Deacon Matt's Blog

Cycling to Work: Day 5 – Cedarville to Columbus, OH. Arrived!

June 27, 2023June 27, 2023 M. Coriale5 Comments

I slept very well last night but woke up a bit earlier than planned. After the regular morning routine of self-care, the Liturgy of the Hours, chamois cream, and sunblock, I ate a quick breakfast and rolled out of the hotel just a few minutes after 7AM. As I posted yesterday, the Hearthstone Inn is a gem for anyone cycling through Cedarville and needing a place to stop.

The weather today was just about as ideal as I could have asked for. It was cool enough that I needed my arm warmers all day, it was overcast so the sun didn’t bake me, I had a little tailwind most of the day, and no rain to speak of. My sunscreen was probably a waste today, but you can’t be too careful when it comes to sun protection.

The route for today was very easy: Head out the hotel door. Turn right. Follow the dedicated bike paths nearly the entire way here, with the exception of a few connector miles going through South Charleston, OH and London, OH. I clocked in just over 63 miles, and I didn’t really take any wandering side trips today. I wanted to arrive around lunch time to be prepared for a 1PM Zoom call.

First Stop: South Charleston, then London

The first destination was South Charleston. To get there, I took the Prairie Grass Trail from the hotel right into the town of South Charleston. Like the most of the rest of the trails in the Ohio part of this trip, the PGT is an old rail line that has been converted for hikers, walkers, joggers, and cyclists. Unlike the Little Miami Trail, however, it does not have much shade. The PGT makes a nearly straight line between Xenia and London, passing through farm land. The farms were very pretty today with a little bit of fog as I made my way out.

I paused for just a few minutes in South Charleston to get a couple of pictures and eat some quick carbs to keep me going. As I sat at the Veteran’s Memorial, I watched the farmers driving into and out of town.

South Charleston, OH and heading to London

Next stop: London. London is a larger town, not huge, but enough to support several restaurants, stores, and so on. I stopped at the trailhead, ate a few snacks, and topped off my water. I chose to bypass the downtown area to avoid traffic and be a bit quicker getting through. If you’re camping, the London trailhead is one of the best camping spots on the entire Ohio To Erie trail. There are raised campsites and a large covered picnic area that you could easily set up a tent under in the event of heavy rain.

A few miles further is the Battelle Darby Metro Park. It is a pretty park and the trail winds through the forested part of the park. Some time between 2019 and now they paved a nice section of the trail within the park so that cyclists don’t have to compete with cars on the parking lot access road. It is a mild climb, but nothing difficult.

Once you leave the park, the first signs of getting closer to Columbus start to emerge: denser housing and more roads cross the path. I was now riding on the Camp Chase Trail. Large parts of the Camp Chase Trail parallel a set of railroad tracks. They don’t look very active though. I also noticed several homeless encampments in the woods near the trail as I got closer to the city.

On the west side of Columbus is a place called Amy’s Donuts. It is right along the bike route … and very tempting. I’ve stopped there every time I’ve passed before. But today I broke the tradition. I was feeling pretty good and didn’t want to take the time to stop. Next time. (I really shouldn’t eat donuts anyway since most of the doughs have a small amount of milk in them. However I will, on a rare occasion, make an exception for a good donut!)

Next time I’ll go in and grab a cruller!

The rest of the trip into Columbus was uneventful. I picked up the Hilltop Connector, then the Scioto trail, and finally the Olentangy River trail. The Olentangy trail runs very close to the Josephinum. I frequently ride the full length of the Olentangy, so I knew I was in the home stretch!

The Olentangy Trail has a major detour for some sort of construction. You have to go up onto the campus of The Ohio State University, go around the stadium, and then join back up with the trail near the river. I have a friend who tells a great story about finding one of the gates of the stadium unlocked and open, so she went out onto the field to take a selfie. I think of her every time I ride past the stadium and chuckle a little bit. I didn’t see any open gates today, sorry Kim.

Sights along the Olentangy River, including THE Ohio State University stadium

Once I reached the Olentangy Park on the north side of Columbus, it was time to say goodbye to the trails and head up to the Josephinum. A gentle climb of about a mile took me up to North High Street. You’d have to have a death wish to cycle on North High Street – although I do see cyclists out there occasionally. I strategically used the sidewalks to finish the rest of the route over to the Josephinum entrance. Campus is one of my favorite places in the world, but it was especially welcoming as I completed my 250+ mile journey.

Welcome to the Pontifical College Josephinum!

I arrived with about 25 minutes to spare before my meeting. Not enough time to eat or shower. I took a chocolate Clif Bar, broke it into pieces, and ate it with spoonfuls of peanut butter. It was actually pretty good and filling! It tided me over until after my Zoom call and a much needed shower.

The Pontifical College Josephinum is a Catholic Seminary. I run the permanent deacon formation program. I work most of my time from home in Lexington, but I try to be on campus as much as possible. I really enjoy the campus and being around the seminarians. There are some remarkable young men in formation here and it gives me great hope for the future of the Church.

