Jeffersonville to Springboro

 We'll be crossing the border to Indiana tomorrow am and we gain an hour. We rode 53.2 miles to Springboro today and most of it was on the beautiful and shady Little Miami Scenic Tail. Midway today we stopped in Xenia a little liberal center in Ohio and also known for big storms that occasionally destroy swatches of the town We had lunch at the people's coffee shop. 

 14 more miles on the trail after lunch with the final 10 pretty hilly.

Circleville to Jeffersonville, Ohio

Fairly flat exists! (with a slight head wind)

Farm Country, the growing season. It was a splendid morning ride on a quiet ish country road, Rte. 22. The coffee pic is just before we set out. I don't know what it's called but there was so much pollen floating around it looked like snow, especially in contrast to the very blue sky. Steven and I ate a massive lunch at Soharo Hibachi. I am still full. It was painfully to ride the final 11 miles today. Eddie, Connie and Alice rode more Mike's than us today. I'd like to see them again, but who knows.

Buckeye Lake, Hebron to Circleville, Oh

Pasadise found. We are staying in a Rodeway Inn amidst every chain store and restaurant that you have ever heard of. We visited a Mexican one an hour ago and it wasn't bad. Peggy me and Steve finished everything on our enormous plates. I even stopped into Walmart for a large bag of Trail mix.

Actually, these last 3 days we've had trouble getting to the local towns and or campgrounds to stay due to the Memorial  Day holiday. 

Yesterday I think I mentioned how we met up with three cyclists crossing the country Eddie, Connie and Alice. We met them about 11 days ago initially at the Red room Inn near Antitem. They stayed at the Red Roof Inn at Buckeye too. We rode with them for half a day today. We hope to see them again. Here is a photo which Eddie took. Our Peggy is not here. The other two gals are Connie and Alice. After this break Eddie, Alice and Connie took the main route into Circleville. Steve and I followed by Peggy decided to take the scenic route, we didn't think

that that meant 1600' of climbing and a head wind. I bet that the flatter route would be just as pretty.

Along the road a few miles from town Steven saw a sigh near a small shack, Fresh Strawberries. The pics will tell the story. We also know what a Buckeye is, It's a nut that looks like a chestnut with a white eye on it.

Zanesville to Buckeye Lake rain or shine

 We cycled to a big breakfast and sat amongst many other seniors regulars. We expected to ride in the rain all day. Fortunately that didn't happen until... Steven and I, Peggy went a different route rode along the Historic Rte 40. There were many sections of old bridges from this route along our journey and I like seeing how the Ohioan's respected their history by saving parts. It's really cool seeing the old sections and there has got to be a book on the subject. When the road was built concrete was a new invention for a road surface. Brick layers protested that brick should be used.            We met a lady in a beautiful st in the town of Graitot, she told us that history of her little town. She said it's pronounced Gray sheet. The folks in Minnesota pronounce their town of the same name Gra-shit.                       After stopping at 28 miles for a 28oz Gatorade that I down in about 7 minutes we took off for our remaining 5 miles. We got drenched. Do to the holiday weekend we were lucky to get a Red Roof Inn to stay at near the highway. Goodbye Buckeye Lake. We won't get to see ya. Tried Bob Evan's for dinner for the first time. 11.4 mph today, some climbing 1500'

Barnesville to Zanesville,OH

 I am writing today May 27th because I was too beat up from this ride. The first half of this 54 mile ride was glorious even though it was hilly and challenging. Steven and I found ourselves on a gravel and dirt rode. I love to be on back roads, the road less travelled like this I enjoy The challenge of the terrain. We saw a house with 3 Saint Bernards. At 28 miles we went to lunch at a converted Dairy Queen for a hamburger and shortly there after on the famed route 40 we started struggling as the hills became longer while staying steep and the wind was every which way.  By the time we entered the town of Zanesville, named for Zane Grey we were exhausted. The near derelict Econolodge for looked reasonable.

The town is like struggling just like some others. Dinner at Olive Garden, my first time, not so bad, endless soup, salad and bread sticks. My head hit the pillow. End of day. 

Wheeling W.Virginia to Barnesville, Ohio

 We slept in a comfortable church basement last night in Wheeling. We toured around a little bit around 5pm. The streets were mostly empty The city looks somewhat frozen in time with nice old architecture and store fronts dating back to the 1800s. One of the big broad boulevards has been recently repaved  and the city seems to trying to find an identity. 

The road out of Wheeling this morning took us on a hilly route. On my many loaded touring trips the average mph stays around 10 and that is not for going at a touring pace it's for the load we carry and the terrain. We travelled the majority of today on the Historic National road, it was a project of Thomas Jefferson. It tooks us into the old town of St Clairesville which is the county seat of this part of Ohio. The above photos are Wheeling.

Washington,PA to Wheeling, WV

 Hi Everyone,

Sorry but for a couple of days I didn't have internet and yesterday turned into a peculiar day. I'll try to back track in synopsis. We finished the C&0 canal and stayed overnight in Cumberland, MD. The next day we started the GAP Trail. We climbed an gravel covered.railroad bed for 23 miles. The grades were insignificant  at 1 to 2 percent  but we climbed to about 2k feet. I met several riders on the way up and that was nice. In Frostburg PA the local church was handing out cold water under a Pavilion. I sat and visited for about a half an hour. The sky and the Pastor told us the a severe storm was going to hit. He suggested that we either stay put or like to the next Rail Road Tunnel, the Savage Tunnel.  About a dozen of us set out. We made it to about half way to the tunnel and we got slammed with rain and wind under thunder and lightning as hard as it gets. So hard that the tunnel was barely visible. I waited in the windswept tunnel about a half hour as the rest of the people trickeled in. We were freezing waiting it out. Next up on the trail was the Mason Dixon line followed a few miles later by the continental divide. Cool. We stayed that night at Husky Haven campground. The long line of freight trains sounding their whistles roared by several times that night.

The next day, I think May 22 We rode about 45 miles continuing on and finishing the GAP trail at a beautiful free hiker Biker campsite on the xx river. We stayed under a lean to. We slept with the ever present train nearby all night and heard what sounded like a bird preying on a hog before it went silent 

May 23 a shock Brian our trip organizer and master of everything needed to leave and return home. Brian is missed tremendously.

I rode out of camp with Jay and John into a very hilly ride to Washington P.A. This was 45 miles of significant hills in a beautiful ride. The hills I can describe as sine waves. I fell back behind John and Jay. They finished a few minutes ahead of me. In the meantime Jay wasn't feeling well, rapid tested and yes he has COVID. We lost two people in the same day. Now I and John needed to get tested. Now I'm determining how I get home, sure my trip is over. Luckily neither John nor I have it. John took off this morning he wants to ride more miles than I am willing to through this very hilly part of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and soon, tomorrow, Ohio. I asked Steven and a new comer Peggy if I could ride with them. We had a challenging and satisfying day. We are staying in a church basement for a small donation and had a great dinner outdoors. Tomorrow 3500K of sine wave hills to Barnesville, OH.

Pictures to follow. If you'd like to comment you can include your name and I know who you are. 

Also, I was so pooped and dehydrated yesterday I sent about 10 pounds of gear including my Tablet and keyboard to my sister's.