Planning Rome trip - Grand Tour of Ohio by Bicycle

 I'm planning a bicycle trip to Rome.  Or maybe several trips!

There are three communities in Ohio named Rome.  The largest is in Adams county, just across the Ohio River from Kentucky.  The second is in Ashtabula County in the extreme northeast section of the state.  The third one is in Richland County.  It is a no-brainer which one I will visit first, especially during these short-day winter months.  I live in Richland County!  The travel time will not eat up hours of the day.  I've planned a 36-mile ride with one level-5 hill. 

The unincorporated village of Rome, Ohio doesn't appear to be much more than an intersection.  My ride will start at Fowler Woods Nature Preserve, where I know there will be parking, and travel along country roads through Olivesburg, home of the famous Olivesburg Country Store (they have ice cream!) and Ganges, before heading through Rome and Greenwich.  

On the north side of Greenwich, there is a rail-trail in development heading off to New London.  Since it is not yet open to the public, I won't be exploring it this year.  Google maps identify it as "Sought" trail, but the web site identifies it as the New London-Greenwich Rail Trail, Inc.  I don't find it on the Trail Link app, presumably because it is not yet open. 

I almost rode it earlier this week when the temperature climbed to the 60's, but wind gusts up to 40 mph scared me out of the attempt. 

Wikipedia says that this community was not named for Rome, Italy, but instead was named for Rome, New York.  Presumably some settlers had traveled from New York.  The New York community is the second-largest community by area in New York State, and has a rich history.  Before it was settled by Europeans,  an ancient Native American portage path ran through the area.  

While I am waiting on the weather, I will be researching the history, cuisine, and fashion of Rome, Italy and plotting out routes for the other two Romes in Ohio.  Looking ahead , I noticed that the Western Reserve Greenway Trail runs north-south in Ashtabula near Rome Township. 

My Bicycling story

Facebook users who like the Women's Cycling page were asked to "share your story with us. How did you get into cycling? Why do you keep cycling? What inspires you?"

So, I thought those were some really good questions to answer here.   

How did I get into cycling?

Like most kids, I had a bike.  We lived in the country and I started by riding down our country road.  There was a hill at the end of the road, and we loved to walk our bikes up, climb on, and coast down as fast as we could.  Then when I started driving, I didn't ride my bike as much.  

I was blessed to spend my junior year of college studying Spanish in Segovia, Spain, during the 1976-1977 school year.  This was a time when energy costs were rising and OPEC had a monopoly on fossil fuels.   I was very impressed with the energy savings of the tiny cars in Spain, as well as a way of life where most people walked or rode bikes instead of driving.  Gasoline cost four times the price in the USA.  Water was heated on demand, instead of a large tank of water being maintained at hot temperatures all the time, and people had small refrigerators because they bought most groceries at the market on a daily basis.  Our apartment was heated with a small wood boiler.  When I returned to the USA, I had "reverse culture shock" because my eyes had been opened to how carelessly we Americans wasted our fossil fuel, due to its comparatively lower price.  

I dropped out of college. With stars in my eyes and rose-colored glasses on, I put on a tie-dyed T-shirt and bought a bright yellow 10-speed bike. I rode it back and forth to work the next year. I lived about seven miles from my job.  I got rained on, more than once, and arrived at work wet.  I bought a car.  It was a small car, and it got great gas mileage. I quit riding so much.  My bike was stolen. 

After a year of working for not much pay, I realized I needed to go back to school, graduate, and get a real job!  So that is what I did.  I traded in my small European import car for an American-made gas guzzler, since I worked for a Big Three auto company.  But I still dreamed of riding! 

Flash forward ten years. A bad marriage, a divorce and two wonderful kids later, I read a book about a woman who crossed the country on a bike.  I was impressed and inspired. I needed something to do when my ex had the kids for the weekend.  I was able to afford a cycling tour vacation by this time.  I bought a bike at a discount store, and signed up for the tour.  It was hard, because I was not in condition.  I went on another tour a year later, signing up for the "maintenance workshop" and tour.  The tour guide used my bike as an example of what not to buy....  I was embarrassed and didn't like my bike as much any more.  But I kept riding occasionally.  Until the day I ran off the curved edge of the paved trail, then back on and into the curb.  The bike stopped.  I didn't.  The wheel got bent, and my arm was broken.   I didn't ride for a few years after that. 

