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Messages - Ty0604

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1
Routes / Re: Review of OTET (Ohio to Erie Trail)
« on: November 06, 2024, 10:06:18 am »

"This link should work. Let me know if there are any issues with it.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46624341?fbclid=IwY2xjawGWKUJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHR43RMEwflbRg2GNlDACxqnrhFy1eBWKT3YBT60D6rECpj8ZmXsA_PQbLw_aem_lYK8idU9q6Yezy12DiRmLA
"

Thanks Ty- I just took a look at it:
Existing route is 8.2 miles to Killbuck with +393 ft / -326 feet of climbing

The route using CR25 is 9.8 mi +689 ft / -615 ft.

It also has a fairly steep climb at either end.  I'm sure they chose to use the existing route due to the extra climbing.  When I look at the OTET Facebook page there are many riders very concerned about the climbing required out of Holmesville and I'm sure most would choose to ride the lesser climb with a loaded bike.  But I agree, it would be nice to know this option was there if there is less traffic. Thanks for the input!
[/quote]

I guess it depends where you live. Lived in Colorado for a number of years so personally anything less than 1,000 feet of climbing is minor to me. The rolling hills of Amish country which OTET passes through was pretty flat compared to where I lived for several years.

2
Routes / Re: Review of OTET (Ohio to Erie Trail)
« on: November 04, 2024, 05:26:56 pm »
Curious- can you share that detour?  I get down in that area to ride a couple times a year plus I do some gravel riding and there are plenty of side roads in that area.  My wife and I run a yearly ride called the Roscoe Ramble (2 day supported ride from Canal Fulton to Coshocton) that goes through Kilbuck so alternate routes in that area are of interest.

This link should work. Let me know if there are any issues with it.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46624341?fbclid=IwY2xjawGWKUJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHR43RMEwflbRg2GNlDACxqnrhFy1eBWKT3YBT60D6rECpj8ZmXsA_PQbLw_aem_lYK8idU9q6Yezy12DiRmLA

3
Routes / Re: Review of OTET (Ohio to Erie Trail)
« on: November 04, 2024, 08:32:08 am »
  As the author mentioned there is a stretch of road between Glenmont and Kilbuck.  I've ridden it several times and never found it to be bad for traffic or just feeling dangerous but I'm a road rider so I'm used to it.  Note that they are building trail in that area that will eventually cut this section out.

I’m a road rider as well but had no less than a half dozen cars pass me by less than a foot going 60+ mph. I’ll never get use to that.

I did find out later that there’s a detour around that section but it’s not listed on the OTET website for unknown reasons.

Will be nice when the trail is completed though!

4
Routes / Re: Review of OTET (Ohio to Erie Trail)
« on: October 31, 2024, 03:40:09 pm »
Additional information - the Westerville Bike Shop (owner named Mason) will allow one to camp in the rear of his store.

Good information, thanks for the follow up!

5
General Discussion / Re: Bike 'friendliness' of US hotels?
« on: October 31, 2024, 03:37:23 pm »
I honestly don’t even ask. I check in and wheel my bike through the lobby. I’ve had one hotel in all my tours tell me I couldn’t bring it in but I did anyway and they didn’t pursue it any further. One time when my bicycle was really muddy on the Great Allegheny Passage I stopped by the fire department in Harpers Ferry and they let me use their hose to wash the bike off before I checked into the hotel.

6
General Discussion / Re: Updated ACA website and 5 year plan
« on: October 31, 2024, 03:35:36 pm »
One of the reasons I became a member was because of the physical copies of the magazines I received in the mail. I do not like online copies and will not read them so that’s a dealbreaker for me. I would be willing to pay more every year to have a physical copy mailed to me.

I get why they’re doing it but it’s not for me.

7
Classifieds / Fi’zi:k Terra Clima X2 Shoes
« on: October 31, 2024, 03:32:22 pm »
Mens size 11 3/4

I wore these on one tour from Philadelphia to Virginia Beach during a gnarly Nor’easter that dumped rain for days on end. My feet stayed 100% dry.

