Sunday, July 31, 2011 Erie, PA 50 miles

Linda on the Trail

Leaving Austinburg this morning around 7:45, we immediately were on the Western Reserve Greenway Trail and for 4.5 miles, we relished the thick wood on both sides and overhang of trees. I’m sure there were deer and bobcats close by, but none showed their faces.  At the beginning of the trail there were historical signs to read concerning the Underground Railroad. Then, in Ashtabula there was a safe house museum, but it was closed today. We crossed the Ashtabula River and then over a huge railroad yard where dozens of full coal cars were lined up. Not too far from there, we crossed into Pennsylvania which is known for coal mining.  

Mary bringing up my bike

Shortly on the east side of Ashtabula, we came upon a ‘bridge out’ obstacle which we were expecting. What we didn’t know, though, was how to get over to the other side. (Found out later that the detour which our SAG driver had to take, was 15 miles out of our way.) There was a steep downhill, then over the train tracks, then a steep uphill. The SAG drivers were there and, bless their hearts, helped Linda and me. Nancy literally carried my bike while I side stepped down, then climbed back up to the road. Whew! Conneaut was the next town along the lake and had its share of lovely, lakeside homes. Linda and I ran into Lesley in Conneaut. She was looking for a place to eat, so we decided to join her for sort of a 2^nd breakfast. Besides, I enjoy listening to Lesley’s Australian accent, and we had been riding for 2.5 hrs.

Lutheran Church yard

  Before finding Lesley, Linda and I stopped at a Lutheran Church. There was a beautiful flower bed out front and lovely, Begonia floral cross on the outside wall. We couldn’t resist going inside for a few minutes and were treated to the organist practicing for the 11 o’clock service. We were told that they had about 150 people at 8:30 for the outside service. . . .Closer to Erie we encountered a few long climbs - enough to warm us up for the days to come. Arrived Erie about 1:15 and found a good hamburger at a Backyard Burger! Enjoying another Comfort Inn tonight with Janet Bee as my roommate. 

Pretty silo (R) and buggies

Buggies for sale

Entering PA

Saturday, July 30, 2011 Austinburg, OH 57 miles

Happy Birthday, Emma Grace!

Today’s ride out of Cleveland was bumpy - really rough! I think several gals had flats in the first hour. Then, we got onto Lakeshore Drive and rode for awhile past absolutely gorgeous estates with deep lawns and lakeside verandas (I imagined the latter). What a treat. Then it was back onto poorly maintained roads. We rode through several communities including Euclid and Willowick. The latter flew banners boasting “Welcome to Willowick - Family Faith, Friends.” I thought that was a nice touch. Mentor, Painesville, Madison, Perry, Unionville were also lovely, old communities. In Painesville, we were routed through the historic district and over cobblestones.  This town boasts a large and imposing courthouse, as well as city hall that had a large brass domed roof. We enjoyed lunch at a corner café off the square. Sitting outside, we enjoyed the antique cars that paraded by - Ford coups, Oldsmobiles, Corvettes.

Baptismal gathering

Joanne

Somewhere east of Willowick, we pulled into a lakeside park with the idea of putting our feet in Lake Erie. We walked out onto a deck that overlooked the lake and were witness to a baptism being held by a local COGIC (Church of God In Christ) church. Joanne was standing there watching, too, and told us it was members of her church. I’m guessing she didn’t go down to the water’s edged because she wasn’t dressed in white. She witnessed to us in a very sweet way manner.

The homes in the roadside communities along SR 84 were a mix of Victorian (painted ladies) and Italianate, similar to the Fleming home on 9^th St. in Columbus, MS.

Linda Baldwin is now our chef and prepared a delicious dinner tonight of Moroccan Stew, Spinach salad that included avocado, fresh peaches, walnuts, etc., and Couscous with green peas. Connie’s husband sent us the avocados, and Linda B. (not the chef) bought the peaches from a stand this afternoon. Susan’s aunt brought us smiley cookies from PA.

I walked over to an ice cream shop after supper with the SAG staff and sous chef to get a dip of Pierre’s ice cream, an Ohio specialty.

Friday, July 29, 2011 Day off - Cleveland, OH

From my room on the 10^th floor west side, I can see some of Lake Erie and a yacht club - home to some huge yachts. The wind is blowing strongly from the west - great tailwind if I were on the bike. The hotel gave us access yesterday to a hose - a good thing since our bikes were filthy with grit from yesterday’s wet roads.

