What drove me to ride my bike to Cleveland? I don’t know. Midlife crisis maybe? If so, I guess it beats buying a Corvette and chasing Hooters waitresses (Just kidding Honey!)
The idea came to me after I did my annual 100 mile Columbus to Cincinnati ride back in the spring. Other than getting rained on the last 20 miles it seemed almost too easy.
(Note: a plastic supermarket bag can be used to cover your handlebar bag in a pinch.)
I decided I needed to try something a little more challenging. Columbus to Cleveland seemed like a good fit. It looked like a hard two-day or an easy three-day ride but close enough for Mrs. Kong to come get me.
The weather has been pretty crappy in Central Ohio this year but somehow I’d managed to log 1,500 miles on the bike by early June. Any time it was above 35 degrees this winter I was out there with all my cold weather crap on. It helped that I’ve been riding rental bikes on my LA layovers all winter.
My French-style touring bike seemed like the perfect ride for a trip like this. I’m not big on giving names to inanimate objects but I figured a French bike should have a French name. I went with “Mystère” after the jet flown by the great Jacqueline Auriol. You knew I had to get an aviation reference in there somewhere.
I’ve put over 1,000 miles on it since I built it this winter. It’s by far the most comfortable bike I’ve ever owned. The Berthoud leather saddle is similar to the classic Brooks B17 but made of softer leather so it doesn’t require the long break-in period.
On day to day rides I just carry the handlebar bag, and the bike is a bit front-heavy. Put a rear bag and a couple of panniers on the back and it balances out nicely.
From my house to Cleveland by car is an easy 140 miles. To get there by bike is a little trickier. If you go mostly by road it’s around 150 miles. I’m not that brave, however.
I decided to ride the Ohio-to-Erie Trail. This is a collection of trails that will someday connect the Ohio River in Cincinnati to Lake Erie in Cleveland. At this point it’s about 80 percent complete. I should be able to do the whole trip and only spend about 30 miles on rural roads. The drawback is it stretches the mileage to almost 200 by the time I go far enough east to pick up the Towpath Trail in Massillon.
I was worried about lodging. I’ve never liked camping and I don’t plan on starting now. I happen to believe that indoor plumbing was a great invention. Electricity ain’t too bad either.
Millersburg looked like a good fit. It’s right about the halfway point and has a couple hotels.
The next problem was weather. This has been a really wet summer so far in Central Ohio. Just trying to find two relatively dry days in a row was problematic. June 4th and 5th looked decent so I gave it a go. I made it to Millersburg without any drama. Mrs. Kong drove up and met me at the hotel that evening. So far so good.
I get up early the next morning and the weather forecast has gone to crap overnight. It’s already starting to drizzle in Millersburg and the forecast for all of Ohio is now thunderstorms most of the day. It’s one thing to ride through the occasional rain shower but I’m not going to spend a whole day out in it even with rain gear. It’s a tough call but I scrub the mission.
It’s June 24th before I get another favorable forecast. Three solid days of sunshine. I don’t trust the third day, this being Ohio, so I decide to go on the first two. That turned out to be a good choice because the forecast didn’t hold up.
I leave the house just before 7:00 on Sunday morning. “I’m just going out for a ride” I say. It’s one of our little jokes.
This used to be the very edge of suburbia, but now McMansions and condos grow where corn used to. At this rate I probably won’t be able to ride the roads around here any more in a few years.
This early on a Sunday morning I have the roads to myself however.
I’m on the road for maybe five miles until I pick up my usual bike path near the reservoir. From there I can ride the path all the way to Galena.
I have to travel rural roads east from Galena to pick up the Heart-of-Ohio Trail in Centerburg.
Somewhere east of Sunbury I see some critter come out of the brush and start crossing the road maybe a car-length ahead of me. At first I think it’s a groundhog, then I see the telltale black coat and white tuft on the tail…..
Whoa! Brakes ops-check normal!
Turns out it’s not just a skunk but a whole family of them! Must have been five or six all traveling in a tight little pack. I thought these guys were supposed to be nocturnal. I give them a wide berth before pressing on. That could have been an embarrassing end to this whole thing.
Having avoided stink-fest 2018, I press on to Centerburg, which has a gas station and not much else. I stop in for a quick shot of coffee and bathroom break.
The Heart of Ohio Trail is relatively new and runs northeast to Mount Vernon. I make good time on the smooth pavement.
Food options close to the bike path in Mount Vernon are limited. There’s a decent little diner, which unfortunately is closed on Sunday. The next closest place is a Wendy’s.
Now I don’t mind Wendy’s, but this one is just, well, weird. For being so close to a major bike route, they act like they’ve never seen a cyclist before. I don’t know if it’s a small town everybody knows everybody thing, but I really don’t like being stared at. And trust me, these folks definitely stare at you. It’s not just me, my wife said the same thing the one time she was there. I half expect someone to walk up and go “Y’all ain’t from around here are ya?”