There are four chapels on campus. Here are the two that I most frequently spend time in. The first is St. Turibius Chapel. It is the largest chapel on campus and has a phenomenal pipe organ. This is where we celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours in community, have adoration, and mass when the seminarians are here during the Fall and Spring semesters. The other chapel is much smaller. It is named for St. Rose of Lima. I like to go into this chapel when I need some quiet prayer time or if I’m saying the Liturgy of the Hours by myself.

So, I guess it is time to wrap up this adventure. My laundry is finally done, I’m thoroughly scrubbed, and it’s about time to look for a very much needed dinner.

Final Stats:
Miles: 250.88
Time: 20 Hours, 40 Minutes in the saddle
Flat Tires: 0
Broken Spokes: 0 (Yay for new wheels!)
Beers Consumed: 1 large, 1 extra large
Clif Bars: 8
Clif Gel Shots: 9
Dog Chases: Lots, but only a couple of scary ones

I really enjoyed this bike trek. It was fun to travel with Joe again, the weather was great, and the route is very enjoyable. I may have to do this trip again.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may He shine His face upon you, and grant you peace.

— Dcn. Matt

Cycling to Work: Day 4 – Milford to Cedarville, OH

June 26, 2023June 26, 2023 M. Coriale1 Comment

Last night was the best night of sleep both Joe and I had this week. We got up early and hit the trail. Weather throughout the day was another fantastic day, with just a few drops of rain. The end of the day was a bit windy, but a good day nonetheless.

I purchased a couple of vegan double-chocolate cake donuts at the market below the B&B last night. We had those for breakfast to get us started. We decided we’d get more to eat a few miles later at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Loveland.

Our first destination today was Xenia Station, about 50 miles up the trail. We both had a wonderful and uneventful ride up to Xenia on the Little Miami Trail. I’ve ridden this trail numerous times over the years and I still enjoy it. It is not challenging – it’s an old railroad grade. The trail is mostly canopied by trees and passes through many small towns along the way. This made for an easy and relaxing day.

When we reached Xenia we grabbed a quick second lunch at Wendy’s before going our own ways. Joe and I haven’t done much riding together in a while and I really enjoyed touring with him for the last few days.

Xenia Station is the intersection of several great bike trails. We left the Little Miami Trail behind. Joe went west on the Creekside Trail and I cycled northeast on the Praire Grass Trail. He’s off to Dayton to meet his family for a college visit to UD. I’m continuing along my way to the Josephinum in Columbus.

I only had about 8 more miles to my destination for tonight: the Hearthstone Inn in Cedarville. The last few miles were fairly easy with a bit of a tailwind. I had to stop to climb over a downed tree on the trail. Otherwise, it was an easy trip.

The Hearthstone Inn is a great family run hotel right on the trail. I checked in and triple-scrubbed myself down to get off the bugs, dirt, and sunscreen before I joined a quick Zoom meeting for work.

Sitting in the hotel room by myself feels a bit weird after spending the last four evenings together. Joe texted me a little after I arrived to let me know that he’d arrived at his hotel. I’m glad to know we both made it safely. It’s a buddy-thing.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s ride. The weather looks cool and comfortable again. I’d like to arrive at the Josephinum around lunch time, if possible – we’ll have to see how things go.

May the Lord bless you and provide you rest.

Dcn. Matt

Cycling to Work: Day 3 – Falmouth, KY to Milford, OH

June 25, 2023June 25, 2023 M. Coriale1 Comment

Our accommodations in Falmouth were fun and comfortable. The Airbnb is located above an old bank in downtown. I woke up around 5:30, a bit ahead of my alarm. I did my morning prayer, packed up my stuff, ate some breakfast, and slathered on a generous layer of sunblock to start the day.

The overall plan for the day was to get from the Licking Valley up and over to the Ohio Valley, then follow the Ohio River up to Newport, Kentucky. Once in Newport, we would cross into Cincinnati, and follow a series of bike lanes and bike paths to arrive at the Little Miami Trail, taking the LMT to Milford – our destination for today. Simple enough. One challenge is that there isn’t really much of anything between Falmouth and Newport. We had to carry enough water and food for this part of the trip.

Our first stop was to get to Our Lady’s Farm, about 7 miles north of Falmouth. Nearly all of our climbing today was done in these first 7 miles. The route had 2 moderate climbs with steep and/or long sections and one easy climb to start the route. Overall, not bad. I liked this route a little better than my last time through and would do it again. We were treated to some beautiful views and farmland along the way.

Our Lady’s Farm is at the top of the ridge between the the Licking Valley and the Ohio Valley. The farm is the sight of a Marian apparition. It is a beautiful place. We spent a few minutes there before resuming our journey.

