Milford, Ohio to Xenia, Ohio

Did I say I wanted an adventure? Well, leave it to WT to keep those adventures coming! We started our day this morning under a DARK sky and a TORNADO watch. Are we a bunch of wimps??? NO!! We got on our bikes! Today's ride was to be on a Rail Trail, and FLAT! NO cars, no dogs, piece of cake, right? Well, we went exactly 2.9 miles before the HAIL started, not to mention the downpour. The storm sirens were going off, so we took shelter in a convience store until the worst was over. Then, off we go again. I think the Little Miami River Trail that we rode would be great on any other day, but today it was an obstacle course of limbs, gravel, leaves, and other debris. There were at least 10 big trees down and blocking the trail. At mile 20.9 on the cue sheet, our tour guide pulled us off the trail because of lightening. A big group of us went to Al's Diner in the little Ohio town of South Lebanon, to wait for the storm to blow over. Although it was just past 10 am, we can always eat, so most of us ordered sandwiches, or chile, or both, and had a lot of hot drinks while we waited. Finally the rain stopped, and the sky looked brighter, so off we go, only to get rained on again a few miles down the trail. It was like biking through a big, wet, green tunnel, and every inch of the trail was littered with fallen trees and limbs. The Little Miami River Trail follows the Little Miami River, and small animals were out in force, playing along the trail. I saw a weasel, some little furry things that I think were groundhogs, rabbits, and squirrels, of course. Birds were everywhere, churping and singing. It was fun to me, riding today. Certainly on a day like this at home, I would not be on a bicycle, but I think everyone who rode today had a good time--an adventure! This part of Ohio had some serious flooding today. We saw many corn fields flooded, and the Little Miami looked like the Mulberry or Big Piney after a big rain. It was swift, out of it's banks, and filled with logs and other things floating along. More rain is expected tonight, but tomorrow should be clear and sunny with temps reaching 90. We'll ride 69 miles to Dublin, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Part of tomorrow's ride will be on the Ohio to Erie Trail, another Rail Trail.
Today - 56.6 miles - nine days, and counting

Milford, Ohio - Rest Day # 5

Nothing much to tell you today. It has been raining with tornado warnings here in Ohio. A group of the ladies went to an Underground Railroad museum in Cincinnati, but I didn't go. I seem to be caught up on museums for a while. I lost my cell phone charger--I guess it's in some hotel we stayed in along the way. So today I went on a mission to find a new one. I googled Radio Shack, and found one about a mile and a half from the hotel. I put on my biking rain jacket, walked there, and was able to get something that will work. On the way back to the hotel I got soaked. It was like walking in a storm along Louisville Avenue in Monroe.
Tomorrow we will ride on a Rail Trail. Rain is forecast in the morning.
Trip so far: 1315.7 miles - 20 riding days - 5 rest days - 11 days to go

Maysfield, KY to Milford, Ohio

Today's ride was almost all flat. I was SO glad! We had a only two big climbs on our route, but we (Kathy, Jennifer, and I) got lost in Stonelick, and asked a local guy for directions. Big Mistake!! The way he told us to go took us down the worst hill of the day, then when we realized that it was in the wrong direction, we had to CLIMB BACK UP IT!! We made it to Milford, though, for our first night in Ohio. Little Bo Peep had to take Marilyn to the airport, so we didn't have a SAG stop every 20 like we usually do. The van and trailer served as a SAG at twenty miles, then we were on our own. It was not a problem today, there were stores along the way. I am glad to be at the Holiday Inn Express, showered and cool, and ready to begin our rest day. We're going out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner tonight--a nice change from "Cafe Trailer" and parking lot seating. Patty, our chef, is leaving the tour tomorrow. She signed on for the first three weeks, and is being replaced now by a tour guide/chef, Michelle. I'll miss Patty's great meals, but I have heard good things about Michelle's cooking from some of the ladies who have been on other WomanTours where Michelle was the chef.
We all said good-by to Marilyn this morning. She was in quite a bit of pain, but is really a tough lady, and insisted on flying alone to her home in W. Bloomfield, MI. She is the third one to leave the tour since Mobile. I can't remember if I told you that the founder of WT started with us, riding a recumbant, but developed knee problems and went home the first week. Then, Christine (you've seen her in some of my early photos), abandoned the tour and went home in Louisville. Tomorrow we add five new riders who signed up for just the last two weeks, so now we are back where we started, plus one. I will enjoy having some new faces join us. Getting to know these ladies has been a pleasure.
The view from my hotel room last night in Maysfield, KY, was the bridge in the photo above. I snapped the picture from out my window. This morning was the last time we'll cross the Ohio River, and today was my first look at the state of Ohio. I've heard it is flatter than Kentucky. I HOPE SO!
Today - 69.7 miles

