I slept surprisingly well, despite being a nervous about someone waking me up in the middle of the night.
Nobody bothered me - the rural bike trail sees very little traffic once it gets dark.
The trail, and my campsite for a night.
I stayed on the bike path for quite a while, crossing the farm roads on rare occasion. At least until I got to Bellvue.
There was a parking lot at the trailhead with a few people getting ready to run or bike on the path.
One of them approached me and asked where I was traveling.
I said, today I'm sticking to this path, all the way to Cleveland. Long term, heading towards Boston.
He replied with, the next few miles of the path isn't great, let me show you around town.
Fantastic.
This is Dale. He rides his bike daily, whether just around town or following Ohio's incredible bike path system.
No stranger to touring, Dale and his wife road a tandem bike from Carlsbad, California to Georgia.
He led me on a route through town, past his house and the local train museum.
The whole time, recounting the history of the area. Dale worked for the railroad company his whole life and is full of facts about the industry. Most of the Ohio bike trails are railroad grades that have since been paved over. He told me to look out for the remnants of the two other defunct lines, paralleling the bike path and the only remaining live train track.
Dale also gave me some great advice to get through an area where the trail exists in poor condition. My rig can handle crushed limestone, but gravel is too difficult.
At the start of the next good section of trail, Dale and I bid each other farewell.
I powered through until lunchtime, stopping at a grocery store in one of the small towns. Lunch was an assortment of goodies from the deli counter. Lately, I've been picking up deli options to make wraps - pulled pork is my favorite so far.
Upon exiting the store, I ran into a guy playing guitar outside. He roams around the states via trains, currently in Ohio after train hopping from New Orleans. He tried to give me a ukulele so I would stay entertained while on the road. I politely declined; there is no room on my bike for a ukulele.
Somehow I missed the park I planned to eat at, but stumbled on this stunning nursery with a picnic table out front. This will do.
Slowly, the vast farm fields gave way to a sprawling city.
One of the last barns before reaching Cleveland. And a barn quilt.
The moment I entered the greater Cleveland area, the sky darkened and rains started to pour. But the rain was the same temperature as the air - which was also roughly the same as my body temperature.
So I just got wet. I didn't feel the rain, just progressively getting more wet.
Thankfully, I had a warmshowers host for the night and met Bobbi in the early evening. I took a wonderful shower and chatted with Bobbi over cheese, crackers and a salad.
Joe