Ellen, Lesley, Sue, Barb, Elizabeth

Dinosaur topiary

Whaling wall

Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame

CPL reading room

Man reaching for eternal peace



Sixteen of the group met in the lobby at 9 am today and boarded Lolly the Trolley for a most interesting 3 hour tour of downtown Cleveland, the medical center, Ohio City, the Flats (where the Irish immigrants lived), Millionaire’s Row, the cultural gardens, the North Coast Harbor, etc. etc. The downtown lake front is dominated by the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame Museum, the football stadium, Science Museum, and Women’s Aviation Museum. Cleveland is home to John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Co., Stouffer’s frozen foods, Sherwin Williams and many other well-known companies. Rockefeller donated a huge tract of parkland to the city that is now a series of cultural gardens representing countless world cultures.  The public library is in a magnificent old building as well as an adjacent newer building. There are many lovely parks, statues and memorial artwork scattered around. The Old Stone Church (Presbyterian) has several exquisite Tiffany windows.  Cleveland is on the Cuyahoga River (means crooked) which flows into Lake Erie here. The aviation museum had wonderful display cases of famous women pilots, including a grand display of artifacts about the Wright brothers and their sister, Katherine, who supported them financially. Remember, they built their airplane in their bicycle shop in Dayton, OH, but tested it on the Outerbanks of SC. . .

Dinner at the Chop House

Dinner tonight was at the Cleveland Chop House with Mary, Lesley, Linda, Peg, Sherry, and Ellen. . . . It was a busy and very good day off.

  I am very impressed with Cleveland, but would not live here because of the weather. The winters are tough.

Thursday, July 28, 2011 45/55 miles Cleveland, OH

A first today - RAIN! Thinking it might rain all day, I dug out my rain jacket, but wound up just wearing it around my waist all day. It might have sprinkled on us a little while, but I definitely did not need the jacket. The road was wet, though, and puddly; the bikes got filthy! . . . Before I reached the town of Vermillion at mile 11.4, my back tire went flat. Peg and Connie were too far ahead to know, but Linda turned around and came back when she realized I wasn’t behind her. What a friend! She and others were a huge help because my hands simply aren't strong enough to work the new tire. To make a long story short, I had 3 quick flats in succession. Wound up finding a bike shop in Vermillion where I discovered the last flat was caused by a faulty valve stem. The entire ordeal took 2 hours before Linda and I got back on the road. Sue and Debbie’s families and friends hosted a lunch picnic for all the group at the Rocky River Yacht Club which we made albeit a little late. We were given a warm greeting when we arrived. The husbands had grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and the ladies (Wet Hens) had all brought salads and desserts.

Sue, Linda, me arriving late. . .

  Before arriving at the picnic, Sue, one of the Rocky River gals, gave us a short tour by Debbie’s home on Lake Road and also her home just around the corner on Maplewood. I enjoyed a Coors Light with my hamburger, and decided with about 6 others to take the van for the final few miles to the Doubletree in downtown Cleveland.. . . We’re here for 2 nights; Nancy B. is my roommate, but she’s spending tonight at her sister’s home.  

Carol saying 'goodbye'

We had dinner tonight at Café Sausalito as a send off for Carol White who’s been our guide since Fargo.  Carol’s wit and encouragement were always welcome and she’ll be missed.

Note:  The Wet Hens were the cutist group of ladies, all ages, but mostly 50 and older.  It seems that before the days that women were allowed to sail out of this yacht club, the men would go sailing all day and come home to their wives who were mad as wet hens!  Now, the ladies go sailing and leave the men at home!  They nicknamed themselves the Wet Hens and they not only  enjoy sailing together (and competing), but getting together all winter, too, for other sports, cooking classes, and who knows what!  They've been together for years and years, and Debbie is part of this group. 

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 Huron, OH 68 miles

Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne

Walking around construction

Hard to believe that I was chilly this morning when we started out at 6:45! How wonderful was that? What else do I remember about today? Early on we were confronted with a ‘Road Closed’ sign but were able to walk across the mud of the construction site where I got a picture of Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne doing some ditch digging. There were LOTS of railroad crossings, section line turns, a one lane country road that lasted for a mile or so, beautiful residential area in Fremont, the eight mile North Coast Inland Bike Trail that runs between Fremont and Clyde, the delightful coffee shop on Main St. in Clyde where we enjoyed lunch, and the wonderful absence of traffic. It was a quiet ride, rather leisurely and most enjoyable.

