Day 72: Perrysburg to Clyde

August 11, 2021

Midwest thunderstorms

“You are number 39 and 40 cyclist touring I’ve seen this year,” says the local cyclist, we are 4 miles out of Clyde. “Last year there were only 4,” he continued.

Today was tempting to take a rest day in this traveler’s oasis that Bob and Colleen have created. We decide instead to go on to Clyde, then a short day to Norwalk and on to Olmstead Falls with another Warmshowers stay.

Three miles out of town, joyride turns to nightmare. Dark clouds, lightning strikes, and rolling thunder portends the coming of wind and a downpour. Rachel is being blown around and sees a grass driveway and pulls off. There is a gate to lean our bikes and some cover in bushes and trees. Patrick pulls out the tent ground sheet and we hold it over our heads. We wait out the storm for over 30 minutes and set off when the rain lightens up. We can still see dark clouds and hear thunder.

Patrick navigates off US 199 to country roads to Lucky and Woodinville. Through the area we see evidence of strong winds from the storm, with huge tree branches that are broken and some trees blown over. In Woodinville, we go to McDonalds for an egg McMuffin and to dry out. After breakfast we take country road 117 to Elmore. Here we pick up the paved North Coast Inland Trail (Sandusky and Ottawa Counties). As we pedal there are sections with branches and leaves another indication that a strong wind moved through. At Fremont, the official trail stops, and we follow the green Bike Route signs initially, then go off route to the Subway. Our motel for tonight is a mile out of town of Clyde, so picking up a sandwich for lunch when we arrive will save a trip into town.

Through Fremont, we pick up the green Bike Route sign again to the trail. We pass fields with two new crops other than corn and beans. We see a field of sunflowers and a field of white cabbage. About 4 miles out of Clyde, we meet a local cyclist who stops to talk with us. We go off trail to get to the Red Roof Motel on the west side of Clyde. We arrive at 1:30pm, when Patrick checks in, he is told the room won’t be ready until 3pm. We can sit in the breakfast room and eat our sandwich. Patrick goes across the street to a market for drinks only to find that it is closed on Wednesdays. As we finish eating, we are told the room is ready, and we can roll our bikes into the room. We clean up, dry out and settle in as another storm moves through the area. It’s good to not be camping.

Tomorrow we’ll finish this trail section at Bellevue and then pick up the continuation of the North Coast Inland Trail (Huron County) to Norwalk.