Day 40 - Conneaut, OH to Fredonia, NY

Milestones:
- Over 3000 miles
- OH to PA
- PA to NY

Again, 3 segments:

1. Conneaut to PA on Rte 20. Rte 20 in PA pre-Erie is a great ride. Pavement is perfect; shoulders are wide. It seems that as soon as I enter PA the terrain becomes rolling and hilly. First 30 miles are wonderful.

2. Thru Erie, PA
See the pic below about Aggressive Drivers - it appeared just as the shoulder became covered with debris and then disappeared as the traffic-congested mall sprawl area started. Have the Erie police thrown in the towel to the aggressive drivers?? The ride thru Erie seems to go on forever and there is no discernible shoulder until after getting thru the mall area on the East side of town. Harrowing!

2. North East to Fredonia
Stop in the town of North East for 10:30 break. Really great downtown; park in center of town; Maryhurst College; apparently the economic center of this wine growing region. I jump on Rte 5 / NY Bikeway 512.

Unbelievable ride along Lake Erie. Reminds me a lot of Rte 2 - beautiful year-round homes alongside small cottages. Instead of hayfields around the camps there are vineyards. Gorgeous ride.

Except for the wind - again. Checked the weather on Thu night - winds out of the SW for Fri and Sat. YES!! Check once more on Fri morning. Winds out of the NE at 10 - 15. Oh No !! Rode into the wind all day and have 92 miles into the wind on Saturday to Geneseo.

Great lakeside views in Westfield and Dunkirk (milk shake time!). Couldn't help observing the significant break-waters - imagine Lake Erie gets wild during storms.

Pics of corn and soybeans in PA (of course), but now also acres and acres of vineyards - many wineries and a Welch's grape juice processing facility.

The last 38 miles of the day are to be remembered.

Folks at Fredonia library are really helpful.

Day 39 - Brecksville to Conneaut

Out of Dennis' house at 6:30. With 90+ miles ahead of me, and the first 35 or so amid the Cleveland work traffic, I wanted an early start. As it turns out, a good decision.

Out Hwy 82 and on to Hwy 91 with lots of traffic and quite a few stoplights. Hwy 91 has a little bit of everything - good and bad pavement; long flats and some steep hills; congested traffic and malls interspersed by quiet, up-scale neighborhoods. The kind of road where time flies by.

On to Route 20, and stop for breakfast at mile 55.

The waitress tells me she brought her plants in this morning because of the forecast for 50 MPH winds and severe thunderstorms.

No problem - probably come in late afternoon!!

I head down the road, and 15 miles out of Conneaut I observe very, very dark clouds over Lake Erie.

I really step on it, trying to beat the storm to Conneaut. Pull into a food mart to check map for motel location, and not 5 minutes after I'm off the bike the clouds open and some serious thunder and lightning arrive.

As I leave the store after the storm passes a woman yells to me that there is a tornado warning. I don't see any evidence of it, but later, at a pub, a guy sends me the pic below of the tornado that touched down 20 miles from here.

Except for the tornado pic, all others are from Conneaut. Finally, some wildlife down on the Lake Erie lakeshore.

Day 38 - Norwalk to Brecksville

Refreshingly cool this morning. On the road by 7:00. Out Rte 20 and turn off to local 303 about 10 miles out.

Almost stopped to put on my wind jacket.

Hwy 303 was great. Early on curvy, rolling hills, really rustic. Opens up to crop fields. Not much traffic; good pavement, and great riding.

I'm cruising along feeling safe and comfortable. A local truck-driver who I talk to to confirm routes tells me to be careful - "this road is a death-trap". It's all perspective !!

All too soon I have to turn off to Hwy 57 ( lots more traffic ), and then on to Hwy 82 to Strongvillle for an extended stop.

A guy at the Starbucks tells me about the great bike paths in the area, so I decide to take a bike path loop around 82 and back into Brecksville. First good hills in a while.

I'm at Dennis' (HS friend) and Rose's house by 3:00. Great conversation with Rose (first time I've met her), and Dennis is home about 5:00. Only 2nd or 3rd time we've connected in person since HS. Great catch-up; good laughs; good dinner in Brecksville.

Lots and lots of bike paths in the Cleveland - Akron area. Dennis and I stop off at the National Park where a tow path from Cleveland to Akron has been converted to bike path; and there's a commuter train also.

Pic below is their house.

Day 37 - Perrysburg to Norwalk

Raining as I left Sue's house this morning - but not hard enough for the rain jacket.

I decide to get back on Highway 20 to get to Elmore. Word is that there is a shoulder, good pavement, and hopefully minimal traffic at 7:00. And there are no good alternatives without lots of circumnavigation.

Highway 20 redeems herself. The ride to Elmore is great - a combination of rural and suburban sights. Great shoulder to ride on, and truck traffic not a problem.

22 miles to Elmore where I jump off to try a new concept - a rail trail.

Pics of Elmore below - yes, another nice town and the Red, White, and Brew coffee shop is great.

Jump on the bike path for some 25 miles thru Fremont and into Clyde. It's a nice alternative. Great pavement; no traffic; ride along farm fields and thru some small towns. See some very overweight and elderly people riding adult tricycles - seems like a good option for them to at least get some exercise.

Back on Hwy 20 at Clyde for a no-hassle finish into Norwalk.

A somewhat uneventful day with a nice ride. And I am re-thinking my road selection out of OH and into NY - Hwy 20 is back in the mix !

