Flashback: 2005, When I Knew Nothing

Actually, Marc is not the first person I've convinced to try bicycle touring. Sort of. And I've actually "toured" part of the Ohio-to-Erie Trail once before...

After a break of about 27 years, I started riding a bike again in 2005, at age 39. I didn't know what I was doing, and acquired a heavy, unwieldy "hybrid" bike, which I mostly rode up and down the wide shoulder of the highway outside my office after work. I was nervous about venturing onto the many country roads in the area because of the dogs.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, my old friend Peter Chamness had also started cycling. After we got together he tried, unsuccessfully at first, to get me to ride a "real" bike, and to wear "real" bike clothes instead of the jeans and cotton t-shirts I favored. I did agree to abandon the jeans after one very hot ride in which I almost passed out, and switched to cotton shorts. I wouldn't acquire any "real" bike clothes until the next year.

As we did increasingly long rides together that summer, one of us (probably me) learned about the Little Miami Scenic Trail in the Cincinnati area, and I had the idea to ride the trail from the then-southern-terminus at Milford all the way to Springfield, stay overnight in a cheap motel there, then ride back the next day. The 75 miles each way would be be, by far, the longest ride either of us had ever done.

We talked about and planned this little "tour" for weeks, in retrospect comically overthinking such a simple undertaking. We had never heard of bicycle touring. We wondered: Was such a thing as traveling by bicycle even possible?! I acquired a cheap rear rack and bag for my clunky bike. Peter decided he'd carry his stuff in a small backpack.

We drove to Milford early in the morning on August 13th, 2005. I was carrying a heavy, early generation digital camera I'd borrowed from work, so I was able to document my first bike touring experience, at least a little bit. I hadn't found CrazyGuyOnABike, or any other touring resources on the web yet, so I didn't know about touring journals, and I didn't take any notes, unfortunately.

The ride on the first day was, I recall, pleasantly exciting. This was a real adventure! I owned a helmet, but rarely wore it then. I had it with me, though, strapped to the rack. I was only carrying it so I could put it on when we had to leave the bike path and ride a few blocks on the presumably dangerous streets of Springfield to get to the motel.

Although 75 miles was probably 50% longer than the longest ride either of us had every done, I recall that we felt pretty good when we got to our destination, the Fairfax Motel and Lounge. I remember that the price of the room we shared was around $38. I didn't have a lot of experience then with cheap motels, and remember being slightly disturbed by the many cigarette burns on the bedspreads and furniture.

We walked to a nearby Italian restaurant, where, in a harbinger of things to come in my bike touring career, I had a voracious appetite.

I don't remember much else from the first day, except an amusing incident that evening when an intoxicated woman knocked on our door. Peter had placed his bike shorts outside to dry, and the woman, noticing they'd fallen on the ground, seemed very, very concerned about it.

My bike. The helmet stayed strapped on the back until the last mile or so of the ride.

Peter. He was already wearing padded bike shirts at this point in his cycling career, but apparently wasn't wearing bike jerseys yet.

I believe we stopped at every ice cream opportunity on the trail.

The only decent photo I took on the trip.

Our bikes with some motorcycles outside the motel.

The next day wasn't as eventful. I remember being slightly concerned that I would not be able to actually make it back under my own power. I was pretty tired. It rained on us a little bit, but it must not have been much, because I don't remember stopping to wait it out. Peter then (and now) does not like riding in the rain. I didn't either back then, but have since gotten accustomed to it while touring.

Me in my dumb getup. I'd forgotten - back then I didn't own water bottles, but instead carried a CamelBak. I didn't switch to water bottles until the Spring of 2006.

Peter looks tired on the morning of the second day.

We arrived back at the Milford trail head feeling like we'd accomplished something very impressive. I remember on the drive home discussing the highlights of our big adventure.

I would never have believed it if someone had told me that day, but the next year I'd go on an actual big adventure, the TransAmerica Trail.

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	11
Comment on this entry	Comment	0