Friday, May 7, 2021

Grand Tour -Milan, Ohio scouting trip

 I asked my husband to drop me off in Milan, Ohio, as he drove north on another errand.  My general plan was to get the "lay of the land" and see how easy or difficult the trip I have planned in a few weeks will turn out to be.  

It was a foggy morning at home.   He said the weather report had forecasted "freezing fog".  I took my plants out to the deck and packed a lunch and filled a couple of water bottles.


When the sun rose above the horizon, it proved to be a beautiful drive up route 13 to 250, and from there to Milan-Greenwich road.  The green grass glowed in early morning sunlight as we passed farm fields and greenhouses. He pointed out that there was light traffic on that road.  I pointed out that there was no shoulder on the road to speak of.

He dropped me off in Milan on the village square, a grassy park with lots of benches and tables and relatively few statues.  The statues that existed were of Thomas Edison. 






 After taking a few minutes to get my bearings, I rode off to where I expected the Towpath park to be, but instead saw a street sign that said "No outlet".  I circled around the next block and drove by Edison's birthplace.  Again, street signs saying "no trespassing" and " no outlet" among the various historical markers.  I took a selfie with a bronze statue of Thomas Edison, but I didn't dare to sit on the bench with him.



I rode back to the village square, passing several galleries and gift shops.  I stopped in the "Coffee Station" shop at the south end of the square.  The friendly person at the counter pointed me to the restroom.   Then I bought a huge banana muffin.   I intended to save it for later in the day.  I asked her about the towpath park.  she was confused for a minute, then dawning understanding showed in her expression.  "You mean the Greenway!". Yes, I suppose so.   She pointed it out to me, telling me to proceed north, downhill, past the "no outlet"  sign and turn right at the bottom.

The Greenway is an apt name for this trail.  It has a gravel surface, but the grass and the wild plantain is growing through the gravel,






and lending a green cast to the trail surface.  The dew was still on the grass, and my road bike tires were soon wet and covered with dandelion fluff.   It was hard work pushing my smooth road bike tires through the rough surface, so when I stopped to catch my breath I started in on the muffin.  Oh my goodness!  It was heavenly.  Like banana cake.  I haven't had anything so sweet in a long time.   I have no idea how many points it will cost me on WW but I can only hope my fitness points from the bike ride will compensate.

I only met one couple walking their dog on the trail.   I heard several loud splashes as I reached the end of the trail.  I must have disturbed a predator's fishing. I looked for a heron, but didn't see one.  I heard geese honking and songbirds chirping.   A cardinal and a couple of blue jays crossed the trail in front of me as I huffed and puffed back the slightly uphill return.  Back to the town square, where I took advantage of the benches to make notes for this update.  The tantalizing food smells from the several restaurants around the square wafted through the air.  Invention restaurant, Jim's pizza box, Milan Wine Post, the Park Lounge, the Wonder Bar and Grille, and the Village Drive-Thru featuring Tofts hand-dipped ice cream, as well as the coffee shop I visited,  stand among the barbershops, florists, insurance company, antique stores, and banks lining the square.

I had several choices as to how to navigate to my next destination.  I wanted to ride on the North Coast Inland Trail (NCIT), but I was several miles north.  The closest place to pick it up was in Norwalk.  I rode down S. Main Street, which turned into SR 601 outside of town and then turned right onto Old State Road, also known as County Highway 52.  Main Street and the highway had a nice shoulder but a lot of truck traffic.  Old State Road was quieter, but no paved shoulder to speak of.  I was regretting my decision a mile or so down the road, as I sailed down a hill, knowing there would be an uphill on the other side.   I was right.  I had to walk my bike up one hill.  A friendly teenager in a pickup truck slowed down and rode alongside.  He asked if I wanted him to push me up with his truck.  No thank you.  I was sure he was making fun of me.  He took off, turned around in a driveway, and went back the way he came.  

Eventually I arrived in Norwalk.  I noticed a sidewalk along the road, but it was narrow and evidently not intended as a bike path, so I stayed on the road.  Google Maps wanted me to turn on State Route 18, but I knew the North Coast Inland trail was not far away, so I kept going until I reached Townsend Road, which was marked with "Share the road" signs.  I turned left and soon found myself on SR 18, known as Gibbs Road. When I reached the end of Gibbs Road, I found the "end" of the NCIT. 




