Conneaut Ohio to Dunkirk, NY: I don't think we're in Ohio anymore

June 18, 2011

Knowing that we had a pretty long day in store, we got an early start.

Hardly anybody was up and about early in the morning. Starting down one of the only hills in the area we saw colorful cones set up in the road.

We were directed to ride through the cones and learned it was the course for the soapbox derby. These were what I thought soapbox derby cars built by children were supposed to look like.

But this is what all of the competive cars looked like. The little girl sitting in the car while it was fine tuned was the most involved child I saw in the entire area. I wonder if the event has wandered from it's original spirit?

Much of today's ride was along Lake Erie. Of course it was mostly flat, but every time a stream channeled into the lake, there was a dip and short climb.

Nurseries and vineyards filled our views throughout the day.

Due to poor map directions we missed riding most of a bike trail in Erie. We can definitely blame the map this time. While we were studying the map a runner stopped to help and he said he helped another cyclist last week with the same "poor map".

We were pleased to cross our 2nd state border in the same day for more than one reason....

... Pennsylvania's maintenance of the roadway deteriorated the closer we got to the New York border. I thought I heard a sigh of relief from the tandem, but it may have been from the stoker.

While resting along the roadside a woman with the same Bike Vermont shirts we were wearing cycled by. We yelled to her, but she was focused and probably had no idea why the old people were calling to her.

We rode nine days in Ohio, spending only five hours in Pennsylvania. It would have been an even shorter time if we had not wandered in Erie.

Today's ride: 81 miles (130 km)
Total: 792 miles (1,275 km)

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