Day 12: Oberlin, OH to Fremont, OH

July 5, 2023

In which the trail is the way

I had to stop at a couple of stores before leaving Oberlin - this meant I didn't leave town until around 10am.

It was already hot when I started, and just kept getting hotter - ending in the mid-90s. I have officially reached the hot & flat portion of the tour.

The trail I finished on yesterday turned out to be the route for most of today. It's a rail-to-trail, and in Oberlin they even still have the old train station.

Parts of the trail were nice and shady and others not so much. Would you believe this spot is surrounded by corn, wheat and soybean fields?

I got a jump-scare at one point. This just appeared next to me along the trail. Scared the you-know-what outta me!

A few miles east of Norwalk, a couple on bikes offered me a lift into town (where they lived). This was my chosen lunch spot anyway, so I was grateful. They let me draft off them for the 2-3 miles into town. They pointed me to a diner downtown, where I got a sandwich and some lemonade.

The trail went on - sometimes hot and exposed to the sun, sometimes shady.

Is this heaven? No, it's Ohio. (With apologies to Phil Alden Robinson)

I know this was a short day, but my late start made it feel longer for some reason. I think most of it was the heat. Whenever there was shade, it felt like a blessing.

I'm getting a much earlier start tomorrow as it's 77 miles to Defiance, OH. It's supposed to be a bit cooler, but also may bring thunderstorms, so the earlier I start the better!

Today's ride: 56 miles (90 km)
Total: 619 miles (996 km)

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