Final thoughts on the UGRR

Final Thoughts/Reflections

August 4, 5, and 6, 2011

The end of our trip has given us two delightful surprises: Buffalo, New York and Bob and Judie PufPaff.  Buffalo has turned out to be a jewel of a city.  We came to Buffalo with a not so favorable image of the city.  Buffalo has a unique and varied history.  The homes, places to eat, Lake Erie and the Niagara River all reflect the nature of this community. Bob and Judie are part of the community. They are long time friends of our friend, Paul Kressin.  Paul grew up here and encouraged us to call them while we were here. We are so glad we did!! Bob and Judie are marvelous hosts. 

Final Thoughts

Every tour we have taken has its own character/flavor/theme. For example when we did the Lewis and Clark Tour the theme was tracing the historical journey of Lewis and Clark.  As we traveled the route we saw markers of the events that made history.  The Great River Ride was traveling along the 4 great rivers. (You get the idea.) 

This trip has its own character/flavor/theme.  It brings to mind two words: escape-and invisible. Evidence of the “freedom seekers” is scarce and limited through the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee.  Because of the weather and terrain, we always felt like we were “escaping” to the North for cooler weather and less rugged terrain.  When we reached Ohio we felt this ‘breath” of fresh air from the Ohio River. Our route at times seemed invisible like a secret. The lack of documentation up to Ohio made us wonder how the “freedom seekers” every found their way.

Our trip was Hot the first two thirds and we had difficult days.  The detours we encountered weren’t always pleasant surprises, but we problem solved our way through them. Each day we learned something new about ourselves and our country. Bike touring is like life’s journey (OK you have heard this before)—every day is a new day.  Some days are better than others, but we learn to accept each day as a gift.   We learn to expect and deal with the unexpected. We use our sense of wonder to  look for joy each day no matter how big or small. , We appreciate the people along the way and the memories they leave with us.

Thanks to ALL of you who responded by emails, Face Book and texting with your positive energy, prayers and safe travel wishes.  You will never know the impact of your kindness to us as we read your messages at the end of a particularly challenging day!

Thanks to Jessica, Greg and Esther for watching and caring for our home.

To Esther –keep your sense of wonder, adventure, and joy.  But most of all remember that you have the family trait of “spunk” (courage and determination) from Grams!

Total Stats of the Trip

1771 total miles

10.8 average mph

163.8 riding hours

69,000 feet elevation gain (13.2 miles)

Happy trails

Charlene and Bruce

August 3 Last Day Ride to Niagra

August 3, 2011 WE MADE IT!  1771 MILES

On our last morning we wake up to an overcast sky with threatening rain in the forecast.  For only the 3^rd time on our trip we don our rain jackets.  Bruce and I are filled with excitement and anxiousness for the day as we leave at 6:45 for our last day and Niagara Falls.

Getting to the bike path that will take us to the Peace Bridge gets a little “dicey”.  The map directions tell us to “At the bus stop take a right on the trail.”  Right! We are in the midst of traffic, pouring down rain and underneath 4 freeway overpasses looking for the “bus stop.”  We decide to sit under the overpasses until the rain slows up.  Finally we ask a passerby where the trail is and she directs us across 4 lanes of traffic.  Pushing the bike across we find the bike path and are on the trail.  The trail goes along Lake Erie until we get to the Peace Bridge.  Before getting on the bridge we have to “unhook’ Bob in order to get through the gate.  We walk Bernice over the bridge facing the traffic of TRUCKS.  Whew we make it over and manage our way through customs.  We are in Ontario.

Traveling to the fall is why we love biking so much.  The road to the falls is called the Niagara Parkway. This parkway is along the Niagara River through some of the most stunning houses we have seen on this trip.  The parkway has hardly any traffic, no hills and the road is smooth.  As we pedal along we watch the river which is flowing so slowly that the surface looks like glass.  We note the lack of Cicadas today, but hear crickets. Along the way we encounter lots of Canadian Geese who think they own the property by the river.  Our ride is so peaceful as we watch the river change in its flow from glass to ripples. We start to notice a “steam” ahead but because we don’t know what to expect we think it might be a steam plant?  The closer we get the more buildings and construction (They are building a tunnel under the falls) we see along the river.  The steam becomes more pronounced as we start to hear the roar of the falls.  We enter the Horseshoe Falls viewing area to an extraordinary view!!! Both Bruce and I are in awe of the sight.  It was glorious.  After eating lunch, taking pictures and visiting with people, we ride back to Buffalo.