I find a corner by myself and eat my lunch while ignoring the stares. That place just gives me a weird vibe.
The nice thing about a bike tour is being able to go “Why yes, I will have the double cheeseburger with fries thank you very much!”
After fueling up I get back on the trail. Mount Vernon is where the Heart of Ohio Trail connects to the Kokosing Gap Trail.
The Kokosing Gap Trail follows the Kokosing River east from Mount Vernon through the little college town of Gambier. It’s a very pretty trail that I’ve ridden a few times before. It ends in Danville, maybe 14 miles to the east.
Danville is as far as I’d ever gone in this direction. After this I’m in uncharted territory.
The town of Danville is right at the edge of “Amish Country” and it’s not uncommon to see a horse and buggy go down the street.
It’s a very small town and I only have to ride a couple blocks before reaching the Mohican Valley Trail. This one runs maybe 4 miles east of Danville before crossing the county line and turning into the Holmes County Trail. You share the trail with buggies and I probably add a couple miles by swerving to avoid all the horse by-product on the trail.
The trail is pretty rough in a few spots. Probably due to all the horse traffic. At one point I pass a group of Mennonite girls on horseback going the other direction.
Once it turns into the Holmes County Trail it smooths out and begins a steady 4 mile climb. After cresting the ridge, it’s a steep 4 mile descent. I tuck in behind my front bag and hit 35 mph on the downhill (don’t try this at home kids). I make it almost to the end of the trail without pedaling.
The 7-8 miles from Glenmont to Killbuck is on Ohio 520. Fortunately it’s lightly traveled and most of the drivers give me plenty of room.
I take no chances out on the road. I run strobe lights front and rear, plus one on the back of my helmet at eye level for a pickup/SUV driver. I watch my mirrors closely when getting passed. I’m ready to dive for the shoulder if I think I’m going to get “squeezed”. The rode is hilly but nothing I can’t handle.
The appropriately named town of Killbuck seems to be popular with the camo shirt and F-250 pickup crowd. I take a quick rest stop and then get back on the road.
The Holmes County Trail picks up again on the north side of Killbuck. I get off the trail at Millersburg for the night. The Comfort Inn has a hot tub and I take advantage of it to soak my legs. I don’t feel that bad for having ridden 85-90 miles.
My feet are a little sore. I have two pairs of bike shoes, one that I’ve been using for many years and a newer pair that I’ve only ridden a few hundred miles on. I figured if I wore the old shoes the first day and the new ones the second day they’d at least hurt my feet in different places. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
Mrs. Kong meets me with the car. Millersburg Ohio isn’t exactly hopping on a Sunday night. We find a brew pub, grab a quick bite and make an early night of it. I know the next day will be rough and I plan to be out at first light.
The next morning I’m up at stupid-o-clock and out on the trail before 6:00 AM.
It’s just before sunrise so I’m running my generator lights plus my battery powered auxiliary lights.
I lose the trail in Frederiksburg, which has a surprisingly good coffee shop. I grab a coffee and a breakfast sandwich. The next 20 miles are going to be tough.
This part of Ohio is known as the “Amish Country” and there’s a lot of them here. So who are are teh Amish? From what I understand they’re a stricter version of Mennonite. I believe Mennonites will own cars and wear more colorful clothing, although Mennonite women all seem to keep their heads covered. There are different “flavors” of both religions, and some are more strict than others.
The Amish are into organic farming, dark clothing, hats and beards. So, hipsters basically.
My dealings with the Amish have mostly involved buying furniture from them. They have a reputation as master woodworkers. Sure, they’re a little different, but they’re people the same as anyone else, not some exhibit to be gawked at.
If you do find yourself driving in this part of Ohio watch out for buggies on the road. They travel at maybe 5 mph and slower going uphill. It’s very easy to come around a blind curve on a country road and run up on one of them. When a car hits one (and it happens) it’s really ugly.
The other thing this part of Ohio has in abundance is hills. The kind of long climbs that just grind you down after a while. These are much too big to sprint up. I gear it way down and grind my way to the top, taking the gravity assist on the way down. Lather, rinse, repeat.
On one particularly tough climb I’m grinding my way up the hill at 5 mph in my lowest gear. I glance in my rearview mirror and see another rider, wearing yellow no less, overtaking me at an insane pace. I think “Whoa! I didn’t know Greg LeMond was in town!”
As he blows by me I see it’s an Amish guy on an E-Bike. He’s not even pedaling. Well played Jebediah, well played.
After a solid 20 miles of hills I’m ready for a break. I stop at a Truck plaza in the town of Dalton for coffee and a pastry. Nobody stares at me, which is nice.
From here it should be bike path all the way. The Sippo Valley Trail runs about 10 miles east from Dalton to Massillon. The surface is a mix of asphalt and finely crushed gravel. I hit deep gravel in a couple spots and feel the bike start to go. Easy now, don’t brake, don’t turn, just ride it out.