The trail surface was fine, packed gravel.  Better than the trail I was on earlier that was mostly grass, but still not as nice as riding on smooth pavement.  While I was standing there taking pictures, a pickup truck slowed down and the driver told me I could take the "new trail extension" that ran parallel to Gibbs Rd, the way I had just come from.  It was marked as "Not open to public".  The surface was pretty bumpy as it was larger gravel, probably laid as a base for the eventual smoother trail surface.  It is nice to know that the Firelands Rails to Trails group continues to work on these trails.  I explained to him that I was going the other way.  He drove off, and another older gentleman on a bicycle cycled up.  His bike had fat, knobby tires.  He also wanted to let me know that I could get through on the new trail extension.  I chatted with him for a few minutes and explained what I was doing, scouting the roads and trails for Adventure Travel Weekend when I hoped to ride my "Grand Tour" of Ohio cities named after cities in Italy.  He said he rides 30 or 40 miles a day to get him out of the house, his wife chases him out! I told him I was curious about the bicycle shop "Rebs Bike Barn" a few hundred feet up the road.  He explained that it was a motorcyle/motorsports dealer, but that the owner can't understand why he gets so many people looking for bicycles!  (Google says it is a bicycle shop!)  He said the only campground in the area that he knew up was "up by the pike" by which he meant the Ohio Turnpike, Route 90.  


I bid him good day, and continued along the trail.  It was slow going.  I had trouble getting any speed, I was averaging between 6 to 8 miles per hour.  I attribute this to the soft surface of the trail gripping my skinny road bike tires.  I saw on the map that there was a "Camp Conley" in Collins, Ohio, but I didn't notice it while I was riding by.  I did see a sign directing horse trailers to park on a parallel road a block away.  This part of the trail is open to horses.  While I didn't see any on my ride, I did see evidence of their having passed by recently. 

After a few miles I came to DeRussey Road where the marked trail detoured on to the road.  I saw another cyclist go by, fairly fast.  A little later I came to where he was stopped by the side of the road, downing an energy gel packet.  I stopped and chatted with him a few minutes.  He was an older gentleman. He said he hoped to get 80 miles in today, going back to Oberlin, but he wasn't sure.  He thought he might make it as far as Kipton.  He asked how far I usually ride and I told him "30-40 miles, or maybe 10" and that I was on a scouting trip to see how many miles in the area I could comfortably ride in a day.  He was a much faster rider than I, so I continued on.  He soon passed me by.  

I continued into Wakeman, passing this derelict old house.  The barn behind it had livestock, so I assume someone is farming the property and just did not care for the house.  



The trail turned off Hyde Street onto Railroad Street, but I continued on Route 20 hoping to eat lunch at Sterk's restaurant.    I had actually carried along a couple of homemade energy bars and some fruit and a boiled egg, but I wanted to get off the bike, sit down, and relax for a while. I passed by this ancient stone marking the county line.


 I was too late, as they closed at 2:00 pm, and I arrived at 1:58.   I continued into town and found this place, the Historic Route 20 Pub and Grub.  


The menu was fairly limited to hamburgers, fried side dishes and grilled chicken sandwhiches,  not great for a Weight Watcher.   I ordered the Caesar salad with a chicken breast and  was pleased to have it cooked to perfection, moist and tasty.   

I checked in with Ed and he said they were making progress on his project but that it would be at least three and a half hours before he arrived to pick me up.  No problem, I had planned to get much farther than I currently was, and it would give me an opportunity for more miles.  

I wanted to go to Florence, Ohio to check it out for the Grand Tour.  It was 5 miles directly north of Wakeman on the Florence Wakeman Road.  I remembered my friend Ruth, who says "Anyone can go 5 miles," and starting packing up my helmet and paid my bill.  