When I finally decided to buy a serious bike, I knew I needed to get a Trek, because that was the bike the instructor had recommended. I bought a touring bike, planning for the trip I would take across country some day.  Unfortunately, reality was that I had two teenagers who needed chauffeuring to after-school activities, and my career was demanding.  The bike went into the garage and didn't come out for a long time. 

My job as an IT analyst was a pretty sedentary one.  I know that there are people who manage to exercise in spite of having a desk job, but I wasn't one of them. I met the love of my life and I married him.  I had gained weight and developed bone spurs on my hips.  It took several years to diagnose the bone spurs, and I eventually had both hips replaced.  I still wanted to go on a cross-country bike tour, but I knew I could not ride the touring bike comfortably.  I bought a "beach-cruiser" bicycle, which has the pedals in a more forward position.  It did help. 

The week after I retired, I started a chair yoga class.  I knew I needed to move my body.  After six months, it was spring, and I started riding my cruiser bike the seven miles to my yoga class, and back home.  At first I left home two hours before the class started, because I was a very slow rider. But I did eventually get my speed up to average of about 8 miles per hour.   One of my fellow yoga students encouraged me to ride in the "Pedal Across Lower Michigan" (PALM) ride.  I thought this was ridiculous for someone of my limited abilities.  But it sparked the idea in my mind that perhaps, maybe, some day, if I worked for it, perhaps I might achieve my dream of riding cross-country. I could start with just one state!  

I got my touring bike out and started riding it sometimes.  I found that it was much lighter than the heavy beach cruiser.  But I also started developing bursitis in my shoulders.  I knew the touring bike had a longer top tube than the cruiser, and that bouncing up and down on the unpaved roads in Michigan were probably not helping.  

My doctor tested me for endometrial cancer.  While I was waiting for the results, I saw a TV commercial for the Cheers and Gears ride near Grand Rapids, Michigan.  It was a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.  On an impulse, I signed up for it. I started training three weeks before the ride. I started with my normal 15 miles and increased by 5 miles or so for each training ride.  I took the beach cruiser, and chose the 40-mile route.  They took my picture because no one could believe I would bring that bike on that ride.   Here's some photos from that day: 

 I started looking for another bike that might fit me better.  I lucked into a used Madone that was a 47cm frame instead of the 48cm touring bike.  I got physical therapy for my shoulders, and in June 2019 I actually signed up for and completed the PALM.  It was a lot of fun, and now I have bragging rights.   I learned about the Great Cycle Challenge, which is a fundraiser to raise money for kid's cancer research.  It overlapped with the PALM in 2019 during June, so I completed 400 miles on that Madone.   In order to track the mileage, I started using MapMyRide, which syncs with the GCC app.  Tracking is a great motivator. 

My cancer test was positive and so I went through surgery and radiation.  Once I healed from that, I had a knee replacement that I had been putting off.   I signed up for the PALM again in 2020, and also for the Great Cycle Challenge, to give myself a goal to get back into condition after the surgeries.  Of course 2020 has not been a great year for organized bike rides.  The PALM was postponed until 2021, and the GCC was postponed until September.  I set my goal for 2020 GCC at 500, and I actually completed over 600 miles. I rode the Ohio to Erie Trail, and then the North Coast Inland trail, and a few others. 

So now what? I am a person who needs a goal in order to stay motivated.  That is why I have started this "Grand Tour" of Ohio cities that are named after European counterparts. 

Why do I keep cycling? 

I am having a blast riding.  I still love coasting down hills at high speed, just as I did when I was a kid.  I love challenging myself to ride further and faster.   I think maybe cycling helps me to lose weight, and I still need to lose a bit.   I need something to write about in my blog!  Movement helps my knees and hips to stay flexible. As I get older, I know that I must stay active or I will stiffen up.  As Lao Tzu said "“A man is born gentle and weak; at his death he is hard and stiff. All things, including the grass and trees, are soft and pliable in life; dry and brittle in death. Stiffness is thus a companion of death; flexibility a companion of life. An army that cannot yield will be defeated. A tree that cannot bend will crack in the wind. The hard and stiff will be broken; the soft and supple will prevail.”  I like the idea that when I ride my bike somewhere, it saves a few ounces of fossil fuel. And I now have a new bike that fits and is super light!