Fremont is one of the prettiest towns we’ve been through. In order to enter the bike trail, we were routed along several residential streets of lovely, old homes, not unlike our mid-town area in Memphis. The H. J. Heinz Co. ketchup factory (world’s largest ketchup factory) is located in Fremont. Also, President Rutherford Hayes lived there for a few years. (Wikipedia)  

Linda, Connie, Lesley, Peg

Coming into Clyde at the end of the bike trail, we couldn’t help but notice the huge Whirlpool Corporation plant - the world’s largest washing machine facility. A local told us that the company ships all over the world from tiny Clyde, OH. Riding along Main Street we discovered two delightful ladies who run a coffee shop, serve lunch, and bake awesome cookies.

After lunch we had about 26 miles to cover before entering the outskirts of Huron, OH. Actually, I’ve only seen the confluence of the interstate and CR 123 that we followed. Here at Motel 6 (brand new and quite nice), we’re only a few miles from Lake Erie. I expect we’ll begin seeing the lake tomorrow as we ride toward Cleveland. Peg, Linda and Connie were good companions again today.  Robin S. from Littleton, MA, is my roommate tonight. A lovely lady, Robin has taught elementary school there for over 20 years. 

Menu: Spaghetti, Italian Sausage on the side, Salad, Sliced Cucumbers,
Sliced Tomatoes,  Bread, Fresh Fruit (Mangoes, Cantelope), Plain Cheesecake and Chocolate Cheesecake.  Note: Someone in the group doesn't care for cucumbers and someone else doesn't eat tomatoes.  Hence, the sliced veggies aside from beautiful lettuce.  WT aims to please!  :)) 

Tuesday, July 26, 2011 Bowling Green, OH 48 miles

Erie Canal Lock

It’s hard to believe we’ve come so far. After zig-zagging around corn and beans for what seemed like weeks, we’ve emerged into “normal” farmland with houses and barns close to the road, and trees and filling stations on the route. With such a short day, we were asked to wait until 8:00 to start. After back tracking a little through Defiance (disappointed that I didn’t do some sightseeing here yesterday), we followed the Maumee River along River Road/Ohio By-Way going due east. Five miles out we veered off into Independence Dam State Park. Here we took pics of the old Erie Canal lock and then took a short ride along the Maumee by Independence Dam (named for a town in earlier Ohio history). From the river’s edge I saw several blue herons enjoying the water. From here we began following the old (unimproved) tow path that took us about 2.5 miles over a heavily rooted dirt path. I think everyone finished the path in one piece. I, for one, couldn’t enjoy the woodland views for watching out for the roots!  

Napoleon Courthouse

Sherry at Spengler's

Part of the Coffee Mug Club

Shortly after the tow path we came to Napoleon where we tried taking pictures of their beautiful courthouse - very ornate and very French in style. Too much traffic, though, to stand in the middle of the street for the best pic. Here in Napoleon, we found a wonderful and quite colorful restaurant/pub/coffee shop where several local men gather on a daily basis to visit and enjoy their coffee. I’m sure Spengler’s turns into a very active pub at night. It was established in 1879 and still has the beautiful tin ceiling. We all enjoyed having breakfast. The young man in the picture is one of six corporate jet pilots for a huge conglomerate; the gentleman with the John Deere cap is his father; the gentleman with the red suspenders is 87 and still rides his bike everyday; his 87 yr. old wife is an EMT first responder. No grass growing under the feet of these seniors! 

Ornate exterior

Riding out of Napoleon, we rode by the humongous Campbell Soup plant where V-8 Juice is also bottled. By size, think Honda plant near Canton, MS, or the Toyota plant at Blue Springs, MS.  

Further down the road we wandered into the town of Grand Rapids. For some reason, I thought this was a city. Actually, though, it’s more of a village. Restoration of this old logging town began in 1975. All of the old buildings on Main St. have been restored and turned into shops (gifts, ice cream, antiques, floral) and restaurants. And, there’s a beautiful park along the Maumee River.

Log cabins to wind turbines!

