Heaven

Today’s Date: July 20, 2024

Today’s Start Point: Milford, Ohio

Today’s End Point: Columbus, Ohio

Today’s Miles: 111.7 Miles

Cumulative Miles: 3,750.78 Miles

Sometimes everything seems to go right: traffic free, smooth roads, great weather, no hills, no dogs, no baggage, tremendous cycling infrastructure, and rest stops set up for me about every 15 to 20 miles so my fueling was perfect. It all adds up to cycling 111 miles and feeling outstanding when I got off the bike.

The plan for this morning was to make today an easier day since the last few days involved big mileage. We planned on getting to Xenia, Ohio, which was about 50 miles away. According to the route guide, I was going to ride a bike trail that was created from an old rail line, and I would be on the trail for approximately 99% of the time. I was a little dubious as to how good the trail would be and how well it was maintained. There was no need to worry.

Since today was a planned shorter day, Paul and I decided we would leave at 6:30 am as opposed to the usual 5:30 am start time. Because I would be on the bike path, Paul would not be able to follow so we agreed that Paul would meet me at some spots along the trail that were about 15 to 20 miles apart with food and drink.

As we were getting ready to leave, we spoke with a woman whose daughter was getting married that day. She was interested in hearing about my trip and was great to talk to.

Once I left, I had about a three and a half mile ride to the trailhead in downtown Milford, Ohio. The temperature was cool and the humidity and wind were low. I think the hilliest part of the ride for the day was this initial stretch.

Once I was on the bike path, I realized that this was going to be a good day if this was an example of the route. The bike path was wide and divided by a yellow line into two lanes. Trees on each side of the path were thick, allowing very little sun to bear down on me. The path was very well maintained with no potholes and the surface was smooth. The closest I have come to seeing something like this were the bike paths around Breckinridge, Colorado. I was in heaven.

With Paul worrying about logistics, food and water and carrying my bags, it was another day for me to only worry about turning the cranks. My average speed was between 15 and 16 mph, which on this bike was good enough.

When I caught up with Paul at one of the stops at the 40 mile mark, we looked at the clock and it was still early in the day and if we stopped in Xenia, as originally planned, we would only have about ten more miles to go. We started to think with these outstanding conditions, why not try to push past Xenia and reevaluate how far I could go every 15 or 20 miles.

Every 15 or 20 miles I would stop, Paul would give me a sandwich and some Gatorade and we would discuss how I felt. Each time, I was good to go. I attribute this to the rest stop intervals where Paul would get me food and drink so that I could keep going. Too often when I am on my own, I don’t eat or drink enough. Today I did!

A theme that has occurred a few times in this blog is the concept that no good deed should go unpunished, this time to Paul. Paul was supposed to fly out early Sunday morning to return home. However, because of the software problems of the last couple of days, his flight was cancelled and trying to rebook a new flight was a nightmare. When the dust settled, he was left with a flight back to San Francisco by way of Newark [!] that is scheduled to depart Columbus on Monday at 3:30 pm. He has accused me of being responsible for the system outage, but obviously he is not aware of my technological shortcomings.

After about 45 miles one bike path merged into another, still brilliantly maintained. The difference for the next 45 miles was that the path was more exposed to the sun. For this portion of the route, I rode through farmlands on each side of the path. Throughout the day, the path would go through small towns, all of which seemed to cater to the bike riders cycling through their midst.

The road was ridiculously flat, with the routes total ascent being about 1,000 feet, which is equal to a single climb in Missouri or a fraction of a climb in the West. I rode with one gentlemen (a very nice man trying to be helpful) who warned me about a steep climb ahead, but after the last couple of months the hill he referred to was very short and not that steep.

Paul continued to check in on me every 15 to 20 miles until we got to the last stop before Columbus, Battelle Darby Creek Park. I felt great so it was next stop Columbus. We were staying at a hotel in the heart of downtown Columbus, so Paul went ahead and I set off to pedal the last 15 or 20 miles to the hotel.

As a side note, I consider Columbus to be the ancestral home of the Landenberger and Timmons (my Mom’s maiden name) families. Both of my parents were born and bred in Columbus and I spent a good deal of my youth visiting the city. As a matter of fact, the first time that I flew in a plane was on a trip to see my grandparents when I was four years old (I flew by myself by the way-oh how times were different then).

Once near the city limits of Columbus, I had to get off the path for a mile until I could hop onto another path that would take me downtown. This new path started off scruffy, and by that I mean the surroundings as opposed to the path. The path was still in great shape.

As I began to get closer to downtown Columbus, the route became more tree shaded and the area improved. I had to hop off the path for the last time to ride the mile to the hotel. Multiple sporting events were going on so the town was hopping.

When I arrived at the hotel I could tell that Paul had already been there because the desk clerk asked “are you the guy cycling from Oregon”? It appears Paul must have had a long discussion with the clerk because he seemed to know a lot about me and Paul and about my trip. Paul would make a great advance man for a political candidate.

The hotel is probably the nicest that I have stayed in during this trip and when I got to my room I immediately went into my post ride routine. Paul and I then went down to the lobby where we received three complimentary cocktails each and some food. The lobby looked like they were giving away food and drink, which of course they were. It was packed and dealing with my fellow citizens trying to get at the free food rivaled my encounters with dogs on the road.

Riding down the Olentangy Trail reminded me that my parent’s first apartment was at Olentangy Village that was not too far from the hotel or the path. Paul drove me over to apartment complex and it still looks good, almost like a college campus. It makes me think of my Mom and that if she was not already dead, the thought and the accompanying worry about me doing this ride would probably kill her. Miss you Mom.

Tomorrow will be a very short day on the bike because I am only going to ride to the northeastern suburbs of Columbus and then I am going to have lunch with my Aunt and some of my cousins who I have not seen in a long time. Paul is going sightseeing.