Experienced some leg cramps last night after dinner so made a note to get some bananas this morning for breakfast.
Said goodbye to Sheldyn, my AirBnb host, after drinking his Keurig coffee and sympathizing with him about some system changes made by AirBnb. 1st rule of system operations during a pandemic or other disaster, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I pedaled a short distance from Xenia Station on trail #2 to get to the commercial district. I thought it would be nice to have breakfast inside at a table, so I chose Frisch's Big Boy. They have changed their business model due to Covid 19 to have you place your order at the front, a la McDonalds. I waited a full 10 minutes for someone to wait on me, then I yelled "Thank you" towards the interior and left. I visited the McDonald's across the street. I ate the scrambled egg and biscuit, them threw the sausage patty away.
I found another red caboose at Xenia Station.
It didn't matter much that my jersey and cycling shorts had not dried overnight, as I started out from Xenia in a steady light drizzle. Before long it turned into real rain and my glasses fogged up. At the side of the trail, out of the mist appeared a giant Scotch thistle in full bloom, and I noticed there were no goldfinches around, and I had not seen one all morning. The birds must have been hiding from the rain.
It was a slight uphill out of Xenia, and I welcomed the rain, as it cooled me off. At 6 miles out, a utility crew had five trucks blocking the trail. Most were off to one side, but one pickup was parked diagonally, leaving only about a foot of clearance to get by. The crew waved me on. I should have gotten off my bike and walked, but I forged ahead. My front tire slipped on the edge of the wet pavement, and I went down, initiating me into the Road Rash club.
My elbow and my knee suffered a little damage, as did my ego, on having 10 utility workers watch me awkwardly pick myself up into downward facing dog, and then to standing. I gently berated the pickup driver for his parking skills, pointing out that if he would move just a little it would help other riders.
Another couple of miles and I was in Cedarville. A cute little hotel was trailside with a sign welcoming riders. I stopped in, and asked if they had bananas. They did not. Neither did the Mexican restaurant across the street. The gentleman directed me to the gas station at the other end of town. On the way I saw the coffee shop "Beans" which my 80-year old friend had recommended yesterday. I stopped in. They did not have bananas, but they did have a delightful bowl of fresh grapes and berries. I had two, and a latte. I've never had oat milk in my coffee before, but it was surprisingly good.
North of Cedarville, the rain stopped and I started seeing goldfinches along the trail.
I arrived in South Charleston. The sun was fully out. I stopped at a bench thoughtfully placed trailside at the edge of town to take a break for a drink and to change my socks, which are soaking wet. Random thoughts over the last 8 miles before South Charleston: "My socks are wet. I should stop to take a picture of that butterfly. Gee I'm glad it is overcast, cause this stretch would be hot in full sun. My socks are wet. I'm never going to make it to Columbus before dark at this rate. Why am I only going 10 miles an hour? My socks are wet. Why am I only going 10 miles an hour? Gee, that's a pretty thistle! I should take a picture!"
When I got to the trailhead, there was yet another red caboose trailside, and there were a few other riders gathered by the restrooms. The restrooms were locked. They were chatting and noticed my panniers. They asked me if I was coming from Cincinnati. The couple was also doing the Ohio to Erie Trail, but were coming from Cleveland and going to Cincinnati. The other rider had passed me earlier when I was changing my socks. He had started from London, rode to Dayton, and was on the return trip to London. It turned out that the couple had a reservation in Xenia at the same AirBnB that I had stayed in. I asked about the Purple Monkey restaurant in South Charleston and they said that it was closed, like the restrooms, but that the IGA was open. IGA! A blast from the past!
We said goodbye and I was off to buy a deli sandwich and my bananas at the IGA.
North of South Charleston, my memory is of miles and miles of bike trail bordered by either railroad tracks or Ohio State Route 42. I saw this large plant for grain?
Another ten miles and I arrived in London, Ohio. I had been to the north side of London earlier this summer for a practice run, so it was good to see familiar scenery. From London to my sister Barb's house was basically all downhill.
I got some higher speeds, a few miles I went over 15 miles an hour.
In London, the marked trail goes through city streets and I think I took a wrong turn. I ended up following Route 50 instead of Route 1 for a stretch, but found my way back to the bike trail before I got to the north edge of town. London was the halfway point!
As I mentioned, it was all downhill from there. I followed the Camp Chase Trail with miles of railroad cars on a side track for several miles.
Columbus was confusing and there were a lot of people on the many trails. The local trail organizations have posted helpful signage if you know where you are going, but if all you want to do is follow Bike Route 1, the signs are few and far between. I asked for help with directions once, but once I got downtown I felt somewhat apprehensive about standing and checking my map frequently. I got some great pictures.
I ended up turning the wrong way and didn't discover it for a mile, so I struck out on my own. Google maps told me to go down Broad street, but I decided to try a less busy street. Eventually I gave up about 2 miles from her house when the bike lane ran out and the cars were getting closer. Those miles off the trail don't count for the 326 club only, only the OTET trail miles. She came and got me and took me to her house, let me get cleaned up, and fed me. She is a great cook and had too much food!
I am still troubled with charley horses. I have read recommendations for tonic water, mustard, pickle juice and bananas. I am trying most of those.
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