In Massillon I pick up the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, which should take me all the way to Cleveland.
So what’s a towpath?
Back in the days before railroads and 767s, the most efficient way to move “stuff” around was by canal boat. The boats were pulled by horses or mules and could carry 10 tons at a slow but steady 3 miles per hour. That may not sound very impressive but it was a lot better than trying to haul it in a wagon on the roads they had back then.
The Ohio & Erie Canal linked lake Erie with the Ohio River. Today it mostly grows algae by the looks of it.
The towpath was a path that ran alongside the canal for the tow-critters to walk on. In recent years it’s been converted to a bike path. The surface is mostly a mix of finely crushed limestone with occasional stretches of asphalt. The limestone is actually a smoother ride. Some of the asphalt is pretty rough. My wide, low-pressure, 650b tires seem to handle it pretty well.
Oops, spoke too soon. I haven’t been on the towpath very long when my rear tire starts going flat. I think it may have been a “pinch flat” after a particularly hard bump.
The trail is pretty narrow at this point so I have to stop and pump it up a couple times until I finally reach a parking lot where I’ll have room to work.
I had a tough time getting these tires mounted when I bought them and it doesn’t come off without a fight. I spend 30 minutes cursing, sweating and wrestling with the tire before I finally get the tube swapped out. Well golly that was fun.
The locks have a set of doors on each end. Once the boat is inside the lock the water level can be raised or lowered so it can go out the other end. The same technology is used on the Panama Canal, for example.
I’m about 50 miles or so into the day when I start realizing I should have planned this a little better. I was so worried about the hills, that I just figured “get to the towpath and sort it out from there”.
I’m starting to bonk and my feet are starting to really hurt. I don’t think these new shoes are fully “dialed in” yet.
(Turns out I had the cleats mounted too far forward, which was putting pressure on my toes.)
I broke one of my cardinal rules: don’t change your gear just before a long ride. Go with what you know works.
I loosen my shoes up but it only buys me another 5-10 miles before I really need to get off this damn bike. I finally reach a park bench, take my shoes off and eat some of my food. I’m kicking myself for not stopping for lunch when I went through Canal Fulton.
I’ve never been to Akron before so I don’t know the area. The south end of town looks very industrial and I realize I’ll probably have to press on further before I can find lunch.
Just ride. Ride through the pain. Ride through the fatigue. Ride through the hunger. “Hey! You’re the one who wanted a challenge!” I tell myself.
The trail turns into a bike lane right through downtown Akron. I stop at a pizza place, grab a couple slices and chase them with some Ibuprofen. The flat tire, foot pain plus some headwinds have put me about an hour behind schedule.
Just north of Akron a section of the trail is closed off due to a tunnel being dug. It’s a short detour but it’s a pretty serious climb and I thought I was done with those for the day.
When you’re tired is usually when you make dumb mistakes. I blow the shift to the small chain-ring and the chain drops off, rather quickly ending all uphill progress. Fortunately I get my feet unclipped in time. Focus dammit!
The towpath runs through Cuyahoga National Park and it’s a beautiful area. It’s amazing to find this much nature so close to Cleveland.
It looks like smooth sailing from here on. Then I see the sign:
“Bridge Out. Trail Closed. No Detour.”
Well, that’s going to complicate things a bit. Guess I should have researched this a bit more. Good thing I got an early start this morning.
I’m not going to give up this close to the end. I consult the GPS, switch my lights on and head out on the road. Once I’m past where the bridge ought to be I start looking for a place to get back on the trail. I stop at a ranger station and two Trail Volunteers on bikes see my deer-in-the-headlights look and intercept me.
“I’m trying to get back to the trail” I tell them.
“Which way are you going?”
“Cleveland, all the way to the end.”
“Where’d you start?”
“Columbus, yesterday.”
“Wow.”
It turns out that there are three bridges closed for maintenance. They offer to guide me to the “unofficial detour” and we head up the road together. I’ll take all the help I can get at this point.
Several miles later they guide me back onto the trail and send me on my merry way. Thanks guys!
As I get closer to Cleveland the trail starts to get busy with hikers and recreational riders. I doubt they give any thought to the guy on the odd looking bike who just passed them.
With about 18 miles to go I make my last scheduled stop at the Boston trailhead. I rest my feet, check the rear tire, which seems to be a bit low, and refill my water bottles. I really like these insulated steel water bottles. They weigh a little more but they’ll keep ice in them all day long.
With maybe 10 miles to go my feet are hurting again and I make an unscheduled stop on a park bench to take my shoes off for a few minutes.
I had hoped to get to Cleveland around 4:00 PM but it’s just after 5:00 when I finally reach the end of the trail. Mrs. Kong is waiting there with the car. I’m glad I budgeted extra time because it took a lot longer to get here than expected. “Hey! You’re the one who wanted an adventure!”