When I went outside, the weather had changed.  It had clouded up more, and the wind was damp and chill.  It was still in the 50's.  I was wearing a long-sleeved jersey and still wearing my "bolero," a pair of sleeves attached across the back.  I put my pile-lined hoody back on and started off.  After a mile I realized it was cold and the wind was penetrating my hoody, so I stopped and took off my helmet, and pulled my hood up.  Replacing my helmet required me to adjust the strap to make it a little bigger.  I also pulled out my windbreaker and zipped the sleeves on, realizing that I must have left the hood for the windbreaker at home.  Oh well.  The windbreaker/raincoat made a big difference in my comfort. I continued on, past a house that proclaimed the occupant as a Trump loyalist by all the signs in the front yard and the graffiti scribbled with spray paint on the road.  Next up was a pasture with a lot of cattle.  One red youngster had its head and shoulders under the bottom strand of wire as if he were trying to escape, but when I came by with my yellow raincoat flapping in the breeze, he pulled himself back in and re-joined his herd. 

I finally reached Florence.  There wasn't much to see in downtown Florence.  An empty lot on one corner, a deteriorating Victorian house on another corner, a house that looked like it might have once been a florist shop on the third corner, but now had a pile of scrap metal and a rusty propane-driven fork truck along the side yard.  




As I paused to take pictures, a couple of people stopped at the intersection to talk to me.  One guy yelled "You're in Florence!" and, as I pulled my bike further off the road, another older gentleman in a car rolled down his window and said "I wouldn't hit you, I ride 30 miles a day" I thought he said he almost hit me, so I asked him why he would hit me if he rides? He said, no, he wouldn't hit me, and he rides an eBike.  He explained that he still gets exercise because he still has to pedal, it just helps him climb hills.  Traffic was building up behind him, so he drove on.   I turned around and took a photo of my bike leaning against the township border marker on my way back. 


Returning once again to Wakeman, I followed the marked trail behind the park through town and proceeded to the other side where the trail once again was packed stone. 
The park features a millstone from a historic grain mill. 



 A few yards beyond the park was a breathtaking bridge over the Vermillion river.  The bike trail runs over the Bruce L. Chapman bridge, formerly a railroad bridge, and there are beautiful views of the US. 20 bridge that runs parallel to it. 
I snagged a screen shot from Google to get a photo of the bridge that I was on in order to confirm that it matched the photo of the bridge in the link above.  

I was able to take my own photo of the US 20 bridge. There is a dam just beyond the bridge. 


Soon after the bridge, the path put me onto North River Street for a few feet, then crossing the road through a park.  I noticed an art welding studio up the road.  



A nice station for outdoor workouts and a large lake were in the park.  The surface of the trail was smooth concrete.  I felt like I was flying after the rough surface from before. 

 The trail runs along Route 20 for several miles, up to the county border, where you turn left on County Line Road, then right onto a trail surface running along the old railroad line again. The trail is paved all the way to the village of Kipton.  I stopped there.  Rain was threatening, and there was a picnic shelter in the park.  Ed had called and said he was 45 minutes away a few miles back.  I was weighing whether I should go another five miles to Oberlin and risk getting soaked if it started to rain, or just wait where I was. 

I parked myself and my bike. I noted the historic marker detailing the Great Kipton Train Wreck, which was caused by a watch being four minutes off.  Interesting story on the Smithsonian web site at the link.  I watched the demolition of the grain elevator. 
I love the attached  "rain cover" in my Po Campo pannier.  It can't get lost because it is sewn into a pocket. 





Ed arrived and after loading my bike, we took off for Oberlin, where we had dinner at the "Brickyard".  Unbeknownst to me, the Brickyard is owned by the Sterk family.  I am guessing that it is the same family that owns the Sterk Family Restaurant in Wakeman, so I didn't miss having dinner with the Sterks after all! 


In retrospect, I would avoid the Canal Towpath trail, and the gravel part of the North Coast Inland Trail East of Wakeman. I would just head to Florence directly from Milan.  The route is a highway with narrow shoulders, so perhaps find country roads that parallel Ohio 113, "The Edison Highway."  Or just ride it to see how busy it will be. Then head south to Wakeman to take advantage of that smooth trail to the east. 


