Mt Vernon, Ohio to Oberlin, Ohio

Breakfast this morning was at 0600, so we could get an early start on today's 84 mile ride and predicted temperature of 90. Kathy, Judy, Anne, and I were on the road by 0645. The hills came first--big "Kentucky looking" hills! Remember, we're tough now, so we got them out of the way in the first 30 miles or so. My legs must not have gotten the message yet, that "we're tough", because they really wanted to wimp out on me. We're moving north through Ohio, but there was not much different about today's ride. Hilly countryside is pretty, though, so the ride was the prettiest we've had in Ohio. We passed a sign that said SKI AREA. I guess I missed the mountain, because I never saw what they ski down. A big hill? We passed quite a few Amish farms, and saw some of the men out working their fields with horses. I can't imagine living without electricity. The best thing about today was that it never got hot. We had cloud cover most of the way, so it really wasn't bad. It was just too long! We pace lined a lot. Kathy is so strong, she just pulls us along forever. Like yesterday, the last 15 miles were generally downhill, with a tailwind, and we were flying down the highway.
Our hotel tonight and tomorrow night is in the old historic downtown area of Oberlin. My roommate for these two days is Glenna, a 75 year old from Truckee, California, who joined us for the last two weeks of the tour. Before I came on this tour, I thought my biking days were numbered. I'm 63, and had been thinking, "How much longer can I do this?" Well, let me tell you--a LONG TIME! Maybe not as fast, or as far, but y'all are going to see me on a bicycle next year, and the next . . . . .
Today's ride - 81.5 miles Total so far - 1596.3

Dublin, Ohio to Mt Vernon, Ohio

The weather forecast today predicted temperatures in the 90's, and they were right! We left Dublin early (0645) this morning, hoping to beat the heat. There is not much to say about today's ride. It was long, flat for the first 45 miles or so, then rolling hills, and HOT. Louisiana Hot! I started with Kathy and her pardner from California, Judy, who has joined us for the last two weeks. Marilee, Anne, and Marnie joined us a the first SAG stop. We just moved on down the highway today. We only stopped when we needed water, food, or a bathroom. There are a lot of cornfields in this part of Ohio. The only thing different that we saw was a Rooster Farm. They were beautiful, but were crowing like crazy. I bet the neighbors love that! My favorite stop today was an old country store in Sparta, about 10 miles out of Mt Vernon, where we are spending the night. It was just before noon, and I needed something to eat. They had some great roast beef sandwiches with horseradish sauce. I didn't know I could eat almost a whole sandwich and get back on the bike and hammer (for me) the rest of the way in to town. The highway was smooth, the hills were gentle with an overall downhill, and we had a tailwind. Too hard to resist! I was like a horse headed for the barn.
Mt Vernon is a beautiful little town. They are having a "First Friday" festival tonight with live music and street vendors. They close the streets to traffic, and all the shops, restaurants, and galleries stay open until 9 pm. Sounds like fun to me. Our hotel is downtown on the square.
I have complained about the hills so much, that I should be happy to have an almost flat day, but the heat and the distance made today hard too. My legs are tired. Tomorrow we have an 84 mile ride. I haven't looked at the map profiles yet, so I don't know how hilly it will be, but I do know that it will be hot again. I thought it was going to be cool "up north." Was I ever wrong!!!
Today's ride - 71.8 miles Riding time - 4 hours, 47 minutes

Xenia, Ohio to Dublin, Ohio

I was unable to upload photos last night in Xenia because of our slow internet connection, so I've posted them today. I wanted you to see the downed trees on the Rail Trail. The little white spot on my glove is hail.
Today was an exact opposite of yesterday. Clear sky, sunshine, great roads and Rail Trails, very little traffic and, best of all, FLAT WITH A TAIL WIND!!! I left the hotel with several riders, but most of them stopped at The National African-American Museum at Wilberforce College in Xenia, and I just kept on pedaling. About 15 miles of today's ride was on the Ohio to Erie Rail Trail. These trails are great--smooth asphalt, flat, and scenic. We passed through Ohio farmland, with corn as the main crop. I saw soybeans and what I think were oats, too. There were a few pastures with horses, cows, and goats along the way, but not as many old barns as we saw in Kentucky. I'm seeing that these old barns are being replaced with new sheet metal buildings. One day when all the old barns are gone driving through rural America won't be as scenic as it is today.
Tomorrow we have a 75 mile day to Mt. Vernon, Ohio, then Saturday we'll ride 84 miles into Oberlin. Sunday is our last rest day. We only had to ride four days in a row again. The miles are definitely easier without the hills, but I still want the ride to be over after about 60 miles.
Today's ride - 70.7 miles

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