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
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