2020 Bike Trip - Day 7 on GCC - Ohio to Erie Trail

 I was somewhat nervous about the threatening skies this morning.  The Cleveland TV weather forecast predicted thunderstorms over Lake Erie, but I was well south of that.   Just as Ed dropped me off, the skies opened and the rains came.   I hopped back into the car and watched the raindrops streaming down the windshield.  

I don't know what he was thinking.  I was thinking about whether I really wanted to go through with this or not. 

Then, just as suddenly as it began, the rain stopped.  I got out and started my ride. 

The road was wet, and my tennis shoes quickly soaked through.  The landscape continued to be gently rolling hills.  I had to walk up a few of them. But the views were tremendous!

I saw a small flock of at least a dozen goldfinches, so I knew today would be a good day.

 But then just as I was enjoying a long downhill, I missed a turn.  I realized it when I heard the roar of the four-lane US Route 30 ahead.  I checked the map, and found I needed to go back uphill approximately half a mile, else ride on US 30 with the semi-trucks.  I opted for the uphill.  When I arrived at the intersection, I saw the sign for Bicycle Route 1.  Unfortunately it was oriented on the pole facing the wrong direction.  I checked the back of the pole to see if I had just missed it.  Nope, no sign on back.  

With the road being wet, my shoes quickly soaked through, and so did my socks.   I rode on.  Finally, I reached the village of Dalton where I made a pit stop at the friendly Marathon station.  Since there was no rack outside, the clerk let me bring my bike into the store.   I rode through Dalton to where it connected to the Sippo Valley Trail.  

Parts of the trail here are a chipped stone and sand surface.  With the rain, in some places it turned into sludge.  This was a little tricky riding, as my back wheel slipped sideways at times with the traction of the muddy sand.

There were a couple of miles of this, then about a mile of tar and chip, another stretch of sandy limestone chip, then I went across the bridge and there was blessed asphalt!   The sun was starting to come out. I stopped to change my socks and shoes on a convenient bench. 

I haven't worn my shoes with clip-in cleats since before my knee replacement.  They have a stiff sole, and I had tossed them in my panniers this morning thinking that perhaps they would relieve the "hot foot" I sometime experience in my more flexible tennis shoes. I clipped in on the right side, my non-surgical knee.  I noticed that it was causing a little more bend in my knee, as the clear is further toward the toes than where I usually pedal. So I hesitated to clip in on the left, as I have less flexibility on the surgical knee.  So off I went, slightly unbalanced. But it was nice to have dry feet again.  

I made better time on the asphalt, and I soon arrived in Massillon. The Sippo Valley Trail ends here.  If you make a sharp right turn at the end of the trail, you find yourself going over a bridge leading to the Towpath trail.  

I crossed over the highway and had lunch at Chipotle.  

Karen texted me and said she would be happy to pick me up due to the weather.   I took her up on the offer when I heard thunder three seconds after the lightning flash.  I got as far as the Forty Corners Trailhead, where I will begin tomorrow.

Karen and her husband Bill are wonderful hosts.  I feel like I am in a spa!  Fluffy robe, big towel, good food.  And most importantly, catching up with a childhood friend.

Karen must have been worried that I would not see a goldfinch today, so she made sure I would with a chirping ceramic bird at my bedside.  How sweet!