I paid almost $200 for them but haven’t worn them since that summer, which was two years ago.

$60 OBO + shipping in CONUS

Payable through PayPal, I do not have Venmo

Click on the ShutterFly link to view photos

https://link.shutterfly.com/LktGH4fp9Nb



8
Routes / Re: Willamette Valley short cut on old TA route?
« on: September 05, 2024, 05:03:01 pm »
Sorry for the late reply but I rode Peoria Rd often when I lived in Portland and it was never an issue. My first tours were the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway. A lot of lessons learned on those roads.

9
Routes / Re: Boston to Portland - Route / general touring advice?
« on: September 05, 2024, 04:59:34 pm »
I would highly recommend buying the ACA’s Atlantic Coast Route Section 1 from Bar Harbor, ME to Windsor Locks, CT. This map passes through Portland and has a Boston spur section on it.

When to ride? April into May would be my choice. I would ride in the spring. Summer to fall is Atlantic hurricane season. The storms can get nasty.

I ride 60-80 a day but I’ve ridden all over the USA so that’s not much for me.

I mostly camp with the occasional WarmShower or hotel. I prefer to be alone after a long day of riding though. I also cook most of my own food. If I eat out it’s fast food for lunch. Again it’s part of being alone at the end of a long day.

Happy touring!

10
Routes / Review of OTET (Ohio to Erie Trail)
« on: May 29, 2024, 03:00:23 pm »
I recently completed the Ohio to Erie Trail NoBo from Cincinnati to Cleveland and wanted to provide some feedback on the route.

On day 1 I rode from Cincinnati across the currently closed Purple People Bridge into Newport, KY and then across the 4th St Bridge to Covington where I crossed the Roebling back into Cincinnati. OTET starts at the base of the Roebling. The trail is well marked with Ohio Bicycle Route 1 signs as you leave the city and head north. Slight confusion near Lunken Airport where the trail splits. The sign before the split indicates you should stay straight but you actually need to take the slight left at the split. I stayed at a campground in Morrow called Morgan’s Riverside Resort. The owner let me set up camp under the pavilion as overnight rains were forecasted and indeed it poured most of the night.

On day 2 I took the Little Miami Trail to Yellow Springs and did some hiking at Glen Helen before taking the highway a short distance to Clifton to visit the historical Clifton Mill. From there it was a short ride on country roads to Cedarville to rejoin OTET. The folks in Clifton are working on a grant right now to build a MUP between Yellow Springs and Clifton. Camped at an AirBnB/Hipcamp called Little Darby Outdoors in Galloway.

Day 3 took me through Columbus where it poured allllllllll morning. It was a torrential downpour for hours on end. You have two choices here. The official OTET route is on the Alum Creek Trail which goes east of town or the route I took, the Olentangy Trail, which goes west of town through Ohio States campus. If you choose the Olentangy Trail you’ll rejoin OTET in Westerville. The midpoint of OTET will be just north of Columbus in Centerburg. I grabbed a hotel in Mount Vernon this day to dry out and refresh.

On day 4 I got into the middle of Amish Country in Holmes and Wayne Counties. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of trail in this section so most of the day was spent on the roads. The stretch between Glenmont and Killbuck on Highway 520 wasn’t fun. It’s a narrow two-lane highway with a lot of blind curves and high speed traffic. Outside of that it was rural country roads with more horse and buggy than automobiles. So many hills today but they were fun. Absolutely beautiful part of the country. I camped at a campground in Canal Fulton, one of my favorite towns on the route. It was my longest day at 92 miles.

