohio.  The Hamvention was a muddy mess today with multiple rain showers and threats of thunder and lightning that didn't materialize, but the rain certainly did.  Monday has a forecast of rain and more rain, so we'll see if it clears up enough to go for a long bike ride.
I actually got in a precious few miles today along the Creekside Trail in Xenia and really enjoyed pedaling again, in spite of getting almost completely soaked from the scattered showers.  I didn't have any of my electronics on this ride from downtown Xenia to the Green County Fairgrounds, so I don't have any data to share about timing, speed, and whatnot.  I actually PASSED another cyclist on the ride going out.  He was a younger fellow just dawdling along, but I was still amazed I was able to pass him and leave him way behind.
Hopefully Monday will allow me some real riding and pedaling time....

Birthday Bash in the Works

Upcoming 71+ mile ride route
My 71st birthday is coming up, if I survive another couple of weeks.  Since I rode 70 miles last May for my 70th birthday I thought it cool enough to try it EVERY birthday so long as I'm able - - and so long as I continue to have birthdays.
Of course, Google is my friend, and I spent a couple of hours trying to find a flat route that would get me 71-something miles without causing me to stop having birthdays... :0)
The bestest flattest route I could find was via old US Route 60 from Vaughn to Taiban, which is a gradual downhill ride all the way.  Route 60, for those in the know, was actually a REAL Coast-to-Coast highway back in the early days of automobiling... It ran all the way from Santa Monica CA to the Atlantic coast in Virginia.  Route 66 claims all the glory of early 1900's travel for some odd reason.... even though throughout its history it had frequent route changes and NEVER went east of Chicago, which hardly qualified it for a nationwide highway.  Route 60 still exists, with most of its dying towns and roadside villages now almost totally abandoned, with very few service stations or rest stops still existing.  Someday we're going to drive its entire route in the RV just for the heck of it... or maybe I'll try a once-in-a-lifetime coast to coast cycling ride the same distance.
This year, howsomever, I'm sticking to a 71+ mile ride and we'll see how it goes.  Route 60 is flatter and has a couple stations along the way where I could take soda and pee breaks, but I decided to take the McAlister highway (156) from Santa Rosa to just north of Taiban.  A bit more hilly, but it will take me through the bustling metropolis of House, NM, where my grandparents and my Dad are buried and where I have fond memories of visiting when the "Folks" still lived there.  As far as I know the only store I'll encounter in the entire trip is where I plan to start:   At the Love's Travel Stop in Santa Rosa.
I haven't ridden at ALL in the last few weeks, having spent all our time frantically rebuilding the floor and walls in our empty house-for-sale.  That project has been completed, and only lacks a couple more trailer loads of trash and odd pieces of lumber to be hauled away so we can leave our wonderful "Redneck Palace" (Jeff Foxworthy defined as '2 acres and a Doublewide') to the realtors.
Wish me luck and pray for me....