2015 Underground Railroad and Erie Canal Ride

9/20/2015

Erie, PA to Dunkirk, NY

I found this front on the campus of Gannon University 

A lot of history in Erie, PA

From a far the sign sort of looks like a Rorschach Alligator 

Yeah!

Cool stone

One of many vineyards I pedaled past today. The smell was amazing

The Concord grapes tasted awesome!

 

At the 23.5 mile mark...Our 3rd (Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York) and final state!

At the 24 mile mark, we found Plummers...yeah...had an awesome burger ....

At the 29 mile mark... Yep, a flat tire ...

Done in by a tiny shard of glass...

Stephen, from Germany, who has been riding all over the USA and Canada since May 1, stopped and kept me company as I fixed my flat tire. Had a very nice conversation and found our about a really cool gizmo hand pump that is concealed inside the seat post of his Tern Folding Bicycle.

At the 33 mile mark was this well preserved lighthouse built and activated in 1829 out of fieldstone. It was deactivated in 1859. It was the first lighthouse to be powered by natural gas.

Finally, after a long and tiring day, I arrived in Dunkirk, NY.

We are staying at the Clarion Hotel and Marina in Dunkirk, NY. It is a very nice hotel on the shores of Lake Erie.

52 miles and 2303 feet of climbing 

Tomorrow we are off to Buffalo, NY.

2015 Underground Railroad and Erie Canal Ride

9/19/15

Erie, PA

Today was a 'Quasi Rest Day' for Marnie and Miriam. For me it was a full rest day. I did nothing but laze around the room. 

Marnie and Miriam rode to Presque Isle State Park and rode around before returning to the room before the skies opened up and the rains came.

Tomorrow we are off to Dunkirk, NY.

2015 Underground Railroad and Erie Canal Ride

9/18/15

Austinburg, OH to Erie, PA

We left the Holiday Inn Express about 8:15 am and got back on the Western Reserve Greenway Trail and headed northeast toward Lake Erie.

Several breaks and photo ops were taken as we rode beside Lake Erie.

A relatively flat day, we made great time and before we knew it we were in Conneaut, OH where we stopped for an early lunch at the State Street Diner. Food was ok but the waitress was unexceptional.

We have ridden more than 400 miles with a little more than 18,000 feet of climbing so far.

Both Manie and Miriam look like they have had their fill at the diner as they review the rest of the day's route.

After lunch we continued pedaling to the Pennsylvania Line. Photo op taken.

As we made our way to Erie, PA my dérailleur broke! Of course I was in the big chain ring with a rather big hill looming just ahead. I manually got the chain into the middle ring (just got to love grease on the hands and under the fingernails) and I just had to stand up and power pedal my way up the hill! I found a bike shop conveniently located near our hotel who thought they should be able to fix my bike. 

So off we went enroute to the bike shop, but before getting there we stopped at an Apple Cider Mill where we literally inhaled a half a gallon of absolutely delicious cider. Our thirst quenched we finally made it to the bike shop, Competitve Gear, where my bike was fixed! yeah! 

Then it was off to the Belair Clarion Hotel. Once settled in the hotel, we had a meeting of the minds and decided instead of spending 2 days in the tourist trap of Niagra Falls, NY, we would spend a second night here and ride out to Presque Isle State Park tomorrow and enjoy a quasi rest day. We adjusted our reservations so everything is set. We will stay in Erie, PA tomorrow.

We had dinner Joe Root Grill right next to the hotel where I had an amazing Prime Rib dinner!

Then it was back to the hotel to call it a night.

2015 Underground Railroad and Erie Canal Ride

9/17/15

Burton, OH to Austinburg, OH

I really did make it to Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It seems some of my photos are taking extended vacations in cyberspace...

We have been riding along America's Byway, the Ohio & Erie Canalway, through Ohio. 

Today we rode through the heart of Amish Country. Saw many horse and buggies. What was depressing was that even though the buggies were catching me going uphill, they were right on my tail going downhill as well! I couldn't out pedal them.

Miriam threw her chain again, at the bottom of a hill! 

One of our rest stops along today's route was near a covered bridge.

We rode along the Western Reserve Greenway Trail which had numerous placards detailing the Underground Railroad through this part of Ohio.

Our day ended at the Holiday Inn Express in Austinburg, OH

38 miles / 1800 feet of climbing

Tomorrow we finish riding through Ohio and enter Pennsylvania, stopping in Erie, PA for the night.

