Day 13 - ending at Troy, OH - Metamora, USA

August 16, 2022

Day 13 - ending at Troy, OH

Day 13 - Franklin, OH to Troy, OH

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Made a cup of coffee with the room's maker first thing after getting up at 6:15am. Worked on reports. My phone indicated a 5G signal - I've never seen that before. Packed up and left at 9:32am. Not far to go starting out, just across the highway to a Big Boy restaurant. The Big Boy's Breakfast is a lot of food, and it was good. Posted a journal page, then left there at 10:51am, stopping next at a Speedway for Vitaminwater for today's ride.

I made it back to the Great Miami River Trail at 11:07am. I was more relaxed today, since I would be trail riding all day til near my destination - the Miami County Fairgrounds in Troy, Ohio.

It was beautiful out. I stopped along the trail at 11:17am for a 15 minute phone call with my wife. She's over her cold now - it wasn't Covid.

Back to my ride-in-the-park, enjoying the morning. There was a north wind, and I was heading north, but it felt refreshing. By noon I'd gone 4.3 miles. Maybe my speed is a little too leisurely. I listened to 99.1-FM for a while on my radio (Country) as I went.

Passing through Miamisburg and Carillion wasn't confusing. At 2:30pm - in Dayton - I figured out I was off the trail and on East River Road. However, that worked out OK, since East River Road connected back up with the trail. At 3:33pm - still in Dayton - I was across the river near Deeds Point Metro Park. An out-of-town older couple were sitting on a bench there. They said the fountains would be going off in 20 minutes. I saw the tower structures, but didn't know they were fountains. The couple thought I should wait to see them. At this point I'd figured out I was riding way too slow, and would have to get into high gear to get to Troy before dark. I had over 22 miles to go! So I took off, then reconsidered. OK, I'll take a break and wait. The fountain did go off as scheduled at 3:55pm, but didn't last very long.

At 4:01pm, I was on my way, pushing myself a little. Some towns had signs on the trail, which let me know where I was. I passed Tadmor at 5:35pm, Tipp City at 6:02pm, and arrived in Troy at 6:58pm. Now, on roads to the fairgrounds. The Miami County Fair was taking place, so I figured that some official would be there to set me up camping.

I was at the fair entrance at 7:32pm. Paid $6 to get in, but the workers there didn't know who to see about camping. The Midway was full of people, so I walked the bike on the road behind the buildings, ending up near the sheriff's building. The worker in there said the fair office was next-door. I left my bike by their building and went to the office. The fair director said camping is available any day except the days of fair week. They have a waiting list for campers that week (this week), so it wouldn't be fair to let me camp there. I totally agree. She suggested I check with the Miami County Visitors and Convention Bureau, who has a display in the Commercial Building. They might know how to get permission for me to camp overnight in one of the city parks. The visitors bureau has a nice display, but no one was there. I did find a free bicycle trail map among their brochures.

After searching motels with my phone, I called Budget Inn. They had five rooms available, so that would work.

I checked out some of the agricultural building displays, then walked down the Midway to get something to eat. Ended up with a Texas Tenderloin and a Pepsi. Sat down on the stone edging of a flower garden to eat. Everyone was full of being-at-the-fair excitement, and that was fun to watch.

I walked back to my bike, then checked Google Maps for a route to the Budget Inn, which was a few miles away. Left the fairgrounds at 8:37pm, and arrived at the motel at 8:58pm. Check-in took a while, thanks to a long phone call received by the desk clerk, but I was in my room (#124) by 9:15pm. A shower, then some report work until 11:39pm - bedtime.

Jeff

Spent: $16.55 plus $5 (breakfast) + $3.75 (Vitaminwater) + $6 (fair admission) + $12 plus $3 (supper) + $56.49 plus $5 (motel room) = $107.79.