Dry Ridge, Ky to Maysfield, Ky

I've written everyday about how hard the hills have been for me. Well, today was no different. I heard from one of the ladies with a Garmin that we climbed about 3800 feet and descended about 4200 today. It was another hard day and I am tired tonight. Today's ride was really pretty, though. We were up on a ridge again, with beautiful views, a lot of old barns, pasture land with horses and cows, hay fields, and some tobacco farmland. We passed through some great little towns again. I'll post a few photos along the side for you. Purple and yellow iris are blooming and are in almost every yard we pass. The peonies have been really pretty, too. I've noticed mostly white and pinks. There was almost no traffic today (Sunday). There are A LOT of churches on this route. Sometimes we can see three or four at the same time. I wish I had been making photos of the signs some of the churches put out front. Some of them have been quite amusing.
I've been riding the past three days with Marilyn, the lady I told you about earlier who looks like she should be at a Garden Club meeting instead of on a bicycle. She has ridden her bike more than anyone I have ever met. She had ridden across America five (yes, 5) times, and border to border 5 times, also. She has ridden more shorter tours (one to three weeks) than she can remember. She is a good rider, not the fastest in the group, but she is usually one of the first in to the hotel because she is steady and doesn't stop much. When she does, her breaks are short. She flies downhill. I just get over and out of her way on the downhills because I know she will be passing me quickly. Today we had a lot of long descents, some of which were steep and curvy. At mile 60 of today's ride, our cue sheet read "CAUTION: begin steep 0.4 mile downhill, sharp turns at bottom followed by equal climb." When we approached this downhill about 12:30 today, I moved over and let both Marilyn and Marilee pass me. Marilyn was going fast like she usually does, when she came upon a 90 degree left turn. I saw her come out of her cleats, and touch her toes down on the inside of the curve, then her front wheel swerve, before she went out of site around the curve. When Marilee and I rounded the curve we saw that she had crashed and was lying on the right side of the road, not moving. She was breathing, but unconscious, and I didn't see any blood, or what I thought were broken bones. We were in a hollow, and our cell phones wouldn't work, so Marilee stayed with her while I ran back up the hill to call 911. She was taken to the hospital, but released about 6:00 pm, with a fracture to her pelvis, a cut on her head, and abrasions to her elbow and shoulder. She is here at the hotel tonight, but is flying home tomorrow afternoon. I am just so sorry that this has happened, and I am thankful that her injuries, although bad enough, were not worse. We will all miss her.
Tomorrow we have a 69 mile ride into Milford, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. My photos today include a couple of Marilyn, along with some of the pretty countryside we rode through.
Today - 72 miles