A few more miles along the top of the ridge before descending all the way back down to the Ohio River. We picked up the Mary Ingalls highway for about 27 miles. We saw very few cars for the first 20 miles – I think I counted fewer than 10 cars. However, when we reached the town of Silver Grove, there was a lot of traffic. Too many cars to count. The speeds were slow, but no shoulder made it a little less pleasant than the previous part of our journey.

Several miles of the Mary Ingalls Highway are closed to traffic. The road is impassible for cars: the pavement has heaved beyond repair in many places. We only had one place where we had to walk our bikes over a barrier, but otherwise, it was kind of like having a private road all to ourselves.

Thou Shalt Not Pass! (Meh, it wasn’t too bad)

Along the way, we did take a nice break. Yesterday, knowing we would need some decent portable food, Joe purchased a 4-pack of Uncrustable PB&Js (grape jelly, of course). We each scarfed down two of them to fuel us along and tide us over for the last few miles in Kentucky. When we reached Newport, we grabbed second lunch, took a break, and prepared for the rest of today’s journey on the Ohio side of the river.

Crossing into Ohio is easy, taking the “Purple People Bridge”, then joining up with some bike paths and bike lanes.

Reaching Lunken Field, we then joined up with the Ohio River Trail, taking us to the Little Miami Trail. This is very familiar territory – I ride the LMT frequently with friends. One nice milestone – nearly the rest of my entire journey to the Josephinum will be on bike paths, with just a couple miles of roads in small towns linking various bike trails together. I’m (mostly) done sharing the road with cars.

We arrived in Milford and worked our way up to the Airbnb on Main Street. It is located above the Harvest Market. This is a very nice little apartment and super comfortable. The hosts are wonderful and I highly recommend this place!

Dinner at a local Italian place filled me up and now we’re having a quiet evening and hopefully a restful night. Joe’s legs were pretty tired today, so hoping that a good night’s rest will prep him for tomorrow. We have a long day ahead of us.

Until tomorrow, may the Lord provide you the grace to face all of your challenges with hope and joy.

Peace,
Dcn. Matt

Cycling to Work: Day 2 – Paris to Falmouth, KY

June 24, 2023June 24, 2023 M. Coriale1 Comment

We took a lazy start to the day, finally getting rolling about 8:30 or so. A little breakfast before we hit the road and then a quick stop to get a picture of the bikes with the miniature Eiffel Tower on the way out of town.

The route today took us from Paris to Cynthiana and then to Falmouth. Most of the route was on back country roads, with a few miles of state route roads to connect to the towns. Riding out from Paris to Cynthiana is very pretty. Nearly all on quiet roads and no problems – if you don’t count the chasing dogs as a hazard.

Cynthiana is a farming community. We arrived mid-morning and stopped at the park to stretch out and refill on water. The farmers’ market was up and going. There was a very cute puppy that I was introduced to. His name is Clyde and his sister’s name is Bonnie. Clyde is 12 weeks old and probably about 25-30 pounds. He’s going to be a big boy. He was very well behaved and cute.

Leaving Cynthiana, we had about 5-6 miles of well behaved traffic before we turned onto another quiet country road. The next 15-20 miles were a series of rolling climbs and descents with only a couple of longer climbs over 4%. The views from the tops of these hills were very pretty. Last time I rode through here, there was a Chihuahua “farm” along the way. I think they’re out of business, but the same place had a whole bunch of random dogs – a couple of which felt the need to come warn us away.

The last 3 miles into Falmouth took us along State Route 27. A bit more traffic today, but nothing too scary. About mid way along Rt27, we visited Punkyville. The creator, who has now passed, had amassed a large collection of road signs and antiques that he wanted to display. So he built a little town, named it after his own nickname, and declared himself to be the mayor. Rest in peace, Punky.

When we arrived in Falmouth, we pulled up to the old bank building that hosts our Airbnb. There were a few of the locals sitting on benches outside chatting. They greeted us warmly. I looked at the one guy and said “You look familiar. We’re you here about 4 years ago when I rode through?” Sure enough, I looked up pictures on my phone quickly and this is the same guy I sat next to at lunch in 2019. His name is Larry. Super nice people.

One of the things I really enjoy about Bike Touring is meeting people. Nearly everyone we meet along the way, especially in these small towns, is so delightful. Big city folk seem to think they have it all, but I think the people in small-town America genuinely seem happier from what I’ve seen.

We got all checked in, cleaned up, did a quick wash of my bibs, and then had a delicious meal at the Smoking Pig. Food was good! Joe was just about out of gas, so eating was a high priority. No complaints, for sure.

After late lunch (or maybe first dinner?), we went to mass at St. Francis Xavier church. On our way back, stopped at a mini mart to grab some food for breakfast. There isn’t anyplace to grab a bite for about 40 miles tomorrow morning, so we need to carry some food to tide us over until we reach Newport KY.

