Nice Days in Ohio

Wednesday, May 18

Before we left PA I had to stock up on my Melitta coffee. You may remember that is my preferred brand and it is sometimes hard to find, especially away from the east coast. See previous blog for what the Melitta company did for me. We stopped at a local store and bought all 10 cans they had on the shelf. I should be good for caffeine for a while.

More than a few mornings of wake up juice.

The road out of Phoenixville was through PA Amish country. See here an example of how corporate America tries to accommodate all their customers. This is a common site throughout that area.

Too bad there were no buggies present.

The drive from Phoenixville, PA, to Newark, OH, was simple— interstates almost the entire route. As to what the weather was doing, that was far from simple. Threatening clouds with breaks of sunshine. Finally, near New Stanton, PA, the rain came, and boy did it come.

We needed more fuel so I decided to leave the superslab and fill up. There I met a riding couple, each on their own ride. His was a Street Glide and hers was a Heritage. They were heading east, eventually to reach Nova Scotia, and were holding out for clearer skies. I hope they found them.  Real riders they were, I am certain, and will they have stories to tell.

The rain subsided to a drizzle and all was OK back on the highway — until traffic stopped all of a sudden. After a few miles of stop-and-go we saw the reason: Mudslides were blocking the shoulder and one lane of travel westbound. Road crews were trying to clear it up, but as fast as they scooped some away more flowed in. Within a few more yards I could see streams almost up to the highway guardrails. I was relieved to get past that area.

Once clear of there all was fine again, with more sun and then light rain. We exited the interstate and had about 30 miles to go before reaching our scheduled campground. Jeez, I do not remember Ohio being so hilly, nice but hilly. On the bike I love varied terrain but with Roz pulling Rex and his garage they just eat more fuel. I guess that’s the price of bringing my bud Riley, Rex, house, and belongings along.

Another nice surprise is that gas is getting less expensive as we travel west. Not a lot, but still less. It amazes me how after paying $4-plus per gallon I can feel good paying $3.79 per gallon. Keep in mind that just six months ago we were paying $2.72 per gallon. Roz surprised me too by getting one mile per gallon more. At this new fuel usage I will save the cost of the brake overhaul (we believe the front brakes were dragging thus lowering fuel economy) before we get to California. One mile per gallon doesn’t sound like much but when you were getting 7.5 per gallon and now get 8.5 per gallon (and pulling more weight) it is a BIG deal.

Thursday, May 19

I met up with a new CycleFish friend Donna. She is going to show me the local scene and touristy things. Thanks Donna. A lot of you have heard of Longaberger Baskets. Well, they are made near here. One of the touristy things is their office building that looks like one of the baskets. Collectable baskets are not high on my list of things to do, but the building is cool and of course had to be photographed. 

My friend Donna (Shyone on CF) and me.

One of their basket buildings.

Friday, May 20

Today was freestyle day. After the air warmed a bit Rex and I decided to get some exercise — wheel-turning exercise, that is. I needed a couple small parts for Rex so we headed to a local Harley shop. WOW, this is great riding country. Thanks Ohio. We did a leisurely 100-plus miles through country roads that are as beautiful as they are clean. We found a nice local joint for lunch. I knew it would be good because there were about 15 to 20 bikes parked in the lot. Great burger.

Saturday’s weather looks to be almost perfect for riding so we are gonna head to Serpent Mound. Expect more words and photos.