On day 5 I had a short day to Peninsula so I could do some hiking at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The route skirts Akron on this stretch. I camped at Valley Overlook Campground which just opened in 2023. They don’t take cash normally but the owner made an exception for me since I don’t travel with plastic. After setting up camp I headed into the NP to do some hiking to Brandywine Falls. I left my bike at the Stafford House in the barn with the rangers permission. They do have a bike rack but I do not carry a lock when I travel.

On my last day I rode the trail to Brecksville where the trail is closed M-F until mid June but I wanted to see the bridge. From here it’s a short backtrack to the Bike & Hike Trail ran by Summit County to get around the detour. I spent some time riding in/around Cleveland went to Edgewater Park where OTET ends. I ended my ride with a trip out to my WarmShowers host in Cleveland Heights. Same folks I stayed with on my 2016 cross country ride.

I ended up riding 406 miles due to all the extra riding I did.

Some other info:

Maps: I didn’t find them useful. The trails are well marked and I never used them. Furthermore they’re just paper and not waterproof so beware if trying to use them in the rain

Food/Water: Plentiful. A few remote sections but never was without either. A lot of places are closed on Monday/Tuesday in small towns but most trailheads have water available at least.

Skeeters: Pretty early but they were miserable in Peninsula. I imagine they just get worse as the season goes on.

Ohio has some of my favorite bicycling in the USA so kudos to them.

If anyone has any questions etc feel free to ask. I’m sure I left out a ton of relevant information.

11
Gear Talk / Re: My cooking gear
« on: March 02, 2024, 04:50:32 pm »
Well all ride our own rides.

For me, like I said, I usually am able to resupply every day and can do without milk on those days I do not.  And usually when I resupply it is less than twenty miles from there to where I plan to camp for the night.

Sad experience has taught me that ziploc bags containing stuff like powdered milk (or powdered drink mix, or hot chocolate) inevitably fail at inconvenient times and places.  So I always double ziploc bags containing stuff that would make a horrid mess.  Also, the "zipper" on the lightest-weight bags that pack the best also tend to fail sooner.  Freezer bags tend to be bit more durable.

I try to reuse such bags as long as I can, and have recently started experimenting with the fancy ones that are designed to be reused and washed.

If you like creamer, I’ve always had luck stopping at the closest gas station to camp and grabbing some of the single serve creamers for the morning. I usually buy a soda or something and sometimes they charge me 5-10 cents each for them but more so than not they give them to me at no charge.

12
Gear Talk / Re: My cooking gear
« on: March 01, 2024, 07:01:33 pm »
I’m not too picky on coffee. If it’s too strong I’ll just add more creamer. I’ll also just grind my coffee at home to a coarser grind so nothing gets through the filter.

Thanks for the suggestions though!

13
Gear Talk / Re: My cooking gear
« on: February 29, 2024, 09:35:36 pm »

I picked it up today at REI. It fits nicely on my collapsible Sea to Summit cup that I use. Also fits into my JetBoil Flash so don’t have to worry about it getting damaged. Thanks for the suggestion!


14
Gear Talk / Re: My cooking gear
« on: February 28, 2024, 08:55:25 pm »
I just use instant coffee.

Do you like instant coffee?  I don't happen to like it, Do you like pour over coffee? 

I used to take an AeroPress, but like you, it took up too much space in a pannier, so I bought a GSI Outdoor Ultralight Java Drip pour-over maker, and it makes much better coffee than instant, at least in my opinion.  It's easy to clean, just shake in reverse firmly and the grounds come flying out, then rinse under water to get the remaining residue out.  The GSI folds flat and will fit under a standard-size fuel canister, and it hardly weighs anything.  Now I can use whatever coffee I want.

Not particularly. I’m just lazy and I add enough creamer to make it tolerable.

My sister once asked me do you want some coffee with your creamer?

I’m going to Google what you have and check it out though. I’m riding OTET in May and would love some normal coffee.

15
Routes / Re: Chicago to Wisconsin loop
« on: February 28, 2024, 04:56:21 pm »
This website may be of some assistance to you as well.

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/recreation/biking

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