Reflecting on today’s ride, I have to say it was overall a spectacular day and I feel great. The only negative was the number of dog chases we had today. I don’t think I’ve been chased by this many dogs in the last 5 years combined. Only one or two dogs were aggressive enough to make me nervous, but I could do without the extra adrenaline bursts.

Tomorrow looks like another beautiful day. It’s going to be a bit warmer by mid afternoon, with temps in the upper 80s. Hopefully we’ll arrive in Cincinnati around lunch time.

Until then, may the Lord bless you and grant you peace.
Dcn. Matt

Cycling to Work: Day 1 – Lexington to Paris, KY

June 23, 2023June 23, 2023 M. Coriale2 Comments

Today was a very nice start to our trip and uneventful. After packing up the panniers for my bike and saying goodbye to my family, it was time to get started.

Joe and I left from my place around lunch time and made our way to Paris, KY. Only about 20 miles today. The weather was cool and comfortable and we even had a bit of a tailwind. We took some very familiar roads out to Paris. There’s a road closure along the way, but I’ve been through here several times this year and you can easily walk your bike through.

The rest of the ride to the outskirts of Paris was very uneventful. The skies were a bit dark, but no rain.

When we arrived in Paris, we took a picture at the monument. Somehow both the monument and the Eiffel Tower seem smaller in person than they look on TV.

We arrived at our Airbnb in Paris: “The Parsonage”. This is an old building that was the parsonage for the First Baptist Church many years ago. The current owners have done a nice renovation and made it comfortable. On top of that, she left us some Blue Moon, fruit, and juice in the fridge! That was a fantastic surprise.

After getting cleaned up, we walked to a nearby Mexican restaurant. Not a “Tex-Mex” place. The food was fantastic. My Spanish is embarrassingly non-existent (don’t ask me why I took German in school – Spanish would have been much more useful). The reason I mention this is that some Spanish would have made ordering dinner much easier. The wonderful lady at the restaurant and I pantomimed and pointed at the menu until I ordered two tamales and two tacos. I asked for fish tacos, got delicious steak. I guess my Spanish really needs help. Nonetheless, the food was delicious.

Back at the Airbnb and getting ready for bed. Tomorrow’s ride takes us about 40 miles to Falmouth, KY. Weather and temperatures look good.

May the Lord bless you and shine His face upon you.

Peace,
Dcn. Matt

Cycling to Work: Day 0 – Prologue

June 22, 2023 M. Coriale6 Comments

The 2023 cycling season is shaping up nicely. My personal goal for this year has been to get back into great shape. I had rotator cuff surgery in the fall and set my fitness level back quite a bit since I wasn’t allowed to do much cardio or leg exercise until late February. The older I get, the faster the fitness goes away. The forced time off from my surgery recovery took its toll. I hit the Peloton bike hard in February and March. Once the weather warmed up, I started adding on road miles and endurance length rides. I’m finally in reasonably good shape again and I’ve dropped the weight I’d gained over the winter. Getting (back) in shape sucks – no two ways about it, but it was worth the hard work.

My riding buddy Joe and I haven’t done much touring together the last few years. Family and job responsibilities have made it hard to plan much together. We decided to plot out a short/medium length tour that kicks off tomorrow. I’m going to head to work. The catch is that I work about 220 miles away by car, roughly 250 miles away by bike. It’s going to take about 4.5 days at a touring pace. Joe will join me for the first 4 days, then we’ll split off as we each head to different destinations.

We will be starting from my house in Lexington, KY and I’ll be cycling to my office at the Pontifical College Josephinum north of Columbus, Ohio. Joe will split off from me in Xenia, OH and head west to Dayton. We will be following the same route I used a few years ago when I rode to Cleveland, using country roads through Kentucky to get to the Ohio River valley, then following the Ohio River to Cincinnati. Once we arrive in Cincinnati, we’ll be following the Ohio To Erie (#OH2ERIE) route.

The Pontifical College Josephinum – my second home ❤️

We’re going to take a somewhat relaxed pace for the first couple of days and increase the milage as we go north. This is a shorter tour, but I’m really excited about getting started. The weather looks like good temps and we might get a chance to avoid the rain.

People often ask me why I like to do self-supported bike touring, or specifically why am I cycling to the Josephinum? Seeing the world at the speed of bike travel is much nicer than seeing it at automobile speed. The country roads I take are often very picturesque and not heavily traveled by cars. The people I meet are friendly. The hours on the bike are a great opportunity to take in the views, pray, talk with friends, and slow down the pace of life. Some people like the beach for the views and relaxation. I like the pace of bike travel for many of the same reasons. As for the “Why bike to work?” question: Just because. It’s a nice goal and the route is good.

For those who have been following my cycling adventures, you may recall that I had a few broken spokes on the last two bike tours. I learned from the local bike shop that the wheels the manufacturer used on my bike are prone to that issue. So instead of getting them re-laced with new spokes, I purchased some new DT Swiss wheels. Let’s hope these wheels are more reliable.