Saturday, April 24, 2021

Seville bike trip - Cycling Grand Tour of Ohio

 I joined a great group of women cyclists this year, when they asked me to serve as a Women's Cycling Ambassador.  Due to the pandemic, I haven't met most of them in person, but I have met a few of them.  

Last night I had the pleasure of meeting another one.  Melanie Fry was visiting Ohio from Tennesee.  She invited a couple of us, Lori Lynn and myself, to ride with her in her childhood neighborhood near Seville, Ohio.  Of course I jumped on this opportunity to add another city to my Grand Tour of Ohio.  Also riding with us was one of her childhood friends, actually a friend of her brother's.  

Seville, Spain

When I was 19, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Segovia, Spain.  During that year, I fell in love with all things Spanish.  There are so many regions in Spain and each province is a little different.  Segovia is the city where Ferdinand and Isabelle reigned in 1492, and where Columbus petitioned them for money.  It is austere, and it is the spiritual heart of the "Castilian" language, the most pure Spanish.  Extremadura, meaning "extremely hard" is the home of Cervantes' Don Quixote.  Asturias is all about the sea, and the Basque country and Catalonia are almost like another country, as most signs are posted in both Spanish and Catalan.  This northeast part of Spain is very modern and industrial.  During my year in Spain, a fellow student and I spent Easter break travelling through the south of Spain from Segovia through Toledo, onward to Valencia, Seville and Granada.  

Andalusia is the southern region of Spain, where these three cities are located.  It is probably the most "typical" version of Spain that schoolchildren learn about and most tourists know.  The flamenco dancers, bull fighting, wrought iron balconies, Morrocan tiles set in whitewashed buildings with cascading flowers are all typical of Andalusia. 

According to a current article in Huffington Post, Seville is the #1 city you should visit this year, as designated by The Lonely Planet tour guides.  Some architectural attractions are the world's largest Gothic cathedral, built in the fifthteenth century; La Giralda, a  bell tower that was formerly a minaret for a mosque;


Photo credit: View from the Giralda as published on "Not Just a Tourist" web site. 

  and El Alcazar,  a royal palace built during the Reconquest of Spain by the Christians after the Moors were driven out of Spain. 

Photo credit: By Luckyz - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5804768

Photo credit: Jose Luis Filpo Cabana, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons


Photo credit: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

During Holy Week every year, or Semana Santa, the week my friend and I visited, the entire city was involved in the festivities.  There are many processions from (and to) the churches with icons of Saints being carried and penitents carrying crosses.  There are hundreds of thousands of celebrants and tourists there for the spectacle and pageantry.  Many of the participants wear robes and hoods, which were oddly reminiscient of the KKK to this American. 

Public domain image from Wikimedia Commons


Seville, Ohio

My primary purpose in visiting Seville, Ohio was to ride bikes with my fellow Women's Cycling Ambassadors on a friendly neighborhood ride.  We parked our cars and rode on country roads to the nearby County Line Bike Trail.  This trail follows the line of the former Erie Lackawanna Railroad.  We reached it near the middle.  The trail runs about 7 miles from Rittman to Creston.   We rode to Rittman first, then to Creston, and back to our starting point.  The trail surface was almost perfect.  There was a short stretch where we had to ride on the highway, evidently the right-of-way was not available for trail development.    Our total ride was just about 20 miles.   The bike trail was flat.  The roads were rolling.  I am still working on my hill climbing abilities, and had to walk up one or two of them.  

It was that "golden hour" of the day when the sun was shining nearly horizontally and reflecting on everything with a golden glow.  The towering grain silos at a distance were shining above the farm fields.  The temperature was in the 50's and the sky was blue, and the grass was green.  The trees were blossoming with spring's warmer temperatures.  The gnats were swarming in clouds at a few points along the trail.  I think I swallowed one!   There were some amazing views along the way, but I was busy pedaling and did not stop to take a lot of pictures.  I did get a few! 


I crossed the railroad tracks just as the crossing gates came down and bells started ringing.  A super fast freight train passed by while we took a rest break. 


Former Baltimore & Ohio freight station located just west of the trailhead in Sterling at Kauffman Avenue, which will be refurbished and repurposed as a museum. 

