Thursday, July 4, 2013

Day 6: Highlights

1. Making it to Cleveland in one piece! 340 miles!
2. Dipping my front tire in Lake Erie, 6 days after I had dipped my rear tire in the Ohio River. 
3. Getting an early start from Massillon and making it to Akron by 9 am was a huge confidence builder. 
4. Having my friend Rachel drive up to Cleveland to pick me up. She's awesome!
4a. Taking my first Truck Stop Shower on the ride home. It was actually really nice!!!
5. Seeing how well the history of the Ohio and Erie Canal is told along the towpath
6. Great celebratory dinner at Cheesecake Factory with Rachel. 
7. Lying in my own bed at home!
Cleveland Metro Parks has built two really nice suspension bridges on the Towpath. 
Trail goes through an area called Industrial Valley in Cleveland 
Ha!!
First glimpse of downtown!!!!
Downtown has some really cool spots
Exhausted, sunburnt, beat up, sore, filthy, sweaty, hot, smelly and happy. Dipping my front tire into Lake Erie six days after I dipped my rear tire in the Ohio River!!!!!






Wednesday, July 3, 2013

I MADE IT!

Pulled into Cleveland around 4 today! 

Day 6: Heating Up Toward The End

So I'm getting closer to the end of the Towpath trail. It is beating me up. Only paved in a few sections. Getting really hot. My feet are starting to hurt bad. 

I stopped into a restaurant for a sandwich and to rest my feet. I call it an SOS or Shoes Off Stop. 

Hopefully ill be finishing up this afternoon



Day 6: Early Morning to Akron

It's 9 am and I'm having a bagel in downtown Akron. 30 miles down so far today. Got out of the hotel before dawn to try and beat the heat
DowntownMassillon

Following the Towpath Trail along the old Ohio and Erie Canal. Here is a picture of the locks just south of Canal Fulton. 
Akron

 


Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Day 5: Pain, Heat, Frustration

Today tested me physically, mentally, and emotionally.  My body is wearing down, especially my feet.  There is a dull pain in my quads at all times.  My shoulders ache.  My feet were in some serious pain today.  At one point, I stopped on the side of the road...took off my shoes and just lied down in the grass.  Some Amish guy stopped by to see if I was ok. 

I'm learning a lot about my bike, myself and what works for me and what doesn't.  After killing some Wendy's tonight in Dalton, I got on the Sippo Valley Trail to Massillon.  I was disappointed initially to see that the trail was gravel and dirt.  But then, something happened and I pedaled faster and stronger than I had all day.  I was moving!  I decided back in Dalton that I couldn't make it to Akron tonight so I better come up with an alternate plan.  I hate leaving 70 miles for tomorrow but I need rest and there are no hotels for 30 miles past Massillon.  I ended up finding a Hampton Inn right downtown and they had availability. 

I've showered, put on my muscle rub and I'm getting ready for bed.  I've researched tomorrows route and its all on the Towpath Trail so that will eliminate a lot of navigational uncertainty.  It also means it will be flat which is huge.  I noticed this evening that I ride a lot faster when its cool.  This happened on Day 3 when I pulled out of London at 6 a.m.  So I've got a 5 a.m. wake up call.  Its going to be a long hard day but I'm going to give it all I've got to make it to Lake Erie.  My friend Rachel is going to meet me there.  She rocks for driving up to pick me up! 

Good night all!  Tomorrow is a big day....wish me luck! 

Day 5: Rough Day


Had my second flat tire of the day and luckily a nice man that lived next to the trail helped me out. Eventually we discovered that the tire had a gash in it that was exposing the tube to added stress. Eventually he drove me to a Menonite bike shop where i bought a heavy duty rear tire better suited for the trip. 

Larry Badger saved my butt today!
More hills and countryside today. 
More buggies than cars

My feet are in bad shape, constant pain. Add the heat and the tire issues and its been my toughest day so far. Not going to make Akron tonight :(




Day 4: Highlights

Day four was really hard. I didn't have cell service last night in Millersburg so here goes

1. Finishing 75 miles!
2. Two flat tires within the past five miles!
3. Strutting down the main drag of Millersburg walking my bike to the hotel. Looked like a scene from some western movie!
4. Busch light on tap at random bar where I stopped to cool off
5. Kokosing Gap Trail was just beautiful
6. Climbing huge hills coming into Killbuck
Kokosing Gap Trail

Taking a break to study my maps








Monday, July 1, 2013

Day 4: Made it in...No Service...Will Post More Tomorrow

It was the hardest day by far...I made it to the hotel by 9 p.m.  No cell service so I'm just sharing that I'm ok using the computer in the hotel lobby.  I'll post more details tomorrow and pics...unbelievably crazy day! G'nite all.

Day 4: Navigating Back Roads

Day 4 started out with rain and head winds so it was really slow going. After about an hour the sun came out but it looks like I may be battling more storms today. It was all back roads from Sunbury to Mt. Vernon this morning so I had to keep my maps close by at all times. 
Still lots to go today so ill be taking lots more breaks in the afternoon. I stopped in Mt Vernon for lunch. 

Really rural section, no water, no restrooms, no stores. 


Sunday, June 30, 2013

Night 3: Nervous About Tomorrow

Today was really tough, tomorrow is going to be tougher. Ill be going into a part of the state I've never been before. Traversing multiple existing bike paths with lots of county roads in between. According to the guide, water is hard to find in certain spots. I can carry as much as three liters at once plus ill bring a couple gatorades with me. The maps I have aren't the best. I've got a compass. 
Gonna be close to 75 miles. I'm gonna have to be very smart about how hard I push it, how often I hydrate and I have to keep eating so I have energy. Lots of rest breaks. Gonna be a long day. And yeah, rain in the forecast all day. 