Madison, IN to Dry Ridge, KY

Charles Kuralt called Madison, Indiana "The most beautiful rivertown in America." Ladies Home Journal selected it as "The prettiest small town in the Midwest." It has the largest historic district in Indiana with 133 blocks on The National Register of Historic Places. We left the hotel this morning under a cloudy sky with the wind blowing and a forecast of scattered showers. We had a long downhill ride to the Ohio River and the town of Madison. What a delightful way to start our day. Madison, and the other beautiful little towns we've biked through have been one of my favorite parts of this tour. We crossed the Ohio on another big blue bridge back into Kentucky, and rode along the river for about 15 miles. Although the sky stayed overcast, it never rained and the wind was not a problem. Marilyn, Marilee and I biked along together with Lois joining us now and again. The country side was again farm and pasture land. I saw tobacco growing, but no wheat and not much corn. We climbed about 250 feet (according to the map) and rode along a ridge for several miles into the town of Dry Ridge, where we are spending the night. We had views off to the right and left as we cycled past some beautiful horse farms. We only had one long hill that I had to stand and crank up--the others I could make it over in my small ring and the 27 on the back. I am SO GLAD that Ricky suggested changing my back cassette and adding the 27. I remember asking DB when he put it on my bike "what would it do to my speed" and he told me that unless I ride like Tim Perry, I would not have anything to worry about. Turns out that he was right. Speed is NOT an issue on this tour, but getting up and over hills has been a very big deal. I should just stop looking at the maps we follow, because KNOWING that we have more hills ahead of us is worse than just being surprised as we ride along.
Tomorrow we have a 75 mile day to Maysfield, Kentucky. June 1st!! Why don't I just register for the River Cities Tri and stay home and do fun stuff for a while!! I am definitely getting LONG RIDES out of my system on this tour.
Today - 57 miles

Louisville, KY to Madison, IN

Indiana! A day of dogs! I thought we left the dogs back in Tennessee, but they seemed to be everywhere today. We left Louisville this morning and had to cross back over the Ohio River on that long bridge in one of the photos below. We had no problems leaving the city, or for the first part of the ride through pretty, up-scale neighborhoods and subdivisions, but when we got out into the countryside things changed quickly. Several of the first dogs to bark were chained or behind fences, but they sent out a warning to other dogs along the way that we were coming. I was riding with Marilyn, and we were in the lead, so all the dogs were fresh and ready to chase us. And they did!! Big ones, little ones, black ones, yellow ones--I lost count. I must have sounded like a freight train coming when I had time to get my whistle out and start blowing. Some times all I had time to do was yell. Marilyn used her Halt twice. I had mine handy, but never felt threatened enough to use it. They came at us in groups today, too--four or five at a time. These Indiana farmers must love dogs to have so many. Part of today's ride was hilly too, short steep hills, but I made it over most of them without too much huffing and puffing. I wonder if I'll EVER be able to ride hills easily?? I didn't make many photos. We passed through a lot of farm and pasture land again, but saw fewer horses. The crop of the day seemed to be wheat. It's just a sea of green in some places, and so thick it looks like artificial turf. We did very little stopping along the way, and got to the motel earlier that usual, so I've had a long afternoon to rest. Surprisingly, I don't feel tired tonight. Tomorrow we ride 60 miles, back into Kentucky for the night. We've spent ten days in Kentucky, more than in any other state. Tomorrow (Saturday) will start our fourth week. I can't believe how fast the time has passed. We'll ride four days in a row this time, with two 60 mile days, and two 70 miles days. Our next rest day will be Tuesday in Milford, Ohio. The photo today is of our Adventure Cyclist Map a few days ago. I wanted you to see the profile of some of our hilly days.
Today 57 miles - Total so far 1,117 miles

Louisville, KY - Rest Day # 4

Louisville is a beautiful city. Our hotel is in downtown, just off the Ohio River between Main and Market Streets, so we could walk or take the trolley to so many great places. The lazy rest day I had planned didn't happen--there was just too many good things to do. Louisville is the hometown of Muhammad Ali, and I admire so much his determination to succeed in the sport he loved, so I had to go see his museum. Then there was the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory--I couldn't miss that either. I saw a huge YMCA just down from the hotel, and went there to see if they had a Yoga class or a lap pool. They had both, so I swam a half hour, then went to Yoga. Oh, and I was able to squeeze in a massage and a late lunch between the museums and the swim. It was a beautiful day here, and I walked a lot, but I'm so glad I got to visit this city for a day. I would like to come back one day.
Tomorrow it's back on the bike. We'll ride 59 miles to Madison, Indiana. Margarita time, again!!