We are staying at a Bed and Breakfast in Buffalo called Beau Fleuve.  www.beaufleuve.com    It is a Victorian B and B in a lovely neighborhood in Buffalo.  Big George, our GPS, gets us there safely and without too many “honks” from the New Yorkers who are always in a hurry.  We celebrate by going out to dinner and having champagne. 

Arrival Time 4:10 pm

52 miles, 8.9 mph(that includes walking over the Peace Bridge twice and walking the bike around customs), 5 hours 49 minutes ride time, 800 feet elevation gain

August 4, 2011 we will spend packing up the bike.

August 5, 2011 working with Fed Ex to pick up the bike

August 6, 2011 flying home.

Critter count

3 Blue Heron

1 Presbyterian Church

We will be sending out before we leave Final Thoughts/Reflections from our trip.  That will be the last report from us.

July 29-July 31 Update Getting Close

July 29, 2011 Last night in Ohio and 7 days to home

We left Hudson, Ohio around 6:50 am with 72 degrees.  We were a little late today due to monitoring the weather.  Our direction for the day is north and east, but a storm is coming from the North and West.  The weather service was not sure how far east it would go

The storm hit us about an hour into the ride.  No lightening or thunder, but we got hit with a rain storm. We biked towards a building and they let us stay inside until it stopped.  We spent the rest of the morning putting our jackets on and taking them off!

In Burton, Ohio we met a woman from Seattle; she is biking with 25 other folks (supported) from Seattle to Washington DC to raise money for the American Lung Association.  It was fun connecting.

Today we rode through a large Mennite community.  They are similar to the Amish in that they see themselves as “plain people, non-violent and center their lives around church and family.  It was interesting to compare the Amish community to the Mennites. We noticed the Amish were much more primitive in their homes and surroundings.  The Mennites homes were stark white and had well kept yards and farms.  They even waved and smiled at us.  The Amish did not. 

Today was hard because Bruce’s seat brace broke.  Luckily he had a spare brace (not the first time this has happened) so we pulled over to the side of the road to do a repair.  We had to unload the bike and dig into the Bob.  On the road again and hope this brace lasts the trip.

Sadness happened today…I am officially out of Sweet Tea country.  I have been asking for it the last few days.  The response I get is “there is sugar on the table.” L

While we were biking a mail carrier drove up alongside of us to “chat.”  He wanted to know where we were going and where we can come from.  He told us where to eat in the next town.  Gotta love people like that.

Reserve Greenway trail is another Rails to Trails supported trail.  We rode it our last ten miles into Austinberg.  All along the trail were points of interest of the history of the UGRR reinforcing Ohio’s strong leadership in the UGRR. The steamboats on Lake Erie used to carry the slaves to Canada which is about 54 miles from our point on the trail.

We were curious about our mph yesterday and realized it was the road conditions.  Ohio is a good example of a state where their infrastructure is falling apart.  The roads yesterday had huge chuck holes with wash board ripples down the road.  The sides of the roads and bridges are crumbling away.  Pretty sad. 

Arrival time 3:30 pm

70 miles, 10.9 mph, 6 hours 22 minutes ride time, 2800 feet elevation gain. 

Critter count

4 turkeys

3 deer

No churches today

July 30, 2011 First and Last night in Erie, Pennsylvania.

We left at 6:45 am with a wonderful temperature of 72 degrees.  It felt so good! We got back on the Western Reserve Trail. 

Bruce’s clips on pedals (7ears old) are “acting up” so we may have to find a bike shop for a new set.

We learned to day that a resident of Erie, Shipman, was the organizer of 30 miles of the UGRR.  He organized the “stations” and conductors for this branch of the UGRR.

