Making it up as we go

Day 22:  Marysville to Wooster, Ohio, 96 miles.


The guys headed out early today, skipping breakfast at the Super 8 after the morning desk clerk went ballistic when Ken tried to get coffee earlier than the announced 6:00 breakfast start and Phil got chased out for trying to bring his bike inside the lobby. The clerk threatened to put us on "the no rent list". It was something we laughed about the rest of the day and which earned the hotel a bad review (our "don't rent" comeback).

Anyway, they stopped about 15 miles into the ride at Tim Hortons, which earned a gorgeous photo of their donuts - yes, true excitement on the ride.

We were following a route we made out due to a lack of a second page of the cue sheet and all started out well. I drove ahead, intending to go wait at a bike shop at mile 53. I noticed that part of the route planned was just not suitable for the guys to ride safely - little or no shoulders and quite a bit of traffic. Luckily, I noticed a bike path (former rail route) paralleling the road, which upon further investigation stretched 15 miles to the point I had planned to meet up with the guys. So, I managed to get in touch with the guys, waved them down and directed them to the delightful paved bike path to Mt. Vernon.

After Mt. Vernon, the route followed Route 3 and turned hilly. They stopped for dinner in Loudenville, about mile 76, shortly before a thunderstorm came through. So, they waited until the rain stopped, then rode the rest of the way without rain, but got sprayed by passing trucks quite a bit.

Despite it all, they loved the day. The bike path was the highlight, but it's all good. Especially when the wind was never a negative factor.

Tomorrow we travel 95 miles to Niles, Ohio, not far from the Ohio border. The route looks like a lot of up and down again, but no more than 300' from bottom to top. The winds are forecast a bit favorable, so should be a good day. Some thunderstorms may occur, but the guys are prepared to hole up for a bit if necessary, as they have lots of time to get to the hotel.

Only 7 more days to the coast......

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