What inspires me? 

I love reading about other cyclists and their routes, their challenges, their accomplishments and disappointments.  I love discovering new places, and meeting new people as I ride.  And I still want to cross the country some day. Maybe I will write a book! 

#mybikeleaningagainstsomething

Bike trip Digital Tools - drawing back the curtain

Planning the Bike Trip

One of my friends expressed amazement that I planned my trip from Cincinnati to Cleveland myself.  It really wasn't too hard, given that the route was already planned, and all I had to do was to decide how many miles I could reasonably do in a day, and book a hotel or a stop in that location.

For my self-planned tours that I plot myself, I use a number of digital tools while I am biking. Most of them are free. 

Bicycle Cockpit

This photo is not mine, but I found it shared in multiple places across the Internet.  I would give credit to the owner if I knew who it was.   It is excessive!  I hope never to equip my bike like this.  I just used the photo to get your attention.   On my bike, I have just the phone, usually. 

Bike Trip Planning Overall Organization

First, I have an MS-Access database on my desktop computer,  where I list details of upcoming trips as I come across them. Since it is only one table, all the IT people out there will be shaking their heads wondering why I don't just use a spreadsheet, and maybe they are right.  The database format does force me to be disciplined about data entry formats, though.  I list the destination, the URL of historical sites or travel sites, a route description, a link to the map, and so on. It is my collection of notes for future and past trips. 

Planning the bike route

Second, I use MapMyRide to plan my routes for my trips. MapMyRide is an app provided by Under Armor. I wish I could wear their apparel, but most of their clothes don't come in my size. I did buy some hair elastics at their store once. They were very nice hair elastics, and they fit perfectly.  My grandkids do wear the brand though, as I have observed by the logos on their clothing.  

The basic version of the Map My Ride app is free, but there are optional enhancements that you can subscribe to.  I previously did route planning in Google, but realized a few months ago that MapMyRide has easier-to-use tools.  The tools and available functions are different depending on whether you use the mobile app or the desktop version. I usually do route planning on the desktop.  I believe the basic map information does come from Google maps. It even has the little gold guy that allows you to look around on the StreetView, which I drag onto the map.  This is extremely helpful when planning trip segments on public roads, because I can see if there is a wide shoulder for riding on.  It is less useful if trying to determine what a bike trail might look like in advance. Google's cars outfitted with cameras evidently have not made the jump to bicycles.   I recently discovered that once saved,  I can export my Map My Ride route map in KML (keyhole markup language) format and import it directly into Google Maps. From there, I can send to my phone.  This will save a lot of re-plotting which I have been doing.  

Bike Trail Information

To find information about trails, I use the Traillink app.  I have the mobile version installed on my phone and use the web version on my desktop.  It is sponsored by Rails to Trails organization, and most of the trails I have found in Ohio are in their database.  Each trail has a description and most have several reviews. It allows you to check off the trails as you complete them. 

Bike Route - City research

I also use Google and Wikipedia extensively to look up information about the history of the places I will be visiting.  I use TripAdvisor and other travel sites, especially if I am looking for overnight lodging or places of interest.  To find places to eat along the way, I may use Yelp! or Google or any of the other apps that allow search for and review of restaurants.  I have found a number of web sites that help with finding attractions, such as the Roadside America site and a couple of historical marker sites.  Had I thought to review the Roadside America site before my trip on Sunday, I would have learned of a quirky museum inside a funeral home, in Dover, Ohio, that contains memorabilia from over 2000 funerals. 

Bike Trip Route Navigation

I use Google Maps, when I remember, for turn-by-turn audio navigation.  It is surely easier than looking on a paper map or stopping the bike to pull up a digital map. But, I have to check every once in a while to make sure it hasn't re-routed me because of the existence of a shorter route. 

I also use Google Maps to share my location with my husband in real time.   If I have some kind of breakdown or accident, he will be able to find my last location and speed to my assistance!  