In Ashtabula a marker indicated a train disaster in 1876.  93 people were killed.  The engineer of the project disagreed with the designer and architect of the project, but the company went ahead with the bridge design.  The bridge failed as the first train went over it.

The Cicadas continue to stay with us on the trip.  8 states later we still hear them as we pedal along.

As we leave Ohio and enter Pennsylvania we see lots of vineyards, orchards and berries replacing the corn fields.  It is an odd combination to see as we have been so used to soy and corn.  There is no indication of commercial wine places just farms growing grapes.

We went to dinner at the Sloppy Duck on the Bay Front of the Lake Erie.  Stuck my feet in Lake Erie and walked around a park and marina.  Tomorrow is a rest day!! We are looking forward to actually vegging out. 

We have 3 more days of riding:

·        August 1 Dunkirk New York

·        August 2 West Seneca, New York

·        August 3 Buffalo, New York

Arrival time 1:45 pm

52 miles, 10.8 mph, 4 hours and 51 minutes ride time, 1400 feet elevation gain

Critter Count

4 rabbits

2 Presbyterian Churches

July 29 and 30th Update

July 29, 2011 Last night in Ohio and 7 days to home

We left Hudson, Ohio around 6:50 am with 72 degrees.  We were a little late today due to monitoring the weather.  Our direction for the day is north and east, but a storm is coming from the North and West.  The weather service was not sure how far east it would go

The storm hit us about an hour into the ride.  No lightening or thunder, but we got hit with a rain storm. We biked towards a building and they let us stay inside until it stopped.  We spent the rest of the morning putting our jackets on and taking them off!

In Burton, Ohio we met a woman from Seattle; she is biking with 25 other folks (supported) from Seattle to Washington DC to raise money for the American Lung Association.  It was fun connecting.

Today we rode through a large Mennite community.  They are similar to the Amish in that they see themselves as “plain people, non-violent and center their lives around church and family.  It was interesting to compare the Amish community to the Mennites. We noticed the Amish were much more primitive in their homes and surroundings.  The Mennites homes were stark white and had well kept yards and farms.  They even waved and smiled at us.  The Amish did not. 

Today was hard because Bruce’s seat brace broke.  Luckily he had a spare brace (not the first time this has happened) so we pulled over to the side of the road to do a repair.  We had to unload the bike and dig into the Bob.  On the road again and hope this brace lasts the trip.

Sadness happened today…I am officially out of Sweet Tea country.  I have been asking for it the last few days.  The response I get is “there is sugar on the table.” L

While we were biking a mail carrier drove up alongside of us to “chat.”  He wanted to know where we were going and where we can come from.  He told us where to eat in the next town.  Gotta love people like that.

Reserve Greenway trail is another Rails to Trails supported trail.  We rode it our last ten miles into Austinberg.  All along the trail were points of interest of the history of the UGRR reinforcing Ohio’s strong leadership in the UGRR. The steamboats on Lake Erie used to carry the slaves to Canada which is about 54 miles from our point on the trail.

We were curious about our mph yesterday and realized it was the road conditions.  Ohio is a good example of a state where their infrastructure is falling apart.  The roads yesterday had huge chuck holes with wash board ripples down the road.  The sides of the roads and bridges are crumbling away.  Pretty sad. 

Arrival time 3:30 pm

70 miles, 10.9 mph, 6 hours 22 minutes ride time, 2800 feet elevation gain. 

Critter count

4 turkeys

3 deer

No churches today

July 30, 2011 First and Last night in Erie, Pennsylvania.

We left at 6:45 am with a wonderful temperature of 72 degrees.  It felt so good! We got back on the Western Reserve Trail. 

Bruce’s clips on pedals (7ears old) are “acting up” so we may have to find a bike shop for a new set.

We learned to day that a resident of Erie, Shipman, was the organizer of 30 miles of the UGRR.  He organized the “stations” and conductors for this branch of the UGRR.

In Ashtabula a marker indicated a train disaster in 1876.  93 people were killed.  The engineer of the project disagreed with the designer and architect of the project, but the company went ahead with the bridge design.  The bridge failed as the first train went over it.

