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!  :))