For tracking my ride and recording statistics about my actual route (when it is different than the planned one,) speed, and timing, I again use Map My Ride. I start a workout at the beginning of the ride.  I have it set to pause automatically if I stop. Most of the time it automatically resumes when I start moving again, but once it a while it does not.   Map My Ride integrates mostly seamlessly with the Great Cycle Challenge web site, which is a month-long challenge to raise funds for kid's cancer.  I have participated for the last two years.  As soon as I finish my ride, the software shares the tracking automatically and tallies up my mileage towards the challenge amount. 

Tracking bike performance

On one of my bikes, I have Wazoo cadence and speed sensors.  These have their own apps which integrate automatically with Map My Ride. I need to move these sensors to my new bike.   I am aware of other apps that do this function.  Maybe they do it even better, but I haven't tried them.  One is Strava, which many, many cyclists use.  Another is Garmin, which seems like it might be proprietary to their device hardware. I wear an old Fitbit, and it duplicates some of the Garmin functionality.  When I remember to sync it with my phone, it logs my activity and tells the Weight Watchers App how many minutes I have been exercising and then Weight Watchers calculates how many extra "points" I am allowed to eat for the week.  Unfortunately, I often ignore my point limits and eat whatever appeals. 

Bike trip photos

I take photos using my phone during the trip, and Map My Ride allows me to associate specific photos I choose with my workout in the social media section of their site.  My Motorola phone automatically stores my pictures in Google Photos app, and backs them up to the cloud as soon as I am on Wifi, so it is painless to integrate the photos into my Google blog.  

Bike trip tech power

I also carry extra battery packs for my phone.  

So, those are my secrets!  Do you have any you would like to share?  

Grand Tour of Ohio by Bicycle - Strasburg

Strasburg is a small German town in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district (like US county) of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (like a US state), in the Northeast corner of Germany, near the Polish border.  It is situated in the historic Uckermark region.  It is only about 48 km (about 30 miles) from the Baltic Sea, and its population is about 4600 people.  Tripadvisor advises the best "thing to do" in Strasburg is a nature preserve and associated eco-farm about 3 km away from town, the Wildtierland Gut Klepelshagen.  On their website, the German Wildlife Foundation explains that this farm is a demonstration of how well a farm can work with nature.  A film, The Meadow, produced by Jan Halft, was filmed in the area.  The movie is available to Amazon Prime members.

 The city was part of East Germany during the World War II era.  The region is mountainous and is a mecca for German cyclists.  This page has a map showing a loop through Strasburg. 

Strasbourg, France, population approximately 281,000, is a much larger city.  It is the capital and largest city of the Grand Est region of France, and is the official seat of the European Parliament. It is located at the border with Germany in the historic region of Alsace.  Strasbourg is one of the de facto four main capitals of the European Union (alongside Brussels, Luxembourg and Frankfurt), as it is the seat of several European institutions, such as the European Parliament, the Eurocorps and the European Ombudsman of the European Union.  

In 1988, Strasbourg's historic city centre, the Grande Île (Grand Island), was classified a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.  This was the first time such an honour was placed on an entire city centre.  According to TripAdvisor, you can have your choice of gourmet eating establishments and accompany your meal with the best wine from France and the best beers from Germany. 

Strasbourg is immersed in Franco-German culture and although violently disputed throughout history, has been a cultural bridge between France and Germany for centuries, especially through the University of Strasbourg, currently the second-largest in France, and the coexistence of Catholic and Protestant culture. It is also home to the largest Islamic place of worship in France, the Strasbourg Grand Mosque. 

Economically, Strasbourg is an important manufacturing and engineering center.  It is also quite a busy hub of road, rail, and river transportation. The port of Strasbourg is the second-largest on the Rhine after Duisburg in Germany, and the second-largest river port in France after Paris. 

So, which city was the Ohio city of Strasburg named after? Strasburg or Strasbourg, which is spelled Straßburg in German?   I did some internet research, and although I found information about the early settlers and when the town was laid out, I did not find any information on which city it was named after.  I forwarded the question to Tom Neel of the  Ohio Genealogical Society in Bellville.  His research was inconclusive, but he found that one early settler, Peter Hartline, did have a death record in Strasburg, Germany.  The landscape I saw around the Ohio town of Strasburg certainly might have reminded early settlers of their homeland in the small town of Strasburg. 