2015 Underground Railroad and Erie Canal Ride

9/16/15

Hudson, OH to Burton, OH

Originally today was supposed to be 66 miles but after the last couple of days we decided to break the day into 2 shorter days. Thank goodness. Today we only rode 30 miles but we did about 2500 feet in climbing. 

This is the first day that I have been unable to find a Diet Coke anywhere along the route, but the good news is that my feet didn't hurt near as much so all in all it was a good day.

We all started together from the Baymont Inn about 9:00 am. Almost immediately we started to climb. I met up with Marnie and Miriam at around the 17 mile mark and met them at the end of the ride for a wonderful lunch at a small cafe about a block away from our B & B.

We ended in Burton, OH which is in the heart of the Amish part of Ohio. We are staying at the Red Maple Inn.

This art work is right outside of the Red Maple Inn B & B we are staying in tonight. 

This is the view from our balcony.

Tomorrow we are off to Austinburg, OH. 

2015 Underground Railroad and Erie Canal Ride

9/15/15

Wellington, OH to Hudson, OH

OMG! It was a day I am glad is finally over.... After the previous day's brutal ride, I adjusted the route to cut off 10 miles and hopefully some climbing....the best laid plans sometimes never come to fruition...

We left Wellington, at around 8 am and ...Not even a mile out, my feet, which had been going numb since we started this trip, now decided that they were going to do a complete revolt and each pedal stroke was sheer agony...they hurt to pedal, they hurt to stand, they throbbed continuously...it was like pins and needles x100...

So when we realized that there was a bike shop in Medina, OH (about 5 miles off the route) we decided to detour there to get air in our tires and me hopefully get some foot relief....

After about 2 hours at Century Cycles in Medina, OH, I had a new (albeit ugly) pair of shoes which believe it or not, while it didn't totally cure the problem, made a big difference.

We had lunch at Panera and changed the route again cuz there was a Heron Rookery nearby. The last thing I wanted to do was add more miles, but alas, we did.

I didn't go to the rookery as I realized that it was at the bottom of a very steep hill, which to me translated into a very steep climb to come back, so while Marnie and Miriam went to the rookery I plotted the shortest course to the next hotel and took it.

My route cut through Cayouga Valley National Park and put me on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath, which was a very beautiful ride. I got off the towpath in Peninsula, OH and stopped at the other Century Cycles shop and Marnie and Miriam tagged up with me there. 

Turns out the Visitors Center for the National Park was right across the railroad tracks from the bike shop. I was able to get my national park stamp and my patch! 

Peninsula is about 7-10 miles from our hotel but is really the only place to find food unless you want pizza delivery. 

We had dinner at the Winking Lizard which was also across the railroad tracks from the bike shop and it was a very good meal. The down side was that we had a 7 mile bike ride to the hotel which included a brutal climb on a busy road with construction...it almost killed me but I made it and then the road to the hotel was all torn up so the last 1/2 mile was very, very bumpy. I finally finished the day at 7:15 pm! A very long day indeed. 

We stayed at the Baymont Inn, Industrial Parkway, Hudson, OH, which was very nice, what I saw of it before collapsing into bed!

55 miles / 4085 feet of climbing

2015 Underground Railroad and Erie Canal Ride

9/14/15

Perryville, OH (Mohican State Park) to Wellington, OH

The day started late because the restaurant at the hotel didn't start serving breakfast until 8:00 am and I needed a good breakfast to brace myself for the climbing...

All I can say is that today was a 'Hike & Bike' day....I hiked up the mountains and biked back down! 

The first 20 miles were brutal with climbs I think in the double digits...had to walk some parts ... But I made it up...I really enjoyed the downhills...my Garmin registered a max speed of 38 mph! It was awesome on the way down, but that just meant that I had to climb up another mountain....no flatland today...

As the climbing continued with no end in sight, The more pickup trucks that past me the more I was willing to pay if the driver would let me put my bike in the bed and they would drive me to Wellington!

I made a command decision and adjusted the planed route which cut off 11 miles but only reduced the climbing by about 500 feet, but was at a much more doable gradient...still climbed 3500 feet...glad the day is done. Total miles 48.

Had a nice lunch in Jeromeville, OH before finishing the last 26 miles.

We ended our ride in Wellington, OH at the The Wellington Country Inn B & B, built in the 1880s and on the National Register of historic Places, run by a very nice couple, Evelyn and Gene. The building used to be a funeral home way back when.

We had dinner at Demitri's Corner Family Restaurant...good food, filling, and great service. Then it was back to B & B to call it a night.

Tomorrow we are off to Hudson, OH about 54 miles northeast of here.