A couple of thoughts from the saddle:
1. I think it must be Illegal for dogs to ride in the cabs of trucks in OR, ID, WY, and NE. And the preferred dog safety restraint seems to be a spare tire for them to sit in for stability on sharp turns.

2. A non-scientific conclusion among a few of us who have shared 'secrets of the road' is that recent chafing is caused by a part of the anatomy getting smaller. No, not that part (but it's smaller too !!). Our butts. So our riding shorts are moving around more, thus requiring additional attention so as to stay healthy and comfortable. Love that Chamois Butt'r Cream.

3. How many times do you have to ask about directions to make sure you have the right answer? Minimum of 3!! And that's if all 3 people are locals with intimate knowledge of the vicinity.

Day 36 - Brooklyn to Perrysburg, OH

In Ohio.

Post for Monday, 7/23.

Ride today was again a 3 part melody.

Part 1:
Sprinkling as I leave Brooklyn. Pass the Michigan International Speedway, head on to Olnsted Road to hit the back roads. Starts to rain harder and I stop in Olnsted to don my rain jacket - for the first time since June 18 !!!

On to the secondary road to
Adrian, heavy rain, so I slow down the pace and just cruise. Not as bad as I thought if would be. Rain stops as I enter Adrian with 30 miles down. The thunderstorm did not materialize. I deserve a coffee and muffin !

Part 2:
The Killer. I head due South on a beautiful road out of Adrian: some very attractive small villages; wide open corn and soybean fields; beautiful homesteads, AND; a 25 MPH wind out of the due South. No surprise; it was predicted. Really makes the riding tedious. Lots of semis in the last 4 miles - tandems carrying crops.

Part 3:
County Road J for 14 miles. Gorgeous farms; great pavement; very little traffic; straight and flat with the wind on my right shoulder. This road is a 'keeper'.

I cross the Interstate / sprawl territory, cross a river and enter Perrysburg. Really nice town - again. Many diverse shops and businesses; some good restaurants. If's in the mid-90's and I take a looooong lunch. As I sit out in the courtyard of the restaurant the table umbrellas are lifting themselves into the air.

After a few hours of research on traversing PA and NY at the library I head to Susan Richards house - 5th Warmshowers host - and have yet another opportunity to connect with a fellow-bicyclist in a great neighborhood in Perrysburg. Have I mentioned yet how great Warmshowers is ??

Pics: yes, corn and soybeans in Ohio !!

Day 35 - Nashville to Brooklyn

Holy cow - the start of week 6!!!

Another beautiful morning ride. Warmer this morning. On the road to Nashville village by 7:15 to fuel up for the day, and then a great ride to Charlotte ( they pronounce it as we do ), to Eaton Rapids, Jackson, and Brooklyn on routes 73 / 66 / 50.

Pavement is in great shape; minimal traffic; bucolic!! Two beautiful days of riding this week-end.

Only been here for two days, and my conclusion is that there is some great bike riding in Michigan. And I hear that northern Michigan / UP is really great too.

Jackson is a good-sized city, but like most other City Centers in the mid-west, completely closed down on Sunday. No stop.

Brooklyn is home to the Michigan International Speedway (NASCAR?). Haven't seen it yet - down the road - and I DO NOT do extra miles to sightsee. Especially when they require back-tracking!!

Pics: threw in a couple more of corn and soybeans - just want to make sure you all remember what they look like. Downtown pic is Charlotte - really nice.

To Ohio tomorrow !

Frank
frank@projmgr.com

Day 34 - Muskegon to Nashville

Longer than I expected today - 99 miles versus the 88 planned.

Another day in three segments - two great back-roads routes with urban chaos in the middle.

1. A beautiful ride from Muskegon to Grand Rapids. Cool, slightly overcast, no sunglasses until I'm 45 miles in at GR. Ferrysburg, Spring Lake, Lamont to GR. Slightly rolling, small villages, dairy farms, crops - varied and beautiful.

Some extra miles due to two closed bridges and the need to backtrack to detours - and one is a gravel road.

In the Lamont area I start to notice that a number of homes - maybe 18 or 20 - have good-sized signs in their front yards displaying scripture quotes. Haven't seen that before.

Great morning ride. Refreshing!!

2. Grand Rapids - use up a few more miles heading south into downtown and them back out to follow my local-roads route.

I do have a great conversation with two couples when I stop to inquire about a local bike path - and really hope that I convinced one couple to don bike helmets !!!

GR must be a medical center for a large region. Lots of healthcare - their 'medical mile'.

GR also has a Historic District with some really nicely restored homes - see pic below.

Southwest GR had lots of traffic and strip development. I try routes 37 / 44 but can't stand the high-speed traffic - and it obviously can't stand me. Pull off the highway to do a goggle map scan. Find an option and head out Route 11 to Cascade. Frenzied !!

3. Whitneyville Road (maybe 20 miles) to Middleville ( ice cream shop !!) and then 11 miles on State Road to Hastings for a late lunch. Hastings is another great downtown - lots of them in Michigan as there were in Wisconsin.

The last 6 on back roads to Nashville's Thornapple Lake and Bob and Bobbie's house - Warmshowers hosts,

Warmshowers does it again. A warm welcome, an invitation to settle in and do or eat whatever suits me, and great conversation. Really wonderful people.

Bobbie has done a cross-country ride, and connected with Carol Tremble from South Hero on the trip. Small, small world. Bob has fished the Battenkill.

Segments 1 and 3 were great rides, and Michigan seems to have invested big-time in bike paths. Everybody talks about them.

Pics: there is a pic of Lamont - very quaint village - the pic (with the church on the left) doesn't capture how pretty the village is.