September 11
Watching the news this morning, it suddenly dawned on me what all the flags in Edgewater Park yesterday were for- one flag for each of the lives lost on September 11, 2001.
I decided to start my ride today at the Steel Mill Trail. It leads to the bridgewater trail, which leads to the North Coast Inland Trail. This trail was recommended to me by a fellow riders as being very scenic. I will ride as far as I can go today before getting tired. I'm getting a late start because it was so good to be home and I was reluctant to leave.
I have Google maps set to avoid toll roads, so when Ed drove me to the drop-off point at the north terminus of the Steel Mill Trail, we drove up State Route 301, passing an Amish 3-horse wagon carrying watermelons, and passing through the quaint little country village of Spencer. I'd like to come back for a visit some day. There were lots of Amish farms along the way advertising vegetables for sale with hand-lettered signs. We also noted a huge produce market in a steel building, and a smaller one in a tent in the village of LaGrange.
I almost took today off. Ed thought I should. I was a little overtired yesterday because of the additional stress of traffic, riding on streets instead of trails, and having to navigate and check the map frequently to make sure I am still on track. The only limitation is the non-refundable hotel night I already paid for through Priceline, so I will work around it. I rode a section of the North Coast Inland Trail earlier this summer, and it was chipped limestone, flat, with spectacular views of lots of farmland. I want to ride the parts I have not yet ridden, but I will be ok with avoiding the sections I have already ridden. I think most of the parts I haven't ridden yet are paved. Well, the other limitation is that I committed to 500 miles during September. Only 150 to go.
It is a gray, overcast day. The fields of golden wildflowers along the highway stand out as a cheerful accent. I've seen goldenrod, black-eyed Susans, and many for which I don't know the names.
The trailhead for the Steel Mill Trail was difficult to find. The signage indicated both the Black River Trail and Lorain County Metroparks. Eventually we found a place to park on Old Colorado Road that was not the actual beginning of the trail, but it was close. There was a short gravel footpath leading to the paved trail. I rode on the grass at the side because riding on loose gravel with a touring bike is asking for a fall. I found the trail and started riding. I forgot to start MapMyRide and Google tracking for the first mile or so, but I eventually remembered and stopped to turn them on.
I saw a steel mill in the distance when I first started, but assumed there would be more to take pictures later. Then I remembered I had all the accessories for my Vivitar movie action cam mounted on my helmet, so I turned it on. At least I think I did. The camera controls are two buttons on top. One to power it on, and one to start recording. I've used it before, but on that experience I had it aimed too far down, so I had an hour-long movie of the side of the trail. If there are any good shots resulting from today, I will come back and edit this post later and insert them.
I saw my goldfinches as I ascended a path up to the Ohio turnpike. It was as if they were encouraging me. But then, when I shifted into a lower gear, my bike threw the chain. It wasn't a simple fix, I had to turn the bike upside down and wrestle with the chain to get it out of the space between the sprockets and the frame, and keep it from binding up. After I finally succeeded in freeing it, I gave it a good oiling with the bottle of oil I bought at Joy Machinery. I also oiled the key for my bike lock, as it has been working stiffly.
The steel mill trail is only two miles long, so I was soon on the Bridgewater trail. The trail is well marked. The falls at Cascade park were interesting.
There was a winding descent into a park in Elyria that was scary, then a long climb out of the park, which I ended up walking.
I again saw cement retaining walls that would seem ideal for planting flowers to spill out.
A short ride on neighborhood streets and over yet another scary bridge. Then I was on the North Coast Inland Trail.
A smooth trail and very straight. Mindless. Just pedal. I went through Oberlin and made a pit stop at the ??? building,
and called Ed to arrange for a pickup in an hour and a half. I kept riding through Kipton.
Google Maps indicates the paved trail ends a mile or so outside of Kipton, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a paved trail next to US Route 20. The trail surface was smooth, the road was flat, and I shifted into a higher gear and was able to make better time than I had all day. I arrived at the east side of Wakeman,
and I was thinking about dinner and Ed arriving to pick me up. I googled and found the Wakeman Elevator. When Ed did pull into the veterinary business parking lot and flashed his lights at me, I suggested dinner to him. he took me up on the suggestion and a good time was had by all.
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