Day 3: Highlights

1.  Making it from London to Westerville by noon. That was a great way to start the day. 
2. Blueberry Banana Pie at the Galena Diner!
3. Actually riding 70 miles in one day. 
4. Pic in front of Ohio Stadium. 
5. Being halfway done!

Olentangy Trail is an awesome stretch of the Ohio to Erie. 

Downtown Westerville was a welcomed site! 
Had a minor malfunction with a pedal on my bike. Stopped at the Trek store but that wanted too much to fix it. I bought a tshirt instead. 


Sometimes the trail does this!

Pie break!
Man I was excited to see Sunbury. 

Well I could blog more but I'm very tired. Gonna eat some dinner and get ready for early bed. 



Day 3: 70 Miles!

Made it into Sunbury and I'm beat. Feet are killing me and my body is starting to feel it. 170 miles behind me!

Day 3: Epic Morning!

Couldn't sleep last night, just kept thinking about getting a good start on this 67 mike day to Sunbury. So at 5 am I finally gave in and got out of bed and got on the road by 6. 
My accommodations last night. 
Good bye Alexandra's

I ate a quick bite and aired up my rear tire a bit. Then I found the trailhead really easily (crazy I know!)

Then I started peddling and I didn't quit until I got to Columbus. By noon I was in Westerville for lunch! About 45 miles this morning. 

So the trail out of London was super smooth and flat. Then I had to ride some country roads to Broad St. Rode that until I got to downtown Columbus. Broad street is big and wide and dirty. Once in columbus i headed north on the Scioto trail and the Olentangy trail. Both trails are amazing and fun. Plan on some rolling elevation changes so you'll need to gear up and down a lot. Tons of bikers and runners. Really crowded on a Sunday morning. 

I got off the trail in Worthington and too Shrock road all the way into Westerville which is a great place for a pit stop. 

Early morning heading east out of London 

Cool morning. 
Columbus! 
Pic in front of Ohio Stadium






Saturday, June 29, 2013

Night 2: London and Bike Hostel

Alexandra's B&B on Main Street in London has converted the carriage house into a youth hostel for bikers. For $25 you get a bunk in a semi private room, shared restroom and shower. It's temperature controlled and I was excited to see that each room comes with a fan!!!
A man my size always opts for the bottom bunk. 
You just don't understand how excited I was to see that I had my very own fan!
No TV, no turn down service. But I'm sleepy. 

By the way. Not many dining options in downtown London. A couple decent pizza spots. 

Turning in early. Long day tomorrow. 



Day 2: Highlights

1. Having some random dude wanting to get his picture with me because of my trek across Ohio!! 
2. Rolling my bike right into the sandwich shop and firing up the compressor to fill my tire up. Talk about genuine ambiance!
3. Riding into the Youth Hostel in London, just relieved to have beaten the rain!
4. Fixing my tire on the side of the road with some help with a state patrolman. 
5. Learning that I may or may not have appeared in the Gazette. Some nice lady from Chillicothe said she had read about me!
6. Crashing, freaking out an then realizing I'll live. "Taking some of the advice I'm so quick to give my kids when mishaps occur."
7. Realizing that after another 50 mile day I'm having a blast and my confidence is growing stronger with each mile. 


Love how these little towns are identifying with the cyclists that come through. (Like me!)


Purple Monkey in South Charleston is a good place to stop for pizza or ice cream. 
Earned it!

Day 2: Crash in Ceaderville


Stopping for restroom break. "Oh yeah! I've got these new fancy shoes that clip into my peddles. I'm stuck....can't move....TIMBER!!!!"

My first bike crash, such sentiment. 

Day 2: Not So Smooth Start

So for those of you cyclists coming though Waynesville, the beds at the Creekwood Motel are rock hard! Consider this your warning. I managed to get decent rest after yesterday's 54 miles. I showered, grabbed a quick bite at McDs across the street and got back on my bike by 10 am. 



Now there's a trick to finding the place where the Little Miami Scenic Trail interesects with a road that goes directly into Waynesville and apparently I don't know it. So I pulled out my map and decided to take Route 42 north because it looked like the trail would cross it there. 

About 10 miles on Route 42 and I look down and to my dismay I see I've got a flat!!! So I pull over and discover I've picked up a screw!

Note : Ive never actually changed a bike tire before. I have however watched a tutorial on YouTube by a chap who seemed to know what he was doing. 

While I was changing my tire, a friendly State Patrolman stopped by to lend me a hand. 


After an hour, not exactly NASCAR standards, I had a new tube an had managed to get to wheel back on (crossing my fingers that it would work!) i used my hand pump to get enough tire to make it another 3 miles to the town of Spring Valley. A little sandwich shop there had some spare tubes for sale and a compressor so I could pump my tire up properly!
Love these little places that cater to us cyclists!  The Little Miami Scenic Trail goes right through Spring Valley so I got back on and rode another 8 miles to Xenia. 
Xenia station lies at the intersection of four major Bike paths that connect other parts of the state: Dayton, Springfield, Cincinnati, and Columbus. 

While in Xenia I met a group of people from Chillicothe who informed me that they knew who I was because the Chillicothe Gazette had done an article about my 330 mile trip!  I had no idea!