Brandenburg to Louisville, KY

Yea!! I'm at the Marriott in downtown Louisville, in a comfy chair, legs stretched out on an ottoman, clean from a 15 minute shower, and not too hungry yet. JUST had to ride my bike 51 miles to get here, but after that killer day yesterday, today seemed easy. It was almost cold when we left Brandenburg this morning, after a rain last night. We crossed the Ohio River into Indiana soon after we left the motel, and GUESS WHAT!! Indiana has hills, too! Not as bad as yesterday, but they just kept on coming. On some of the downhills I could get up enough speed to ALMOST make it over the next one. I still had to stand up and crank near the top, but not as often, and not as long as yesterday. Our cue sheet was three pages long today, something like 50 turns, so we had to be careful to stay on our route. We missed a turn early on and had to back-track about a mile, and believe me we DON'T want to add extra miles to our day, so we were more careful after that. We rode through the Indiana countryside for about 40 miles, then got into the urban area and had to navigate our way into downtown Louisville. We crossed over the Ohio River into Kentucky again, and saw our hotel was waiting just beyond the bridge. I toured the cute little town of Corydon, Indiana with the group in the first part of today's ride, but then skipped a museum stop and just rode on the the hotel. Kathy came with me. All either of us wanted to see at the end of today's ride was the Marriott! We beat our luggage here, so although we were able to check-in, we couldn't shower because we didn't have our clothes. We chatted a while with a local guy who asked where we were going, and went on to ask a lot more questions. We stopped by a bike shop and just looked around like for a few minutes like bikers do, then Marilee and I rode along the Riverfront for three or four MORE miles while we waited for the van to get here with our bags. Since there was not a good place for our usual parking lot dinner at Cafe Trailer, we all went out to eat at The Spaghetti Warehouse which is just behind the hotel.
Now, I'm back where I was when I started this note, but this time I'm not one bit hungry. I'm planning a lazy day tomorrow, but there is a "Welcome to Louisville" guide on the desk in my room, so .......
Today 51 miles - So far 1,060 miles - 16 Days of riding - 4 Rest Days

Lewisport to Brandenburg, KY

Today was one of my best days so far, and one of my worst days, too. The 88 miles from Lewisport to Brandenburg started in a dense fog. It gave the early morning Ohio River valley farmland we cycled through a soft and beautiful quality. The roads were smooth and flat for the first 15 miles as we cycled pass more tobacco and corn crops. The sky stayed overcast until almost noon. The hills began too soon, and were almost too much for me before the day was over. Kathy's Garmin showed over 4200 feet of climbing in our 88 miles, with some of the long hills over a mile and a half long. Several of them were 15 - 18% grade. It got hot when the sun came out, and the hills almost got the best of me. I really had a hard time the last 15 miles. I just wanted it to be OVER!! We took a break at a little country store at 75 miles, and I had a coke and part of a PB&J sandwich, and was able to ride on into Brandenburg. We entered the Eastern Time Zone, so when we finally got to the motel, it was 4:45--we started the morning at 6:45--much too long on the bike for me!
Today we passed through several little Ohio River towns, and visiting them, and talking with some very nice local folks just made my day. I fell in love with the riverfront town of Cloverport. We talked a while with a nice guy in a red pick-up truck who told us a lot about their local history. On down the road, we saw a "Strawberries For Sale" sign in front of a Mennonite farmhouse and stopped, bought a quart, and ate them on the spot. The mother and her seven children all came out to visit with us. They had just picked the strawberries that morning. They were red and ripe, and tasted just like strawberries should taste--absolutely delicious!! There were several other interesting places along the way--a rock quarry, a huge mansion in ruins, a bright blue bridge, and more beautiful farm and pasture land.
Tomorrow we have a 51 mile day into the city of Louisville, then a rest day. Again, I am ready for a day OFF the bike. Most of our ride tomorrow will be in Indiana. We'll cross the Ohio River twice. We'll be at the Marriot downtown, so there should be some new things to see and do. I'm looking forward to it--I've never been to Louisville. Wish Mike could come again, but it's just toooo far.
Today was riding day number 15. We start the last half of the tour tomorrow.