to Lancaster, OH

By Ben |

The road south to Lancaster was pretty uneventful.  I carefully chose a route that several thousand motorists also chose, so I had to deflect onto less-direct side roads, but it was no big deal.

Entering Reynoldsburg (an eastern suburb of Colubus) I saw a banner for the Tomato Festival and decided to stop in, thinking I'd buy some salsa or sauce for Rob and Dully, but the only tomatoes they had were fresh, and I didn't think they'd pack well.  I bought some cinnamon-roasted nuts instead.

Sep 10: Turning Point

By Ben |

[posted to the Wheeled Migration Yahoo Group on September 10, 2004]

Well, it's official: I've been on the road for a month now. More than that: for the past month I've been going east, and for the next month I'll go back west before turning south. Lancaster, OH, which I'll reach tomorrow, is the farthest east I plan to go until next winter. It feels really good to look at the map and see how far I've gone in just a month!

Columbus, OH

By Ben |

Today my plan was to ride into Columbus in order to see the city and decide whether it's someplace I'd like to live.  However, I was unable to find good information about recommended bike routes or even bus routes.  So I rode into Westerville and visited the library, where I got sucked into the Internet for over an hour.  The librarians were also unable to tell me about bike or bus routes.

to Westerville, OH

By Ben |

The ride into Westerville from Delaware State Park was uneventful, except that Jeff Kirn's place turned out not to be in Westerville.  When I got close to town I thought to call him for directions and found that he's on the east side of Hoover Reservoir, while Westerville is on the west side.

Sep 7: Ohio!

By Ben |

[posted to the Wheeled Migration Yahoo Group on September 7, 2004]

Hi, folks. As I write this it's the evening of Labor Day, and I'm at a beautiful campground near a swimming beach at an old limestone quarry south of Bowling Green, Ohio, but I'll probably send the message tomorrow from the vicinity of Findlay. My sister and I had a great time in Ann Arbor, catching up, seeing sights, and visiting friends. On Friday we walked rather too much around downtown -- Ann Arbor's downtown covers about as much area as Minneapolis's -- and then had dinner at Hei Wa House.

to Vanlue, OH

By Ben |

I took my time getting up this morning because I could hear rain falling on the tent.  When I did leave the tent, swarms of mosquitos chased me back inside twice!  So it was probably after 10:00 when I finally left Portage Quarry.

to Bowling Green, OH

By Ben |

I knew I was overdoing it yesterday, but I couldn't seem to stop riding... so today in addition to a strong headwind, I had a lot of muscle cramps and that special kind of fatigue you get when yesterday's sunburn meets today's sun.

I got an early start because I kept mistaking the glow from my hosts' security light for dawn, because they hadn't offered me a restroom, and because I didn't want to still be there when they woke up.  I was in Ohio by about 9:00 and in Waterville (southwest of Toledo) by noon.

Almost to Toledo

By Ben |

After breakfast this morning, I packed up my things and was eager to hit the road.  I said goodbye to 'Becca and went to church at the UU church southwest of town.  The congregation was not particularly welcoming during the coffee hour, but as soon as I was out in the parking lot with my rig they had a thousand questions.  Fortunately it takes me a long time to put on my sunblock.