The Cicadas continue to stay with us on the trip.  8 states later we still hear them as we pedal along.

As we leave Ohio and enter Pennsylvania we see lots of vineyards, orchards and berries replacing the corn fields.  It is an odd combination to see as we have been so used to soy and corn.  There is no indication of commercial wine places just farms growing grapes.

We went to dinner at the Sloppy Duck on the Bay Front of the Lake Erie.  Stuck my feet in Lake Erie and walked around a park and marina.  Tomorrow is a rest day!! We are looking forward to actually vegging out. 

We have 3 more days of riding:

·        August 1 Dunkirk New York

·        August 2 West Seneca, New York

·        August 3 Buffalo, New York

Arrival time 1:45 pm

52 miles, 10.8 mph, 4 hours and 51 minutes ride time, 1400 feet elevation gain

Critter Count

4 rabbits

2 Presbyterian Churches

Update July 25-28

July 25, 2011 Delaware, Ohio

Last night we walked up town to dinner at a local pizza place. Cedarville is the home to a Baptist College. Across the street from the college is a Presbyterian Church.  We actually had to use an umbrella because the rain storm continued until late into the evening.

We were able to sleep for the first time without the air conditioner.  Just a ceiling fan, window open and outside sounds to lull us to sleep.

We left at 6:40 am and had breakfast provided by the Inn.  They packed us a breakfast the night before—such kindness.  It was about 72 degrees as we left for the trail.  We get to bike 30 miles on the trail today.  I am so excited to be able to ride the trail—it is so peaceful. Doves and other birds are singing as we go—for some reason the Cicadas are making their entrance later each day.

Most of our day was on county roads through corn and soy fields, low traffic, rolling hills, shade trees and open spaces.

Arrival time 2:00 pm

Stats for July 25, 2011

71 miles, 11.6 mph, 6 hours and 6 minutes ride time, 1400 feet elevation gain.

Critter Count

11 Rabbits

1 Chipmunk

2 dogs (well mannered Ohio dogs.  I learned from a dog trainer on the Ohio-Erie trail that if I yell “Leave it” they will back off.  They did!)

July 26, 2011 Mansfield/Mifflin, Ohio

Got up and out the door by 6:30 am today with breakfast all done.  The temperature is only 69 degrees with a misty covering over the fields and roads. A beautiful day ahead of us—high is only going to be 89 degrees.

We ended up with 2 road closures today.  The first one was redoing a bridge; we were able to walk through the construction with a little mud.  The second closure was not as “walkable” so we had to take a detour.  Our trusty GPS managed to get us around the construction and back on route.  (I think we are going to name the GPS “Big George)

I love biking in Ohio.  Yes Ohio has hills!! We encountered 3 today.  We walked 2 out of the 3.  The weather was perfect to walk up hills. Pushing a bike J

We realized today that we will be flying home a week from Saturday.  We talked about how we can’t believe the trip will be ending soon. 

Our bike chain is wearing out-the rear one. So we had to have a taxi take us to a bike shop that was in downtown Mansfield.  Oh well...we got a chain for the rear and a new front tire.  The original front tire was new (Yes Terry we started with brand new tires) but it was wearing funny-the core was showing.  Bruce put on the NEW spare, but felt we should have a good spare to go. 

Stats for July 26^th

Arrival time 2:40 pm

68 miles, 10.7 mph, 6 hours and 19 minutes, 3000 feet elevation gain

Critter Count

1 Blue Heron

4 dogs (nothing like Tennessee dogs)

1 Presbyterian Church

July 27, 2011

We were up and out by 6:25 am.  No breakfast we will eat on the road today. It was 63 degrees this am and for the first time we put on our long sleeves shirts.  It felt so good to feel the cool morning air.

