Day 32: A Re-Introduction To Hills

 

Brunswick OH to Beaver Falls PA, 99 miles, 5000 feet of climbing.

Ohio came through again by giving us another nice riding day, although this time with decidedly cooler temperatures. Up until now, we’ve commented (perhaps even whined a bit) about warm or downright hot temperatures. Temps at the start of ride this morning were in the 50s and did not get above the mid-60s for the entire day. The accompanying wind made us feel cold enough to don our jackets. Quite a change in the weather.

Today’s ride followed some tow paths (Ohio & Erie Canal), a few other bike paths and long straightaways on roads surrounded by eastern Ohio horse farms. 

This trip has made sure that we are no strangers to hills and climbs through mountain passes, but we have gotten a little spoiled over the last few days of somewhat flat terrain. Ohio and western Pennsylvania made sure that we didn’t get too complacent. There were a lot of long hills today. Not the most challenging that we have faced on this trip (not by a long shot), but it reminded us that we are not done with hill climbs yet (or more accurately, hill climbs are not done with us) and we expect that there will be a few climbing days waiting for us yet.

A few notable events from today: This morning’s ride had us pedaling through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which included a drop into the valley and, of course, a climb back out. The park and surrounding area were beautiful. It was a real surprise for us, as the park is located between Cleveland and Akron, so we were expecting it to be quite congested. But it was quite pretty and rolling, and made for a fun ride.

We also had the opportunity to sample some new curbside dining venues, this time, with some fast food from McDonalds. The curb and whole parking lot environment at this McDonalds did not come close to rivaling the more intimate and spotless decor that we experienced while reclining leisurely at and on numerous Cenex stations’ curbs. Then again, comparing curbside dining at Cenex to other curbs is like comparing creme brûlée to a Hostess Twinkie. Need we say more?

The other big news is that we crossed the border into Pennsylvania this afternoon, which sets us up to ride the Great Allegheny Passage Trail. We’ve heard a lot of good things about it, and it provides a nice corridor for us to avoid some car traffic as we head into Maryland. More on this as we figure it out ourselves.