Shakedown test ride: Baby has new wheels!

So now that I’ve tested out my blogging setup and my gear is packed, I’m ready to go!

Peace!
— Dcn. Matt

2022 Erie Canal Tour: Wrap-Up

September 13, 2022March 17, 2023 M. CorialeLeave a comment

The 2022 Cycling Adventure on the Erie Canal is complete. Zubby, JB, and I had a great trip along the canal route. Even with some equipment issues (darned broken spokes!) and a little downtime helping Zubby de-bonk, it was fun. This was the worst weather I’ve done a bike tour in: 5 of 7 days in some amount of rain. Again, none of those issues detracted too much from a great week of unplugging on two wheels.

Touring with other people is good because you can watch over each other. It also brings along some tradeoffs. You have to compromise and decide when to do side trips, where to eat, and so on. I think this tour worked out very well and we did a good job of helping each other along. I enjoyed JB’s wanderlust that took us into the little towns along the way and the excursion through Syracuse to see the university and some of the local sights. Zubby is an eternal optimist who found a way to enjoy the trip even in the rain. My only regret is that we couldn’t somehow change our itinerary to accommodate Billy’s family covid situation. We’ll just have to get another option planned for 2023!

As I collect my wrap-up thoughts, first I’ll give my impression of touring the Erie Canal. It is one of the better developed touring routes in the United States. At about 400 miles from Buffalo to Albany, it provides a long ride with reasonably spaced towns for accommodations. Most of the route is on dedicated path, with some through-city parts on bike lanes or dedicated paths. There are a few stretches of on-road riding. The road sections were usually on either very quiet roads or on roads with generous shoulders. As an experienced road-rider, I didn’t feel too stressed by the road sections. If I were riding with young kids though, I would try to time the road sections for non busy times.

The surface for the path is a combination of paved and crushed limestone “stone dust” on top of packed dirt. I definitely prefer the paved parts, but the stone dust surface rides well when dry and drained well when it was raining. I recommend having tires with a little bit of width and tread in case it rains. The mud is slippery when wet.

The route of the Erie Canal Trail is good. Starting in Buffalo, then Lockport and all of the port towns west of Fairport provide some good variety of things to see. Some of the towns are too small to support restaurants, but others are great places to get food and water. Once you get east of Fairport, the towns are more sparse, with the exceptions of the bigger cities like Syracuse, Rome, Utica, Amsterdam, Schenectady, and Albany.

If I had to rank the Erie Canal Trail among other routes I’ve done, I’d put it in the middle. Definitely worth doing, but I prefer the scenery of the Great Allegheny Passage and the nearly all-paved Ohio To Erie trail is hard to beat. The Parks and Trails NY team does good job of marking the trail. There were only a couple of places where it wasn’t exactly clear where to turn. I had put together .GPX files for my Garmin to help and only used them in a couple of places. I have mixed feelings about the guidebook from the PTNY. It is useful but I think there should be a bit more detail with road names, especially in the Syracuse area. I do recommend buying it to carry with you, but don’t expect it to answer all of your routing questions.

We chose to do 7 days to minimize work vacation days. This pushed us to 65+ days 4 of the 7 days. I typically plan for ~60 miles when touring on my own and find that comfortable. I think this trip would have been better with shorter days. 50-60 mile days would have allowed for more sight seeing and accommodating mechanical and health issues.

If you’re new to bike touring, the Erie Canal Trail, or even just part of it, would be a good option to get started. It is gentle enough for medium-skilled riders and has enough scenery to keep it interesting.

Here’s a little bit about my equipment. Over time my cycling rig has evolved a bit. Here’s what I use today:

Bicycle: 2018 Specialized Sequoia Expert. I bought this bike at the end of 2018 and have been using it for touring since then. It is a good combination of robust build, comfort, and gearing. If I were to go cross country with lots of mountains, I might look for something with a wider gearing. I like that the frame has many braze-on lugs to easily accommodate a rack, fenders, and still have room for three water bottles. I don’t use the front lugs but could mount front racks if I wanted to carry more gear. I’m also a huge fan of disc brakes. This model has hydraulic brakes that are strong and sure no matter how wet they get.
Bike Add-Ons: I insist on fenders for touring. The rain and mud create quite a mess. I did two tours without fenders in 2010 and 2012 and will never do that again. I use a Blackburn rack, but I don’t know what model it is. I recommend one where the sides are long/wide to provide more support to your panniers and keep them out of your wheel area.
Tires: This is an area of passionate debate for cycle touring. I am a fan of Schwalbe touring tires, like the marathon plus. However this bike came with Specialized Adventure Gear Sawthooth 700x42mm tires. I’m still running the original Specialized tires and I’ve been very happy with them. They are a great tradeoff of tread for mud vs. rolling on smooth roads. I’ve got several thousand miles on them and only one flat. The tread is still in great shape, too. I will probably try to get similar tires again when it is time to replace these.
GPS: I have been using a dedicated bike GPS for many years. I currently use a Garmin Edge 820. I have a love/hate relationship with this device. For general ride tracking it does a sufficient job. For route guidance, I’d give it a “C” grade: I’ve needed to plot unknown courses like getting to the Rome bike shop and it does an OK job. However it is very slow when loading a premade .GPX files and the battery life is not great. I had to carry a spare battery pack with me and used it every day to charge up along the route. Garmin wants a ton of $ to replace the battery. Not gonna happen. I think when it is time to replace, I will look at a competitor’s unit such as Wahoo.
Bike Radar: Ok, this has become an essential piece of gear for me. I use a Garmin Varia RTL515 radar. This little device mounts on the back of the bike and has two purposes: 1) it is a brightly flashing tail light to get motorists’ attention, and 2) it tracks cars coming from behind and tells me where they are, how many are approaching, and how fast. This is displayed on my bike GPS screen. I really like knowing when a car is approaching. So I have both a rear mirror on my handlebar and this radar. I won’t ride without them at this point.
Panniers: Panniers are the bags that hook into the racks of the bike, kind of like bike luggage. I use Ortlieb “Bike Packer Plus” panniers. They are waterproof and have served me very well. They’re not cheap, but if you do a bunch of bike travel, you will find that you never have to worry about the contents getting wet with Ortlieb panniers. They also have a good rack-mounting system that locks the bags securely to the rack. There are many good and cheaper options out there, so if you’re just getting started, I suggest starting with a cheaper option and just pack your clothes in dry bags inside the panniers.
Camera: I purchased a GoPro Hero 7 on sale a couple of years ago so that I can take pictures while riding and not have to stop. I also have a love/hate relationship with this device. Somehow it manages to take pictures sometimes and videos others. I need to sit with some YouTube instructions to see the best way to operate it so that I can get pictures with my GoPro consistently. In the past, I have struggled to find a great way to mount the GoPro to my bike and think I cracked the code this time. I bought a well-reviewed off-brand Garmin style GPS mount, took the quarter turn off of it, flipped it upside down and used a genuine GoPro foam-tape mount to mount on the backside. It worked like a champ and allows me to remove the GoPro when I go into a restaurant. I’m really surprised nobody sells something like this pre-made. See my picture below for the mount. For my off-the-bike pictures, I use my iPhone. It takes great pictures.
Headlight: I have a rule to always carry a headlight. They tend to be heavy, but if you get stuck after sundown, it is really necessary. You can’t plan emergencies, but you can be prepared for them. I got stuck after sundown on the KATY trail a few years ago and will always keep a light with me now. I carry a Blackburn Central 300. It is bright enough to navigate with, but I’d recommend going even higher than 300 lumens if you can afford it.
Blogging Setup: I use a small Microsoft bluetooth keyboard that folds up. It works with my iPhone and allows me to touch-type at full speed. It doesn’t weigh much and takes nearly no space in my bag. I use the WordPress dedicated iOS app on the phone. You probably found some typos in the blog. I’m not trying to write a novel, so I am not quite as careful when blogging.

Thanks for following along. I always enjoy hearing from people who read the blog or ask questions that I can help with.

Here’s a link to each of the day’s blog:

This is my last big 2022 bike adventure. I’m already looking forward to 2023 and another grand time on two wheels. Not sure where I’ll ride next, but I’m already daydreaming of options.

Until then, Peace.
— Dcn. Matt

2022 Erie Canal Tour: Days 6&7 – Utica to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Albany. Done!

September 10, 2022March 17, 2023 M. Coriale1 Comment

I was much too tired yesterday to blog. And honestly, I am again today, but if I don’t get my notes down now, it probably won’t happen.

Friday, day 6, was an eventful day for our band of three. We left Utica early under a bit of a fog. The weather was cool but nice. No rain, and that was most welcome.

It didn’t take long for the sun to dry up the fog and make for a beautiful and sunny day. We made a steady pace as we pedaled east. We stopped at several of the locks for a rest or pictures. Right about lock 18, we decided to watch a boat lock through.

The boat is named “Spontaneous”. We struck up a couple of minutes of conversation as they locked through. This couple was on their way to New Hampshire to deliver this boat to new owners. They have had some great adventures but just didn’t have the time to enjoy it any longer. We all decided that a great way to do this trip would be to cycle to one end and have a very relaxing boat ride back. It takes several days to travel the length of the canal by boat. They are restricted to low speed, so it is a relaxed pace.

As we began the day, Zubby just didn’t quite seem to be feeling 100%. By the time we reached the town of Canajoharie, he really didn’t feel well. Looking back, we think he “bonked” – a term that means you’re too low on calories and/or electrolytes and/or fluids. The brain just shuts you down. We got him into a local restaurant and he sipped a bunch of drink and cooled down. We hung out for about two hours. We had about 25 miles left to go, but Zubby decided he was done for the day. After a few unsuccessful attempts at Ubering and Lyfting, we got ahold of someone who was able to drive him forward to our hotel in Amsterdam.

