Day 3: Is it worth it to ride 23 extra miles for an air-conditioned room?

June 17, 2024

A: Yes. Yes it is.

With temps hitting the high 90's today, and the expectations that it would be 96 degrees F at 9:00 tonight, the thought of staying in a field in my tent sleeping in my sweat on a plastic inflatable mattress just didn't have the appeal you may think it does. Even if it wasn't free. So my plan was to evaluate the weather when I reached my campsite destination at 60 miles and see if the weather changes. I don't think you have to read this entire journal entry to know I decided to go with the extra 23 miles to get a room.

Easton Town Center in Ohio was a great place to plan an overnight. Lots of options to eat within walking distance. Plus, it's deserted Monday morning making for an easy ride out.

The trail navigates NE along the Alum Creek but I wanted to try a new route through some alternate trails along the Hoover reservoir before connecting back up to the official OTET. Rolling through Westerville, it appears to be a well-to-do neighborhood, and the trails are nice. A right-turn on my GPS leads me right to the gate of a gated community. I cannot pass go and certainly can't collect $200. So it's time to just point the bike down the road in the cardinal direction of where I want to go and reconnect. I'm of course successful, otherwise I wouldn't be here posting this journal.

After the denied entry through a gated community, I find my way alongside the Hoover reservoir.

8:00 check-in point. It's already 76 degrees and getting hotter. Oooo-boy, this is gonna be one cooker of a day.

As I make my way NE I have two separate encounters with cyclists traveling in the same direction. Both of the locals pull up alongside and chat about the ride, gear, experience, the heat wave, etc. No politics, it's just super civil. Makes me think bikes should be a major political platform :-). Both of them were unencumbered with gear so they drove the pace a little faster. Two miles with the first rider, and seven miles with Jeff, who was also retired. Thanks for the company, guys!

9:30a and I roll through Centerburg. There was one stop I wanted to make at the church of God. One of their ministries is a refrigerator just off the trail STACKED with cold water. And with temps already in the mid-80's at 9:30 I wanted to refill my bicycle bottles and empty a cold water bottle right then and there.

Centerburg Church of God - you can't be thanked enough for providing a refrigerator full of water alongside the trail.

10:00 I roll past the high point of the Heart of Ohio trail. Remember that the OTET is a network of trails, so at this time of the morning I'm on the Heart of Ohio. And the high point. The only high point I'm NOT on is the high point of the temperature today. It's hitting the high-80's and will go another 10 degrees hotter. Things are not looking good for the camping option tonight and at this point I'm thinking about ditching the camping and going for the hotel. That, however, has its own disadvantages. To do so, I have to cross 23 miles of mostly exposed hilly rural areas to get there; those miles will be in the early/mid-afternoon when temps are hitting their hottest. Decisions, decisions.

High point of the trail. The only thing that doesn't go downhill from here are the temperatures.

I stop at a convenience store in Mt Vernon for a snack and some Gatorade, and then roll past the dog fountain. Yes, you heard that right. Dog fountain. The town has decided to erect a fountain on one corner which includes dog species erupting water from their mouths. If that description is not apt, how would you describe it (pic below)? I'm not condemning it at all - it's a great example of pop art and today several families were using the fountain to cool down in the heat. After the fountain, I sit in a park pavilion for 30 minutes to cool down myself, rehydrate with Gatorade, and ingest some calories.

The Mt Vernon Dog Fountain. I find it funny all the dogs are participating in the water ceremony and the lone cat on the right is just there like, "Yeah, I'm not doing any of that...."

Not quite 1:00 and temps have hit 90. I stop at the Kokosing Gap trail depot to replenish water bottles and roll past the steam engine. I check the weather again to see if there's any possibility there will be a thundershower or otherworldly event which will make camping a reality for me tonight.

After refilling water bottles (again) I roll past the steam engine. Things are not looking good temp-wise for the camping tonight.

1:00 I arrive in Danville after 60 miles in the heat. At the campsite. It's over 90-degrees and the camping option is a shade-less field. It's free, so that's a super bonus, And I love free. And the option to ride 23 more miles in heat that's still rising does not appeal to me either. Either way, though, I'm going to have to cross those 23 miles so I book my room at the Comfort Inn and set off for the A/C. Oh, and before I do, I douse my head with the cold water from the fountain, and soak my cap to keep me somewhat cool for the next few miles.

Things are looking up. I have a reservation in an A/C room later tonight. I know I'll have a good rest. And I just dumped a cold-water soaked cycling cap over my head.

Eight miles out of Danville I'm climbing a steep grade really testing my limits of endurance. I approach two cyclists at the top who watch my slow-paced climb towards the summit as I spin in my lowest gear. I get within earshot, "that was unpleasant" I remark. Following their laughter one of them remarks, "Hey, didn't we meet you at the OTET start point 3 days ago?" and we did. They were taking pictures just as I rolled past. Those guys are doing point-to-point rides unencumbered but regardless, they are still doing it. Fun to meet people riding along with you.

The "Bridge of Dreams" is a lengthy covered bridge. It's a highlight of the trail. And shade. Anything that has shade today is a highlight of the trail.

So I crossed the exposed stretch of the OTET to get into Millersburg. Yes, it was hot. Yes, it was full-on sun. Yes, it was tough. At parts I could feel the heat from the sun beating through back of my T-shirt. But, I knew I had the oasis at the end of the ride.

This was the land I had to cross to get the Comfort Inn. Beautiful countryside when the weather is mild. Hot when the temperature is, well, hot.

First thing I did in Millersburg after putting my bike in the room was to jump in the pool. Man, that felt so good and helped cool me down. It was about 3:30 when I arrived so I definitely traveled through the most exposed area in the hottest part of the day. It was still 92-degrees when I walked the half-mile to Wendy's at 6:00 to get some dinner. Good part is I'll get a good night's sleep, recover, and do it all over again tomorrow. Oh, and having done the extra 23 miles, I'm now ahead of pace so I have options for camping or hotels the next night.

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Today's ride: 86 miles (138 km)
Total: 239 miles (385 km)

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Gregory GarceauI've camped in some pretty bad heat on a few occasions in my backpacking days. Once in Death Valley it didn't get below 93-degrees all night. Another time I had outrageous heat and humidity in northern Arkansas. Camping was the only choice in the backcountry. I think that's why I turned to bike touring. You made the right 23-extra-mile decision.
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2 months ago

Paul MulveyYeah - the 23-miles in the heat were enough to continue to hold my "tough guy" card. I didn't need to sleep in the sweat lodge that night :-)
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2 months ago