In Jeromeville we had the BEST breakfast yet.  Jermoneville is about 900 people.  We arrive in town and spot only a small gas station! Bruce inquires for a place to eat breakfast.  We are directed to the American Legion Hall.  No signs, M-47 tank out front and cars.  We walk in and feel so welcome.  At one table there are 4 retired guys playing a game of Hearts, a couple of other folks eating breakfast and a mom and her son.  There is no menu, no sign board indicating specials and an open kitchen.  Everyone is welcoming us and asking questions.  The card players are giving each other playful jab (Just like my step Dad Charlie and his friends) and asking us questions.  The waitress asks us what we want—pancakes, eggs and sausage-just one order.  Well she brings us EACH 2 sausages, 2 eggs and 3 pancakes with all the coffee we want.  Bruce and I had a great start to our day.

As we travel we begin to see lots of “horse droppings” on the road.  Lo and behold we are in Amish Country.  We encounter at least 4 horse and buggies.   We begin to know which houses are Amish because there are no electrical lines going into the homes.  We also notice no cars or tractors in the fields.  One thing that was interesting to note is that their corn was not nearly as tall as the hybrid corn we have been seeing along the way.

We celebrated a milestone today.  We passed the mileage for the longest bike tour on Bernice we have done.  1410 miles so far on this trip.  We believe we will have 1800 by the end of the trip.

We are staying at the Shurtleff Cottage B and B.   It was the only thing in Oberlin that had room.  (We are finding it a little more challenging to find places to stay as we head northeast).  We are taking a rest day in Erie, Pennsylvania this week-end. 

Oberlin is the home of the Oberlin College.  There are about 2000 students.  The campus is around a plaza that is filled with gorgeous elm trees and walk ways.

Oberlin is considered the abolitionist “hotbed” and major stopover for the UGRR.  Abolitionist view ranged from prayer is the answer, political measures and some violence.  Giles Shurtleff was a professor and army general (We are staying in his home.) who led the Abolitionist movement in Oberlin. 

We were able to visit the Little Red School house in Oberlin.  It is one of the oldest school houses in the United States.  They have been able to preserve its entire contents down to the McGuffey Readers. The Readers had a publishing date of 1896 which is about the 5^th printing.  For a teacher it was a cool experience.

We were able to do a walking tour of Oberlin.  Through the campus, dinner and back to the B and B. 

Stats for July 27, 2011

Arrival time 12:45 pm

50 miles, 10.9 mph, 4 hours and 35 minutes , 2300 feet elevation gain. 

Critter count

1 Blue Heron

2 dogs

July 28, 2011 Hudson, Ohio

We started at 6:30 am.  The hostess of the B and B prepared us a little sack breakfast.  There is a slight rain falling  and it is 72 degrees.  We evidently put on our rain jackets and keep an eye to the sky incase  the clouds decide to “gather.”

One of things that we consistently see in the house windows is a candle.  This as we learned earlier marks a safe house.  It is a comforting sight as we bike in the early morning. 

I am noticing a lot of Lutheran and Methodist Churches.  There has been a decrease in Baptist, but not much on the Presbyterian.

Stats for July 28, 2011

Critter Count

15 wild turkeys (3 adults and 12 babies)

