Day 43: Mentor, OH to Avery, OH

June 24, 2008

84.06 miles, 5:50:03 Ride Time, 14.40 Average Speed, 27.63 Maximum Speed

I was staying about four miles off the Adventure Cycling route, in a very bike-unfriendly part of the suburban sprawl between Mentor and Willoughby - the all-too-typical motel/chain restaurant/convenience store zone that's not easy to navigate unless you're in a car. I had arrived at the motel the other day during rush hour, mostly via a bumpy sidewalk; it was just too busy for me to ride on the busy four-lane highway. Yesterday evening, though, I had found a slightly better way to get back on the route, so I headed out at about 8:00, and immediately almost got run over by a woman as she drove through a red light.

Once back on the official route, though, things got much better. For the next couple of hours I was on Lake Shore Boulevard, where the drivers were not in a hurry and there was either a good shoulder or an actual marked bike lane.

In a few miles I entered Eastlake, the first of several Cleveland suburbs I rode through this morning. I stopped when I saw a sign for the "Eastlake War Dog Memorial Park." What could this be about? I rode down a dead-end street, between massive electrical pylons plastered with signs warning of certain death if one attempted to climb them, to find, tucked away in this industrial area, a tiny fenced-in dog-walking area, and in front of it, the little memorial.

There were small granite markers - "In Memory of Police Service Dogs", "In Memory of Rescue Service Dogs", "In Memory of the Unsung Heroes - Your Pets", and one larger marker devoted to "Smoky", a famous "war dog" who served in World War II. Check out this article about her - pretty interesting, actually.

I love encountering offbeat stuff like this. Of course, I sometimes poke fun at things I see, but I found this modest little memorial, "Maintained by Girl Scout Troop 832", genuinely touching. In contrast, later in the day I would ride past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and barely give it a glance.

It continued to be easy riding through more Cleveland suburbs - Lakeline, Willowick, and Euclid. Just as I officially entered Cleveland, I met Bill and Lucy, two friendly local cyclists out for a 20+ mile ride. I talked to them for a quite a while - Bill had lots of questions about my bike, and I'm always (overly?) eager to talk about it - and meeting them was great.

I'd been worried about riding through Cleveland for days, but it turned out to be really nice - It was the easiest ride through a "big" city I've ever done. Despite its "Mistake by the Lake" reputation, I liked what I saw of the city.

I left Cleveland through more suburbs - Lakewood, Rocky River, Bay Village and Avon Lake - still mostly following the Lake Erie shoreline. Easy (flat) riding, although I was getting a little bored with the scenery - Bring on the corn and soybean fields! (I know, I'm likely to regret that sentiment when I'm I've been riding through tunnels of corn fields for days and days).

Later, about five miles from Lorain, I saw a dreaded "Detour" sign. Apparently the bridge across the Black River was out in the town, and I was supposed to take a long detour on busy roads. I decided to ride on and see if I could get across anyway. After gathering my courage at the Dairy Queen in Lorain (where the girl there told me that the bridge closure was killing business), I rode to the bridge, prepared to talk my way across. Despite several warnings from people back in town that I would be stopped, the workmen there were completely laid-back: Their response to my "Uh, do you think I could walk my bike across the bridge?" was "No problem - go ahead and ride; it won't hurt anything." Well. That was refreshing.

The several miles into and out of Vermilion weren't much fun; the traffic was surprisingly heavy, and the shoulder alternated between terrible and nonexistent. Also, Vermilion just isn't a very attractive town. Sorry, Vermilion.

Huron, down the road from Vermilion, is a nice-looking place, and was where I said goodbye to Lake Erie after several days of seeing it to my right much of the time.

I rode southwest from Huron, through flat farmland, until I decided to call it a day in Avery, a "town" that is really just a cluster of motels near I80/I90.

A nice, easy day, in which I could easily have done another forty miles - but this is one of the rare times when I actually have a schedule planned for the next few days.

As usual, the forecast for tomorrow is scattered showers and thunderstorms.