It took me two days to complete my planned loop starting in Strasburg. I got a late start and didn't arrive until after 1 pm.   I parked my car at the branch library and police station.  Google told me to turn left, uphill,  out of the parking lot just AFTER I turned right, downhill.  So I ungracefully executed a U-turn and miscalculated my turning radius.  I ran into the curb and fell off my bike.  I should probably have taken this as an omen, but, alas, I did not.  I passed the high school, where the doorway to the old, demolished school was left in place as a memorial in front of the new high school.   

 

You can see the doors in this old photo from the document "Early History of Strasburg" which can be found online. 

I stopped for a photo in front of the post office. 

During my research on Strasburg, I learned that there was a historical site, Garver's,  that was billed as the :world's largest country store" in Strasburg, up until 2010 when it was a victim of arson. 

The town straddles the border between urban and rural.  On the south and east end, Taco Bell and McDonalds franchisees have taken advantage of the traffic at the Interstate 77 interchange.  

 On the  north and west side, the side I arrived on, US Route 250 has wide lanes on the right side of the road for Amish bicyclists and buggies. 

There are large urns with metal flower sculptures in front of several downtown buildings. 

I turned left on Wooster Avenue and took a right on Zeltner at the Sunoco station.  I continued on Zeltner over a bridge where the name of the road changed to Strasburg-Bolivar Road.  When Strasburg-Bolivar angled off to the right, I continued right on Shetler Road.  I was about four miles into the trip and tired of (slowly) climbing hills when I decided it was getting awfully late in the short days of November, and that I would never make it all the way around my planned route of 32 miles before dark.  So I turned around and went back.  It took a little less time on the way back, being mostly downhill.  I returned home, and it was dark when I arrived. Ed and I made a homemade pizza for dinner, and after dinner I looked at my route to see if I could shortcut anything to allow for my slow riding and the limited hours of daylight available this time of year. 

The next day, I started much earlier.  I was up, dressed, and ate breakfast before 7:00 am.  The sun was just coming up.  I finalized the route changes, now down to 27 miles in google, and sent the directions as a text message to my phone.  It was  almost 10:00 before I left home.  Where does the time go?  I arrived in Strasburg a little after 11:00 and parked in the library again.  This time I turned the correct direction, and did not stop for pictures at the high school.  

I went the same way, but to my surprise, Google directed me to turn right on Zutavern Church Road.  It was very scenic, with the final fall colors still on the trees.  The weather was exceedingly warm for November. There were hills.  I rode for a while, and then ended up walking my bike for a while.

  I looked down and realized that my tracker, MapMyRide, had paused way back on Wooster Avenue and did not automatically "resume" as it usually does.   So my map shows "as the crow flies" for the first part of my trip.  

After cresting the top of the hill, I felt like I was flying downhill.  I was gratified when the app announced "Split speed- 17.5 miles per hour."  And I was braking for much of that!  

In short order I arrived in Bolivar at the Fort Laurens State park and  museum.  The bike path was on the far side of the  museum grounds.  I noticed a zigzag fence such as early settlers built on the museum grounds.  

The museum itself was very modern architecture, it was constructed between 1968-1972. I learned the park was the site of a Revolutionary War fort that was badly conceived and executed, and many men lost their lives there. 

Heading onto the trail, I quickly came upon a bridge over I-77, which afforded a view over the highway. I was only five miles from Strasburg!  It seemed like I had travelled further. 

The trail is the Zoar Valley Trail, it runs along the remains of the Ohio-Erie Canal.  There were several park benches in front of the locks along this trail.  The trail itself is not very wide, perhaps three feet in most places.  The trail surface is crushed limestone, but also there are many places where it is mostly clay and the leaves at this time of the year are providing deep mulch. 

The narrow trail meant that I really had to gauge the speed of other bikers coming my way and passing walkers and slow down accordingly.  The walkers on this trail seemed accustomed to getting off the trail to let cyclists pass. 