After our ride, I said goodbye to my friends.  I drove my car to the actual town of Seville while twilight was falling.  I parked my car in one of the DIAGONAL parking spaces downtown.  (I thought these all disappeared in Ohio during urban renewal in the 60's and 70's!!!) 


I was pleased to see a bike shop.  Even if it was for e-bikes.  Electric Pete's E-Bikes is what the sign said. 

Mix of old and new, the church spire juxtaposed with the bank ATM counterpoint. 

Sun was just setting and the streetlights were charming in front of the cafe. 

My car was parked in front of a florist. 

The Seville library was another contrast in old and new, the classic architecture with the electronic sign in front. 

The town was like many rural towns in Ohio, along a railroad line with a large grain elevator in the background behind the Rusty Bucket.  Look at that DIAGONAL parking! 

I think I saw a Tree City USA sign on my way into town.  The many ornamental  crabapple trees were in full flower.  

The town reminded me of my hometown, the way it used to be during my childhood. Of course, there was no e-bike store then! 

Seville, Spain - population 690,000 as of  2016

Seville, Ohio -  population 2,296 as of 2010

If you call ahead to schedule it, you can visit the Seville, Ohio historical society museum, which holds life-size mannequins of  Captain and Mrs. Martin Van Buren Bates, who were 8-foot tall giants! 



According to the Village of Seville's web site, "The Captain & Mrs. Bates toured Europe and the United States giving lectures and having "teas." They were presented at the Court of England on at least 2 occasions. Many of their friends included the royal families of Europe."  So, they also did "the Grand Tour!" 

Seville, Ohio is located in Medina County, just north of Ohio's Amish country.  


Thursday, April 8, 2021

Wooster Bike Trail

 Yesterday I had an appointment for physical therapy (more about that later) in Wooster, Ohio.  So I popped my bike onto the carrier, locked it up with a cable, and took off for my 7:30 am appointment. 

My plan was to find a trail near Wooster to cure my geographic boredom.  I've been doing some training rides on the Richland B&O trail near me.  It is a wonderful, 18.5 mile trail that is really well-maintained that runs from Mansfield to Butler, running through Ontario, Lexington, Bellville .  You can park your car at any of the trail lots and ride to the end, double back, and ride to the other end, return to your car for a 37-mile ride. It connects to the Mansfield city loop, and there are plans in the works for the park system to be connected.  But repeating it over and over does get stale after a while.

So, I took my bike to Wooster.  After my PT appointment, I stopped in at Panera Bread to collect my coffee-club brew, while I considered my options.

There was a group of old men (retirees?) at the next table, having coffee and discussing world events from their view in Wooster, Ohio.  I almost jumped up to provide an alternate point of view a couple of times, but I managed to restrain myself and dedicated myself to looking up a rail-trail near Wooster.  I didn't find any.  So I turned on the bicycling layer in Google maps and saw a defined bike path a block away from where I was sitting.  It led to a park and a big circular route.

I parked between the Children's services building and the soccer complex.



  I asked a soccer mom if there was a restroom nearby, and she pointed out the field house at the other end of the complex.  She offered that if the water is turned on, maybe I could fill my empty water bottles at the drinking fountain.  I rode off to check it out. Turned out the restrooms were open, but drinking fountain was shut off.  Probably due to Covid-19.

I noticed a bike repair station next to the trail.  It looked new.  



I kept riding along the paved trail.  Someone had painted directional arrows on the path. So, since I wasn't really sure where I was going, I followed them.  They led to a path that ran along the street.  Then to a area that was under construction, and I could see that the path went on across the street.



So I hopped off my bike, crossed the boardwalk, and kept going.  A rider in Spandex whizzed past me, so I guessed I was on the right path.

The path led to another park.  This was the 
Oak Hill park.  The pavilion near the entrance had a map.  My photo is poor, you can see my reflection in the glass.


A plaque on the building gave the names of several donors.  I recognized the name of a local grocery store chain. The water fountains were turned off.

As soon as I entered the park, I noticed a "King of the hill" feature with a couple of benches on top.  I tried to ride up, but had to dismount.  The view was incredible.  I felt like I could see all the way to Mansfield.  