1 deer

Arrival time 3:00 pm

59 miles, 9.9 mph, 6 hours and 1 minutes, 2500 feet elevation gain

July 23 and 24 Cincinnati, Ohio and Cedarville, Ohio REST DAY!!
We start by sleeping in to 6:00 am, drinking coffee and reading the paper in bed. No hurry for us. No bike clothes, no suntan lotion, no bike shoes!
We want to see 2 things today—Harriet Beecher Stowe’s house and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. We are staying in Milford, Ohio which is just outside of Cincinnati. A taxi will be needed for us to get us around the town of Cincinnati population 308,000. Cincinnati is known as the "Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad."
A call for a cab brings us Omar. He is very nice and $50 later takes us to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s house. We had to go back into Kentucky to see the house. The home is open at 10:00 am. Omar drops us off and lets us know that it is "not a safe neighborhood" –he gives us his card and tells us to call when we want to leave.
The house is not well kept up and not opens on time. We hang around with another lady who is doing some gemological study until 10:30 am –not open yet. She offers to take us downtown to the Freedom Center, so we say yes. Oh well we got pictures of the outside. (As a sidebar—Bruce was going to propose to me at this house 2 years ago when we had to cancel our trip due to our accident.
The Freedom Center is across from the John Robbling Bridge. He was a Historical Civil Engineer. The bridge is a prototype of the Brooklyn Bridge. It was an impressive structure.
The Freedom Center was an excellent summary of the Underground Railroad. Bruce and I ended up spending 3 hours exploring the center. The building is 3 stories high. Inside is a circular stairway that leads you through 3 floors of the history of slavery. When you reach the top you step outside to the ever burning flame of freedom. The organization of each floor is around 3 words: cooperation, perseverance and courage. We walked up and through each floor visiting each pavilion of cooperation, perseverance and courage. The most impressive feature was the
We end our day at the Rock Bottom Brewery just off the Fountain Square. A beer, a glass of wine, snacks and outside eating is just a perfect ending for out day.
Tomorrow is Sunday—we are hoping to "sneak out of town."
No critter count today Thank goodness. It has been about 7 days since our last break. Slave Pen. It was discovered on a farm in Kentucky and moved to the center. The small log structure was used to store 75 slaves waiting to be shipped to the Deep South. July 24, 2011
Today we will get to ride on Little Miami Scenic Trail. Our first bike trail on our trip. This used to be an "overground" railroad until the mid1800’s. This is one of the longest paved rails to trails in the United States. (It is supported by the Rails to Trails organization of which Bruce and I are members.) We notice the lack of Cicadas, but they must have slept in because they came alive around 10:00 am.
Ok imagine this…car and dog free paved trail winding among rural landscapes, rolling farmlands, picturesque towns, river cliffs, birds and "our peeps"-cyclist. That
was today. Bruce and I thought we "died and went to bike heaven." The little towns we bike through all have a history of safe houses for freedom seekers.
To the north of the trail is the town of Springboro (Quakers) because of time and distance we were not able to visit, but it was a frequent stopover for freedom seekers. In our field notes we learned that a candle in the window meant safe house and a quilt on the clothesline meant keep going and walk softly because the house is not safe.
I wonder "Do clothes really dry here when you put them on the clothesline?" I had time to think about that today. I don’t think so. Also in my "wonder bucket" is when will Sweet Tea go away? I had it last night!
Thanks to Adrian Boomer for helping me identify the mysterious bird. It is a Baltimore Oriole They have been fun to watch today.
We stopped at Fort Ancient Earthworks. It is largest earthen structures build by Ohio’s ancient Hopewell culture.
Our last 3 miles into Cedarville we pedal our "butts" off as we try to beat a rainstorm. We are sky watching and notice the darkening clouds! Next comes the thunder….no lightening yet. We make it with 10 minutes to spare as the sky opens up and pours. Whew! We are staying at a beautiful inn—I could stay here a couple of days.
Today Bruce and I reflected on the trip so far. We have spent the last 1200 miles trying to "escape" from the heat, humidity, dogs and some day’s cars. Now we are in Ohio and we feel relieved. The weather has cooled (no air-conditioning on in the room and the window is open) and the terrain was welcoming.
Arrival time 2:20 pm (We had a great time eating lunch on the trail and visiting with other bikers.)
Stats for July 24, 2011
62 miles, 11.5 mph, 5 hours 22 minutes ride time, 800 feet elevation gain.

Critter Count: 1 rabbit Cedarville, Ohio Left at 6:40 am

July 21 and 22 Update

July 21 and 22, 2011 Update

July 21, 2011 In Ohio and out of Kentucky

We are now into our “new” routine of getting up at 5:30 am-packing up, eating a light breakfast and getting on the road at 6:30 am.  This is about 20 minutes before the big, bright reddish-orange ball of sun comes over the horizon.  This morning there are not any clouds to filter the sun so make sure we get on the road.  We are going to take a “off route” route today due to the heat expectations.  We have shortened the route by 20 miles with the GPS guiding us. 

One thing that is pretty ingrained culturally in Kentucky is their lawn.  They have acres of lawn---green rolling yards of lawn.  No one has a lawnmower-no you have a riding tracker.  The lawns stretch all the way to the edge of the road. 

