The national road

July 28, 2016

Ohio has had several capital cities over the years. First Chillicothe, then Zanesville from 1810 - 1812, then back to Chillicothe, then finally to centrally located Columbus in 1816. Today we rode from Zanesville to Columbus.

At different times on this trip we have travelled on canal routes and railway lines. Just as railroads eclipsed the canals, automobiles and highways have surpassed the railroads. We got a glimpse of that transition today as we followed US 40, the historic National Road. The section of the national road from Zanesville to Hebron was one of the first roads to be paved in 1914. Zanesville, which had 1000 people working in the brick making business, wanted the road to be paved with bricks, but concrete was used because of the lower cost. Paving the road was financed using a combination of local, state and federal money.

Zanesville courthouse. The downtown area surrounding the courthouse has fallen on hard times.

Beta version of billboards along the national road.

Long before Wall Drugs, Mail pouch tobacco figured out that repetition is key.

Eagle's nest monument commemorating the paving of the national road.

217 miles to Cumberland via the national road. We were there weeks ago on the C&O canal, but took a round about path to get here.

Some old mile stones remain along the national road. We are getting close to Columbus.

It's a good thing they paved the section of the road from Zanesville to Hebron first, because that section is relentlessly hilly. From Hebron to Columbus a force that is even slower than a tandem going uphill has reshaped the landscape. Glaciers flattened central Ohio, making that section of the national road very tandem friendly.

The National Road represents the relentless Western push of our country's development. For Two Far, Columbus is our most Western point yet on our circular journey. Zanesville is slightly East of team S's starting point in Crystal River Florida, Columbus is a bit West of Crystal River. Along the way we passed Kerry's old high school and his 8th grade school building, and later we passed a bit South of the Ohio State campus, so we were tracing Kerry's educational development as well.

Norfolk Western railroad. Part of the Norfolk Southern today?

Today Columbus has an excellent network of bike trails. The national road, Broad Street in downtown Columbus, was very bikable in mid day, but we were still glad to get onto the trails and off of city streets.

Confluence of the mighty Olentangy and Scioto rivers. Mighty low that is. Some upstream dams have been removed, allowing the water level to fluctuate in a more natural way.

During the day Alain noticed his saddle becoming less and less comfortable. Was this simply a consequence of sitting on it for close to 3,000 miles? No, more likely a consequence of too many large meals during the last two months. One of the two saddle rails had broken. A few miles from our destination the second rail gave way.

What could have broken this saddle? Was the root cause donuts, ice cream, or some combination?

Once the saddle gave way Alain was forced to ride standing on the pedals. Fortunately he was only a few miles away from his brother's house where he was able to borrow an unused saddle.

Loaner saddle made the bike ridable again.

Armed with a functional saddle and the name of a good bike shop, team A biked over to the bike shop in search of a permanent solution. Viktoriya used her self control to only remind Alain two or three times that she had instructed him to change the saddle before starting this trip, although the situation called for six or seven reminders. The bike shop had a saddle and also some new brake pads, which seemed like a good idea before heading to Kentucky and Tennessee.

That night we had two treats. One was a great dinner cooked by Alain's sister in law Marty, and the other was watching a heavy downpour from the comfort of an indoor location.

Always a treat to see it rain when we are not out on our bikes.

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