I had to dismount to go down, as I was afraid I could not make those right-angle turns at the end.



The Park was situated on a slope, so as I entered the loop, I was mostly going downhill.   I knew I would pay the price on the return leg, and I was correct.  I am working on my hill-climbing ability, but I am not there yet.   

I saw a couple ahead of me.  I called out "on your left", preparing to pass them.   The girl moved to the right and the guy moved to the left.   I had slowed a little, so I was able to pass between them safely.  You can never depend on people knowing trail etiquette.  When someone indicates they are passing, don't jump into their lane!  Just keep doing whatever you are doing, move to the right a little if it is safe.  I called out "ooooh-kay?" as I went past to let him know that his action had been unexpected.  He yelled "Just take the whole road!" I wasn't sure if it was friendly or not!  

A few minutes later I was climbing a hill and ran out of air in my lungs.  So I stopped at a convenient bench to rest.  The couple passed me and made a friendly remark, so I guess all was forgiven.  

I returned to the park entrance and back to my car by a slightly different route.   I accidently bumped my phone and ended the tracking prematurely, so there are two maps for this ride.





The total mileage was not very much, but it satisfied my need to get out of town.

So, why am I getting physical therapy?  It seems that I have not been stretching properly before or after my rides and am suffering from a common cyclists' overuse injury.  My quads and hamstrings have shortened in the leg with the knee replacement, which irritates the tendons and is causing tendonitis. So the physical therapist is teaching me techniques to stretch the muscles.  I regret to say that if I had kept up with my yoga during the pandemic, I might have avoided this.

One other way I am branching out is that I have accepted the invitation to lead a local chapter of Women's Cycling group.  There are a couple of local women I have ridden with during the last week and we have agreed to ride on Tuesdays during the day.  We'll meet at the Richland B&O parking lot north of Lexington at 10:00 on Tuesdays.  







Last thing.  This morning I got a chance to get a few more les in before the rain.  Spring is coming, trees are starting to leaf out.  








Thanks for following!








Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Mountain bike trail in Mid-Ohio


 Mohican State Park

I took my bike for a ride today.  By that I mean I put it on the carrier on the back of my car and drove around.   

My knees are still hurting from my ride a couple of days ago, and today, my fanny pack was pressing into my kidney as I drove, making me aware of a kidney stone that hasn't moved for a while.  Some days are better for this woman in her 60's than others.

 I drove to the bike trail.   The sky was overcast, the temperature had not yet hit the promised 70 degrees, and I just did not feel like riding.  

So I put the car in drive and detoured to Malabar Farm State Park.   The roads around Malabar are pretty hilly and winding.  There are not good shoulders on the roads, they drop off sharply due to erosion.   I was not inspired to park the car and ride the bike.

I kept driving.  I stopped at the scenic overlook where you can look out upon the Clear Fork river Valley and took a photo.  It is too early in spring for the trees to have leafed out and the view was meh.
  
 I ended up at the intersection of Route 97 and Route 3, at the Mohican State Park.   

I checked out the Mountain bike parking area.  There was a sign with a map stating the trail was marked, and that there was a crossing at the bridge, but I could not spot the actual crossing. 


 I did see a paved entrance to the camping area across the street, so I drove to the parking lot.   There is quite a long camping area that is paved, with cabins and spots for RVs along its length.  There were several road bikes parked at some of the cabins. There were people riding bikes on the paved surface.  I saw the mountain bike trail as I drove by.  It was a dirt path that snaked up the side of a hill.    It is a marked trail, 25 miles long.  The map indicates that it runs along the topography lines.  This looks like it would be a fun ride on a mountain bike or even a gravel bike.

I noticed as I left the area that State Route 3 has a marked lane for bicycles.  This continued for a mile or more, where it changed to a paved trail heading towards Loudonville.   The Loudonville area was previously heralded as the "Fun Center of Ohio" and there are many campgrounds and canoe liveries in the area.  So Loudonville seems to be a bike-friendly town.   

I want to come back when the weather is warmer and the sun is shining.




Safety First

In September, my bike club travelled to Lake Ontario in Canada to do the Circle Tour again.   We visited Niagra Falls.  We had a...