2020 Travel log Day 9- morning update
Kris, the Air BnB host, was phenomenal. She made sure I had coffee, banana, and protein bar for breakfast and plenty of water for the journey. Then she packed me back up in her car and took me back to the Red Lock Trailhead. We chatted a little. She is debating moving to Florida. She is a massage therapist and her business has been impacted, of course, by Covid 19. She tipped me off to a nice photo op on the Station road bridge trailhead a few miles north with a nice view of the bridge that carries Ohio Route 82 over the river.
I talked to a young woman who had two beautiful and well-behaved greyhounds. You could tell that the dogs were her passion. She shows them in dog shows all over the state and beyond. She let me take their pictures. She told me their names, but they were long and complicated-sounding and I knew I would never remember.
The first ten miles was pleasant, with more downhills than uphills. I am guessing it is because the river is flowing downhill toward Lake Erie. There was a short stretch I had to walk through, because the flooding had washed mud up onto the trail. I could see bike tracks and footprints of many other riders. My shoes are now caked with trail mud.
I passed the Wilson Mill, with a National Parks info station, but did not see a water wheel from my vantage point. Shortly past that I passed a spot where previously, there had been a dam, but the authorities are trying to return the Cuyahoga's flood plain to a more natural state, and have removed the dam.
The Canal education center for the National Park was closed, but the restrooms were open. The water fountains were also on, which has been few and far between on this trip. It seems strange to be rolling along between a huge river and a canal, water on both sides, and have to buy water in bottles.
I stopped at a trailside restaurant, Yours Truly Rockside, and had lunch on the upper deck consisting of a pita bread stuffed with grilled chicken, hummus, cheese and vegetables. It was HUGE! Once again I ate half the meal before remembering to take a picture.
I experimented this morning with trying to put my left shoe into the clipped-in position. due to some residual stiffness following my knee replacement, it felt a bit awkward. And the residual wasp venom must have moved when I stretched my knee, because I felt a burning sensation again. So after a few minutes of pedaling I unclipped and put the pedal just above my heel again, like I did yesterday. This mostly works except for the occasional moment when the hard sole of my shoe slips off the pedal.
I have a short ride today. It is supposed to be hot. At noon it was 79 degrees. But the shade on most of the trail so far has made the ride very tolerable. I've seen some Facebook posts about people having trouble following the trail due to construction, so the next ten miles may be tricky.
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