This concrete abutment had a wooden deck around it, which allowed me to avoid a short climb.   It was so narrow that I could not turn my bike around without lifting it above the railings, and as other bikers came through in the other direction we really had to squeeze past each other. 

At several places along the trail, there were scenic views of the Tuscarawus River.  The weather was so nice that at one spot there were barefoot kids splashing on the rocks in the river. In November! 

I followed the trail for approximately 6 miles.  The trail ended on highway 800, a busy road.  There were dedicated bike lanes leading across the highway bridge to an extension of the trail. I stopped to unwrap and eat an energy bar, a Simple Truth Date bar.  A couple passed me, then turned around when they saw the narrowness and gravel on the trail.  I forged ahead anyway, and soon came to the Zoar Station bridge.  A guy standing on the bridge with his kids told me that he was an ironworker, and had wanted the opportunity to work on this bridge. A couple of his friends actually did get to work on it.  This was a historic bridge that was rehabbed in 2007. 

I asked him if he knew anything about the trail.  He remarked that he had not ridden it, but had heard that it was pretty rough.   "Maybe" I could make it on the gravel of the trail, but remarked that I had the wrong tires.  I was getting worried at that point about being able to make it back to Strasburg before dark.  I went ahead, but with misgivings.  When I came to a fork in the trail and I saw a road surface above me, I checked google maps and found that there was a road, Boy Scout Road, that ran roughly parallel to the trail, although it would add a couple of miles.  I decided to abandon my original plan to take the trail, and take the paved road instead.

I can't say it was the wrong choice, but it was a HUGE hill.  There was a "party barn" called Rivercrest Farm along the road.  Here is a hint.  Anything with "crest" in the name, probably involves a hill.  It was very pretty, as I pushed my bike up the hill I had plenty of time to admire it.  I heard a tapping on my left, and looked up to see some longhorn cattle in the woods tapping their horns on the tree trunks.  As I walked, I saw long shimmering strands of spider web glinting in the sunlight and catching on my handlebar bag, and I couldn't help but think of Charlotte's Web and her daughters flying off to freedom. I loosened each one and set it free.  My calves were feeling really tight as I walked uphill in the bike shoes with the cleats rocking my heels back.  I finally reached the top of the hill.  I got back on the bike and coasted down a short hill, only to find that there was another hill the other side.  I am not sure I trust the elevation maps that MapMyRide provides, because it seems like there were a lot more hills than this! 

I noticed a lot of people with mountain bikes going in and out of the Tuscazoar park.  I learned that there are quite a few mountain bike trails in this park, which was a former Boy Scout camp.  

I noticed a lavender "she-shed" along the road as I biked up one of these hills.  A disembodied voice called out "You're better than me!" I laughed and shouted hello.  A quarter mile later, I had dismounted and walking again, when a shirtless, white-haired and pony-tailed man stepped out from behind a shrub in his yard, and asked if I was OK. I guess I must have been breathing heavily, so he heard me coming.  He said I only had a few small uphills to go before the BIG downhill.  So, encouraged, I continued on.  I ended up going downhill as I approached a stop sign at Route 800, and I got to test my brakes again.  I turned right and headed into Dover. 

I stopped to take this photo at this sign.  There was a  confederate flag and a "don't tread on me" flag flying on the front of this house.  There was an older man working on the red and white pickup truck.  He approached me, and I was afraid he was going to yell at me for trespassing, but it turns out that he was being nice enough to ask if I was OK.  He seemed to have a hard time breathing and speaking, as if he had had some surgery on his neck, so it was really exceptionally nice that he walked over to ask about me.  

 I ate a sandwich at Subway on Wooster and 10th Street and headed on back to Strasburg.  The crossing where Routes 250 and 77 converged was a little scary due to heavy traffic, but everyone was polite and I had no actual trouble getting through the intersection. 

Soon I was back at the library with plenty of time to spare before dark.  In fact, as I headed out of town, I saw several Amish buggies and kids on e-bikes riding alongside the road in the gathering twilight. I had a real sense of satisfaction that I completed this ride despite the hills. 

Grand Tour by bicycle- Paris!

 Ah, Paris!  The city of lights! The Eiffel Tower,

 the Left Bank of the Seine, the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile. 