So then there were two…

JB and I pressed on to Amsterdam without much further excitement. We stopped for a few minutes at the entrance to the shrine for the North American Martyrs. This is the site of the 17th Century Mohawk Village of Ossernenon, birthplace of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and the site of martyrdom for three Jesuit missionaries. This particular shrine has importance for me because of some time spent here back in 2010 with my daughter and wife. We were running quite late after helping Zubby so we couldn’t stay long.

We finished our ride and arrived at the Castle in Amsterdam NY. This is an old armory that has been converted into a castle-themed hotel. It was a very fun place to stay and we enjoyed it very much.

So that was the end of day 6. We all regrouped at the hotel. JB and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a local Italian place, Lorenzo’s.

That brings us to today. Last night, Zubby decided he was done for the trip. We had about another 45-50 miles to the end and he didn’t think it was good to continue. So we rearranged his Amtrak ticket so that he would stay in Amsterdam while JB and I finished the trek to Albany.

It was another fantastic, dare I say epic, weather day. Blue skies, temps in the low 80s and no headwinds. Can’t ask for better.

We decided that we wanted to try to find some donuts today. That was high on JB’s list. So we had a light breakfast at the hotel and then decided we would try to find some pastries or donuts in Schenectady. We eventually found a Dunkin’ Donuts and we split a half-dozen donuts between us. They went down really fast.

As we were making our way east, I saw a boat in the distance that looked familiar. We reached to the next lock, and sure enough, it was “Spontaneous” again. We had seen them yesterday and now again today. We said Hi to the owners and then went on our way.

The trail in Schenectady has some ups and downs to it. It diverges from the Mohawk river up and overlooks it, then goes back down to meet the river again. Felt good to do a little gentle climbing after so much flat riding.

The last few miles were uneventful, except that my Garmin had not been tracking my distance from when we left breakfast in Schenectady until we reached the northern part of Cohoes. Annoying. The track made it look like I was able to magically fly across the county.

We arrived in Albany with plenty of time to spare. We had to be at the Amtrak station on the other side of the Hudson by 3:00PM. So we went in search of food and drink. We found great little pub. I had a beer and a fish fry. It was extra delicious today.

After lunch, we made a quick trip over the Hudson to the town of Rensselaer. It was very easy to cross the bridge because it has a dedicated bike / pedestrian area away from traffic.

The Amtrak station in Albany is clean and nice. I took the opportunity to change out of my stinky riding clothes and into some street clothes for the ride home. JB did the same. We boarded the train without too much difficulty. Zubby had a ticket for the same train, departing from Amsterdam.

I had been warned that the Amtrak Empire Service could not handle very many bikes. We had pre-arranged and paid for shipping our 3 (4 originally) bikes. The process for loading was to let the conductor tell us which car had a rack open. We then wheeled the bikes in and hung them in the rack. Not too bad, but not nearly as convenient as the entire bike-friendly train car that I rode from Pittsburgh to DC a few years ago.

I got off the train in Rochester and my dad picked me up. I’m back at their place. Dirty clothes are all in the washer and I’m preparing to head back tomorrow to home. The three of us have decided that it was a very good tour, even with all the challenges that came our way. I will add one more blog post later with some thoughts and tips about riding the Erie Canal. Watch for that in the next day or two.

Until then…
Peace,
— Deacon Matt

2022 Erie Canal Tour: Day 5 – Syracuse to Utica with a lot of Rome(ing)

September 8, 2022September 8, 2022 M. Coriale1 Comment

Our B&B yesterday was, well, interesting. The neighborhood was not great, the decor was a mish-mash, and I really doubt an electrician did the electrical work. On the upside, we were dry and had an uneventful night. The AirBNB hosts were good, but the property was not one of my favorites.

We wandered out for dinner and found some awesome burritos, and then came back to watch a movie before turning in. Zubby had never seen “Breaking Away”, so we watched that. I think we all enjoyed it. Fantastico Papa!

When we went to bed last night, we looked at the weather. It looked like we would have a nice day with only a small chance of rain. Today started out with rain. A good amount of the liquid sunshine came down to see us out of Syracuse. It was more than mere drizzle.

Riding out of Syracuse was much nicer than the last time I was here in 2010. They now have nice separated bike lanes for much of the route. I sure wish Lexington would take a page from this book.

After an hour or so, the weather finally cleared. We had an amazing and rare sighting: blue skies! The rest of the day was blue skies and warmer weather. Aside from the first part of the ride, the rest of the weather was epic.

We made our way east and stopped at a boat museum. It was closed, but there were a couple of nice guys who were taking a rest break there. We stopped and talked to them a bit.

As we kept going, JB broke another spoke! When we stopped for lunch, we looked over the maps to see where we could find a bike shop anywhere on the path for today. We decided we’d check out the situation when we got closer to Rome and decide what to do.

