Highlights from Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and beyond

The hills of Kentucky are not for the faint at heart. Short and steep, long and steep, winding and steep. I think you get the point. Don't  get me wrong.  The best part about the climbs are the descents. The twist and turns and blind descents are a blast to ride. Unfortunately most of the downhills into these deep hollows are followed by a climb back out!  The route I'm  following does a fantastic job of keeping you on quiet backroads and away from the busy major roadways.  I crossed the Ohio River onto Indiana to avoid the  Louisville KY metro area. I passed several large factories, an aluminum plant,a paper mill and old abandoned coal fired power plants. Coal is dead. (sorry Donald)

There are so many old barns to see. Some are in better shape then others. It is just a matter of time before mother nature reclaims some of them. The stories they could tell.

I have stayed at a variety of hotel/motels along the way. Some are forgetable, others like the Riverbook Inn and Suites in Madison IN were great places to stay.

The route went back into Kentucky for a couple of days before heading into Ohio. I crossed the Ohio River at Maysville KY into Ohio. The climb out of the river valley was steep (wouldn't expect anything different).  Once out of the valley  the terrain turned to gently rolling hills and then eventually I joined the Little Miami rail trail. Rail trails are nice to ride because they are fairly flat with no worries about cars. Limited sight lines caused by the tree lined trails can become boring. The flat terrain does allow alot of miles to covered  in one day. 

The Little Miami Trail ends in Xenia Ohio. Xenia is called the rail trail capital. 4 rail trails intersect in Xenia at the Xenia Station. 

The day out of Xenia was a great riding day. Pleasant temperature, low humidity, flat terrain and a strong tailwind allowed me to ride my first century. I camped at a very nice KOA campground that night. You would think after along hard day like today you would sleep like a log. Not me. I couldn't fall asleep for the life of me.  The next 2 days all the riding conditions from yesterday repeated themselves and I had another couple of high mileage days. 

I had a couple of days where some of the roads/trails were not the best. One downhill was marked road closed with multiple tree blowdowns. One railtrail I rode was hit by extreme thunderstorms early in the day and was littered with with tree debris and also had many blowdowns. Challenging riding conditions add alot of excitement to your day and test your bike handling skills. 

Pennsylvania was a small speed bump in my travels. 1 1/2 days travel time allowed me to traverse the state. I only had to traverse the small part of the state that borders Lake Erie. Sand beaches, dunes, sunbathers,light houses and the blueish green water you have ever seen.

The highlight of Pennsylvania was Presque Isle State Park, a peninsula in Lake Erie. There is a multi use trail and roads the encircle it. The beaches are known for the sea glass found there. I went looking and found a few small pieces. There is alot of beach erosion on Lake Erie die to continued high water conditions. That evening I stayed at Sara's Campground, a fun little campground with a diner and drive in restaurant with a outside dining area. Next door is a small water/ amusement park. I was told the Presque Isle State Park is the most visited park in the country. I believe it. The place was mobbed for a Monday.

Next up New York and beyond.