The museums! The cafes! and pastries! The fashion!  The shopping!  The cathedrals! 

I visited Paris yesterday. Paris, Ohio.  I've been looking forward to the trip for a couple of weeks, and I was really glad to get good weather in November.  I planned a loop approximately 30 miles from Louisville to Paris, north to Alliance, and then southwest back to Louisville.  The planned route incorporated road riding, plus parts of two bike/hike trails, the Nickelplate trail in Louisville and the Iron Horse trail in Alliance. 

Yesterday was November 4th, the day after the 2020 Election.  Paris is about an hour and 20 minutes, by car, east of my home.  I was able to take State Route 30 most of the way.  It was quite ironic that I had to exit on Trump Avenue.  I wondered if the Avenue was named after our current President, but researching it, I found the CantonRep.com website that stated "Trump Avenue was named for George J. Trump, who owned a sawmill on Nimishillen Creek in the 1800s, according to Repository archives. Early area settlers rest behind Valley Chapel, some in graves older than the 1866 church."  

The town of Louisville was very picturesque, and seemed quite patriotic, with flags every few feet waving in the stiff breeze, contrasting with the gold-green, orange and russet leaves of the trees lining Main Street. The flags continued as I turned south onto Nickel Plate Street. I wondered if the city always flies these flags or if it is a special occasion due to Election Day.  I parked at the Metzger Playground.  A paved trail runs through the Mary C. Metzger Park, which also includes a fabulous playground and a couple of pavilions, as well as an oil (natural gas?) derrick that was operating when I pulled up. 

I got my bike out and outfitted it with a RosWheel handlebar bag from my back seat, a frame bag, and the seat-post bag for my tools.  I added a bottle of water to my Nike fanny pack, one in the "bat-cage" on the frame, and one in the handlebar bag.  I made sure I had a snack in my handlebar bag.  For yesterday's ride, I chose a lemon EPIC performance bar.  I redistributed the hand sanitizer and first aid kit to the frame bag, in order to fit the water in the handlebar bag. I put on my gloves and my helmet, and adjusted the mirror. I turned on my headlight and taillight.   Finally, I was ready to go off into unknown territory. 

The first mile of the trail was downhill, which boded well.  The bike felt like it was flying. It is so lightweight, and after the adjustments from my fitting, it felt really good. At first, I wasn't sure if I was perhaps rocking a little in the saddle, which would mean the seat was a millimeter too high, but after a half mile or so that vanished.  At the end of the park, I reached the Nickelback trail, which was a crushed limestone trail.  It was firmly packed and gave my road bike no trouble.  I reached the end of the trail at a cross street without a street sign.  Wanting to confirm my position, I consulted the hardcopy map I had printed before leaving home.  I was supposed to turn on Georgetown Street.  A jogger ran up behind me, and I asked her to confirm that it was Georgetown.  She said she didn't know, sorry!  I get this reaction sometimes from young people.  I think they have been trained not to talk to strangers and that adults are not supposed to ask kids for directions.  She was hardly a kid, but whatever!  I pulled out my phone and loaded up google maps to confirm I was in the right place.   

If you are thinking of following in my footsteps, unless you are an experienced and fearless road cyclist, I do not recommend the route I took today.   Many of the roads had medium to heavy traffic, and the shoulder varied from narrow to non-existent.  The route could be described as "rolling" but I described it as "hilly."  I am not a strong hill-climber.  However, I noticed that the electronic shifters made it much easier to time my shifting as I rode uphill, and I was able to smoothly ride over the crest of several hills in a row.  

The weather was beautiful, just a crisp November day.  I was wearing a light jacket over my jersey and bolero.  I wasn't too cold or too hot.  I could have done with a little less wind, but so far it was mostly at my back. 

As I approached Paris, at the five-mile mark, I turned onto Paris Avenue.  

So exciting to finally be close to the destination!  I continued past a few more hills and stopped to take a photo (and catch my breath.)  Another oil (or is it gas?) derrick was working on the hillside. 

I had changed my originally planned route, which went past an orchard on Route 172, to follow a lesser-traveled road.  I used the Ohio DOT bike transportation maps from 1986 that I had found when clearing out some paperwork.  These maps were created before the existence of many rail-trails in Ohio and marked lesser-travelled roads that are safer for bicyclists.  As you can see, these roads went around Paris but not through it. 