Then, it was on to Tontogany and then to Bowling Green. Along the way, we were treated to more wind turbines (forgot to mention that we saw tons of these yesterday along Stateline Rd. {Indiana and Ohio}) which really fascinate me. I’d like to see one being erected. . . Once in Bowling Green, we spotted the Café of the Canyons, and on the recommendation of several local folks, went in and had lunch. From there it was a short ride out to the Best Western which, by the way, is such a treat after the smoky Super 8’s. Rooming with Karina A. Today was a treat, too, as we had time to take our time and really “smell the roses,” something that we just can’t do on the really long days.

Grand Rapids

Original cabin in Gr Rapids

Lovely to look at and delicious!

Menu: Spareribs and Gravy, Swiss Chard with Onion and Black-eyed peas, Yukon Mashed Potatoes, Salad, Homemade Bread (baked in the Dutch oven), Fresh Cherries and Blueberries.

Monday, July 25, 2011 Defiance, OH 83 miles

Taken as we left Indiana

Breakfast this morning was shrouded in fog and the air was cool! Since Super 8’s food options are not the best, Michelle cooked scrambled eggs with bacon, as well as the usual steel cut oats. There was plenty of fresh blueberries, raisins, brown sugar, etc. for the cereal. And, Carol, made Starbuck’s coffee which was mighty good. As we pulled out about 7, everyone had their taillights blinking. The batteries in my lights died sometime during the AM. Must remember to change them tonight. . . We 
pedaled through Zanesville, Poe and Hoagland before the sun popped out.  After crossing the Ohio line, we stopped in Payne where I enjoyed sharing a chicken salad sandwich with Connie at the corner filling station.  

Entering our 7th state

Then, it was on to Paulding. I see from my state map that we went around Fort Wayne and I didn’t even know it. The county roads that we follow had no signs for Ft. Wayne. Speaking of the roads, they were smooth and straight today. . . .Tonight is, guess what? You got it - Margarita Night? We do enjoy this treat and Carol has perfected her recipe since the first state crossing.

Chocolate Milk Club
Peg, Linda, Connie

Field of clover

Rode today with Peg (Seattle), Linda (St. Louis), and Connie (Fallbrook, CA). Rooming tonight with Katie. The rotation must be starting over. Observed huge fields today of Queen Anne’s Lace and also something that looked like clover. Ann Smith confirmed that it was clover.      

Menu: Teriyaki Chicken, Jicama salad, Red Quinoa, Steamed Broccoli w/carrots and water chestnuts, Angel Food Cake w/strawberries and sweetened plain yogurt. All very, very good.

Sunday, July 24, 2011 Huntington, IN 71 miles



Field of tasseled corn

What a nice day of cycling! The temperature was cooler, the sky was overcast, and the roads were near perfect. Being Sunday there was little to no traffic. We arrived in Huntington around 1:00 and enjoyed a milkshake before riding through town and out the other side to Super 8.

Early this morning, the humidity hung like a white blanket low to the horizon. I caught up with Linda, Peg, and Connie at the first SAG stop (20 miles) and rode with them for the remainder of the day. We talked a lot and stopped a lot for pictures or turning our que sheets over. The most delightful part of today’s ride (besides the cloud cover which was heavenly) was riding through the Salamonie River State Forest.   Just fabulous to have trees surrounding us! There was one good climb that put us up on top of the dam. I didn’t get a picture of the vastness of this river, but it is immense. The spillway side was pretty, too, and this is what I took. There were other photo ops today, too, that included a barn roof, amusing sign, corn tassels. I’ll try to add some of the good ones. Everyone completed today’s ride which may be a first for this trip.

My roommate tonight is Sue W. from Cleveland, Ohio. We traveled together last summer and enjoyed bringing each other up-to-date on our families. Coincidentally, Sue is a DG from U. of Michigan. Since she's a stronger (younger) rider than I, it's always fun to have the afternoon down time to visit.  

Salamonie River

Barn roof art

Bad Corner

Michelle had a delightful afternoon to cook and she made a pot of terrific Red Beans and Rice with sausage and some bacon, onion, squash, carrots, and who knows what else. :)) She also provided a vegetarian version, as well as a gluten free version. There was also a beautiful green salad, Bruschetti (sp ?) on French bread, two homemade pies (strawberry and blackberry), and fresh strawberries.