Ridges (not on potato chips) are the terrain issue for us.  You can be at 500 feet riding along and you “hit” a hill that is 400+ feet high.  It is not a gentle climb like a mountain pass up to the top, but an abrupt straight up climb.  We have 2-3 of these each day.  We bike usually a third or half way up, and then walk it.  In this weather these are killers.  We are trying to make sure we have them in the am.  Once you are “up” on the ridge then you bike along the ridge.  The views are spectacular.  You see rows and rows of ridge and hills.  

We arrived in Augusta, Kentucky which is right on the Ohio River and has a ferry.  It is renowned for 2 reasons:

·        There are many homes that were haven for freedom seekers.  Of the homes only 2 of them are listed as members of the Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program.  Unfortunately neither site was open to the public. (go figure) 

·        The other distinction is the Clooney Family.  While waiting for the Ferry a local cyclist (gray haired with beard, shirtless, jean shorts and flip flops) stopped to chat.  He told us about the Rosemary Clooney house (some of you may have to ask your grandparents who she was) that had all her memorabilia plus her gowns from the movie “White Christmas.” ALSO George Clooney’s (Yes the actor) parents live in town.  Matter of fact our local person does odd jobs for the family.  George visits his parents often and walks around and no one bothers him. 

Along our ridge ride today we saw off in the distance on the Ohio River another Nuclear Steam Plant.  I did not realize there were so many along the river.

We are in Ripley, Ohio for the night.  Our room is only $45 per night not as bad as Cave in Rock, IL.  Ripley is the home of two famous conductors: John P. Parke (former slave who purchased his freedom) and Rev. John Rankin (a Presbyterian minister) Parker would often slip back into slave territory to help freedom seekers cross the Ohio.  Rankin provided shelter to over 2000 freedom seekers.  His house could be identified at night from the river by the candle glowing in the window.  We did not visit the Rankin house because it was up a HUGE hill.

We have decided to take a rest day in Milford, Ohio.  It is 16 miles out of Cincinnati. We deserve a rest.

Stats for July 21, 2011

Arrival time is 1:00 pm

56 miles, 11.1 mph, 5hours 3 minutes ride time, 2300 feet of elevation gain

Critter Count

6+ dogs

1 blue heron

July 22, 2011 Milford, Ohio (16 miles on the outskirts of Cincinnati)

Our wonderful $45 room did not offer breakfast, so we decided to have it in the next town – Georgetown.  Out the door by 6:20 am with a stop at the “quick market” for Gatorade.  We have two hills to conquer this morning and want to get them out of the way before it heats up too much. (It is 77 degrees)

We arrived in Georgetown to find a stunning brick Presbyterian Church. Of course we continue to see Baptist churches every town we are in so far. We ate at a local restaurant and had real buttermilk pancakes! 

The terrain is changing we are seeing pine trees amongst the soy and corn fields. We are hoping for less ridges and more rolling hills.

Today we had a small wisp of a cloud cover and it made it tolerable to bike.  I can tell the humidity is less as salt is beginning to form on my arm and legs at the end of the day.

We were thrilled to today to actually see on a telephone pole a sign indicating the “Underground Railroad” route.  It is the freedom seeker carrying a lantern just like the one we have on our cards.  This was the first acknowledgement we have seen in 1100 miles. 

We stopped in Williamsburg for our “mixed” drink of Sprite and Fanta-lots of ice. I went to pay for it…the clerk said “I am paying for this one.”  I felt such joy by her generosity.  Of course I was “glowing” with beads of sweat running down my nose and my arms.  I love people. 

ATTENTION BIRDERS Could someone find out what kind of bird is about medium sized and has a bright orange breast and dark feathers on top?  I have not been able to find out what it is. 

All through our travels we have smelled and seen Mimosa Trees.  They are so beautiful. 

Arrival time is 1:00 pm (The last 5 miles were horrid.  I hate riding in big cities)

54 miles, 10.8 mph, 4 hours and 58 minutes ride time, 2300 feet of elevation gain.

Tomorrow is a rest day.  We need it!!!! We are going to go into Cincinnati.

 Critter Count

2 dogs

6 deer

2 raccoons running across the road

1 Presbyterian Church