I finally reached my destination. 

The center of Paris downtown is very quiet.  

 

On my right, there was an abandoned building.  I wondered if there are any kids around that avoid it near Halloween. 

 

The Lions club has built a community pavilion.  There is a cannon in front with a plaque commemorating Ohio's bicentennial from 1976. 

There is what appears to be a working pitcher pump/ water fountain in front of the pavilion.  

 

The Methodist church appears to be well-maintained. 

The abandoned building has a hand-lettered sign "Maggie's gift shop".  

 

I walked through the cemetery behind the Lutheran church.  I could read the dates on these old stones, they were from the 1800's.  There were many stones that appeared to be older, the wind and rain and moss had eroded the lettering and I could not make out the names or the dates.  

 

All these souls who are resting in peace in the Paris Cemetery have a magnificent view of the hills of Northeast Ohio across a valley.  

I headed back north, with the southwest wind pushing me along through Freeburg.  I arrived in Alliance shortly, and almost missed the Iron Horse Trail. Looking at the map, I realized I had missed the turn on Cenfield Street that I had planned, which would have allowed me to ride most of the trail.  It is also a crushed limestone trail with a firm surface, but I shortly ran out of trail and passed the trailhead at the First Christian Church.  I headed East on Beech, and then North on Rockhill, turning left following a marked bike "Share the Road" street.  I continued north on Parkway Boulevard and it was a long downhill all the way to Main Street.  I turned right on Main and went past the Troll Museum.  

I was very conscious of the sun, which seemed to be travelling westward toward sunset pretty quickly.  Even though it looked like a fun place, I decided not to visit the Troll Museum on this trip.  There are a few other tourist destinations in downtown Alliance, including an Underground Railroad house, the Glamorgan Castle, and the Feline Museum.  Instead of searching out a restaurant for a late lunch, I decided to just eat my EPIC bar and call it lunch, to save time.  My headlight was still flashing, but my taillight had died, and I did not want to be on the road after dusk.   

I had completely missed my planned route, so I headed south on Arch Street.  I thought I would go west on Glamorgan, but somehow I missed my turn on Rosenberry.  Finally I hit Beech Street again, and I checked the map.  I realized I could go a bit further west on Beech and end up on my original route.  I had planned to go through Maximo, because I learned it was a named for being the high point on the railroad line.  There was an old depot building along the railroad there.  Like others in Ohio, it is a reminder of a different economy, when local small farmers took their grain to the rail depot to be shipped by rail to processing centers.  

It was 4:30 when I arrived back at my car.  The sun was just above the horizon, and I was starting to get chilled.  I may revisit this trip at some time in the future when the days are longer, now that I have a little familiarity with the route.  

It was a long ride home. I listened to the news in the car, and realized that the election returns were not final yet.  I realized that while riding my bike, I did not stress about the election much, my thoughts were focused on navigation, getting up and down the hills, and how I felt on my bike.  Kind of like a moving meditation. 

 Ed took me out to dinner.  Yay, Ed! He is a good husband. We masked up and went out.  

I had joined a Facebook group that is interested in the history of Paris and Palmyra.  I found out that the Paris they are talking about is Paris Township, which is 30 miles away in Portage County.  When they pointed this out, I looked at photos in the Stark county history Facebook group, and I found photos of Paris (Stark County) in a different era.  

 These photos shared by Lee Bishop. 

In 1910, a dogsled team came through Paris and were photographed in front of the bandstand. I don't see any snow on the ground, so that is an interesting photo.  I learned the current post office is possibly in the location of the former bandstand.  The abandoned building I photographed appears to be the one in the photo below. But if that's the case, then the bandstand was not in the Post Office location. 

On the same Facebook page, I found a photo of a train depot posted by Mark Howell.  

I did not notice any vestige of a railroad while in Paris. So it could be possible that this train station was actually in Paris Township in Portage County?  

Wikipedia says "Paris was laid out in 1813 on a stagecoach turnpike. A share of the early settlers being natives of France most likely caused the name Paris to be selected. A post office called Paris has been in operation since 1822."