Friday/Sat. July 22-23 Logansport, IN 20/96 miles

This is a layover day in Logansport but will write for awhile as though it were yesterday.

Weathered barn

Curious goat

Mt. Zion EUB Church 

July 22. Another crack of dawn start today. We literally watched the sun break over the horizon with the temp close to 80! Since I’m getting wiser in my “old” age, I planned for only a 20 mile ride which worked just fine. I took dry clothes, a change of sandals, and a book, so was quite comfortable for the time spent in the van. Even got in a little snooze time. I think there were seven of us who cut the ride short. My attitude is changing from “I want to ride every mile” to “I don’t ride in this kind of heat at home so why bake my brain on a trip that supposed to be fun.” Also, because I’ve been a little bit puny the last few days, these two days give me time to get a good rest. Anyway, the Twenty Mile Club riders had a perfectly enjoyable slow ride filled with singing, joking and stopping frequently for picture taking.

We were forewarned about a bridge out around mile 15. When we reached the intersection just before the 

Ellen reading our bridge clue

bridge, our guide had left a note taped to a pole with one of the triangles that we all wear, telling us that the area in question was passable on foot. Indeed it was, but the soft, deep, dirty sand was like walking thru volcanic ash. Since I wear cycling sandals, my feet and shoes were filthy. My feet got washed in a sink in Brook, IN, and my shoes got washed in the tub last night.

Quick stop to pick up riders

Just after the bridge, we crossed into Indiana and stopped at a quick stop in Brook to be picked up by the van. The neighborhood coffee klatch was in session - a group of retired men enjoying their early morning coffee and visit before returning home to receive their “honey-do” orders for the day. I bought a bottle of cranberry juice and bag of chips (the latter I did NOT need, but they sure tasted good). 

Bikes on top of van

We arrived at the Holiday Inn Express just before noon. Since we couldn’t check in that early, we all walked a block or so to Bob Evans' restaurant and enjoyed a good lunch. I’ve never been in a BE before, but that place has something for everyone whether you want breakfast, lunch or dinner. Between the bunch of us, we had something of each category. The next order of business was, of course, was bike cleaning and laundry. We’ve all got the routine down pat (eat, clean, wash).

Lunch Bunch
Kit and Ellen in front

Dinner last night was broiler chicken from Martin’s (local grocery) and a great pasta salad (Michelle). Ingredients of the latter included artichokes, red peppers, calamari olives, multicolored pasta, bits of zucchini and yellow squash. I’ve forgotten the other half of the ingredients! It was great. The guides have been working REAllY hard in the heat and long mileage days to be sure we have adequate water and snacks by supplementing what the SAG drivers do. We were happy that Michelle let someone else cook the chickens. Besides, who doesn’t like roasted chickens from Kroger/Fresh Market, etc.?

July 23. Time change - Indiana and the rest of the trip are on EST.
My roommate these two nights is Katie K. Katie lives in Richmond, CA, has her Ph.D. and teaches college biology. At 38, she’s the youngest of our group and quite delightful. Through all the days of corn crops, she’s been telling us all about the various varieties and methods of planting seed corn, production corn, eating corn, etc. We’re somewhat concerned that some form of corn is in almost everything we eat.

Guide Carol drove several of us 15 miles down the road this morning to Peru (pronounced Pee ru) to the area bike shop. Since we had called ahead, Zac was expecting us and very accommodating about tackling our bike problems.  

Zac's magic touch

With some effort, he was able to correctly diagnose my shifting issue. Since the shifter was still a little stiff, I asked him to make it work so that his grandmother could shift! He understood that, and now I’m quite happy. I took the bike outside and rode it to make sure I could manage the full range of shifting. Hills are in our future tomorrow and probably everyday thereafter. With all the purchases of gloves, bike accessories, GU, etc., not to mention bike repairs, I’m sure Zac and his staff are happy campers, too.

For my grandchilden

I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s ride. The terrain promises to be more interesting, including a state park which means shade (!) but also possible, steep hills. Now that I can get to my low gear, the latter shouldn’t be a problem.

A word of thanks to all who (1) reached the end of this epistle, and (2) are supporting me with your prayers. I truly feel that support. Many thanks.  :))
Also, if you are reading the blog, do you know that you can click on the pictures to enlarge them? - a secret that I just discovered. . . I'm slowing learning how this thing works!