When we reached Rome, JB decided we would try the bike shop in Rome. One catch, it was about 7 miles out of our way north of Rome, and the mechanic had a hard-stop at 4:30. We used the Garmin Bike GPS to plot a course to the shop and started pushing our way there. The streets were a bit busy, but the shoulders were OK. About two miles later JB got a flat tire. Crazy, but true. We made it to Mike’s Cycle & Sport Shop with plenty of time to spare. The mechanic replaced his spoke in about 15 minutes and we were back on our way.

We stopped on the way back out of town for some drinks and snacks at a Circle-K. JB treated me to a cherry slushee. I didn’t realize how thirsty I was. I put down a good amount of Gatorade, the slushee, and some water. But the slushee really hit the spot.

Working our way back out of Rome took a bit of city-smarts for cycling. Nothing too scary, but had to be very alert as we made our way back to the trail. We reached the trail without incident. We stopped by Fort Stanwix briefly but it was closed. Plus we thought we needed to press on somewhat quickly because we were running late, so it was probably OK that we couldn’t go in.

We finally reached Utica and navigated to the AirBNB here. This place is really nice! It is a renovated apartment over a pub downstairs. We all agreed that this is the nicest place we’ve stayed so far.

After getting cleaned up, we wandered downtown Utica and found a good meal. For the record, I didn’t order the onion rings, and didn’t eat many of them…

We had originally planned for about 65 miles today. The extra miles through Rome made for a longer day but all went well. Hopefully we’ve seen the last of the broken spokes!

Tomorrow we head to Amsterdam NY. The weather looks like it will be a great day for cycling. I hope to rest well and be ready for the day.

Peace,
— Dcn. Matt

2022 Erie Canal Tour: Day 4 – Savannah to Syracuse, with spokes!

September 7, 2022September 7, 2022 M. Coriale1 Comment

Our stay at the BnB in Savannah was comfortable and clean. I slept OK and woke up early to get packed and ready to roll. Since we needed to get to the bike shop in Syracuse, we wanted to get started early. Our host, Chip, did a nice job and made us feel welcome.

When we went to bed last night, we expected it to be a mostly dry day today. Well, that didn’t last very long. Mist, then drizzle, then light rain stuck with us most of the morning. It wasn’t too bad, but it sure would be nice to see some of the elusive Upstate NY blue skies during our tour.

We had several miles of roads before getting back to the trail today. The canal doesn’t have a bike path with it in this area, so the route takes you along NY Route 31. In this area, the shoulder is mostly a very wide area, and the traffic was generally well behaved. So although it wasn’t too bad, it felt good to get back on the path.

We were mostly on path again once we reached the town of Jordan. I remember this little town from my tour here in 2010 with my daughter. I recall taking a picture with her at the flagpoles, and I also remember the beautiful gardens just east of the town.

Eventually we made it to Syracuse. The new route into Syracuse is much nicer than the one I remembered from before. Back in 2010, we had to route through the west side of downtown through some so-so neighborhoods. Since then, they have now completed a trail along the lakefront that is very nice. Good pavement and some wonderful views of Onondaga Lake.

There is a new biking/walking trail into downtown that runs along Onondaga Creek. We picked that up and used it to get to the central part of town. We then used the Garmin bike GPS to take us to the AirBnB. We dropped our bags and quickly made our way down to the Mello Velo bike shop to get our bikes fixed.

We briefly stopped at Clinton Square and continued along our way. Clinton Square is where the canal used to run through downtown. It was an area for commerce and banking, supporting trade along the canal.

Mello Velo is an awesome little shop. It is a cafe and bike shop. We walked in about 12:20 and they immediately prioritized our repairs since we were on our way through. We had lunch while we waited. The food was a little pricey but my Turkey Club was really delicious. Hand-carved turkey, not deli lunch meat, fresh bacon and lettuce with aioli on it. YUM!

It turned out that my bike had not one, but two, broken spokes. I will be getting this wheel completely re-laced with new spokes when I get home. Something is suspicious about breaking spokes on it, for sure. They had the right parts to fix JB’s broken spoke. And Zubby had them check out his bike. It needed some repairs as well. I usually do all of my own bike mechanics work. Talking to the guy who fixed our rides, I was happy and felt very confident in the repairs. Huge kudos to Mello Velo and I highly recommend their shop.

While wandering around, I was clearly tempted. Some people say the devil is a “woman in a red dress”. For me, today, it was the signature blue-green Bianchi in the corner. Exactly what I would buy if I won the lotto. At $6K today, no chance of taking it home, but man, it sure was beeeautiful.

After the bike shop, we decided to do some touring around Syracuse. We wandered and made a route up to Syracuse University. I’ve been on campus a few times and sort of remembered some of the highlights of the tour we did 7 or so years ago when my youngest daughter was looking at schools. After that, we just meandered around the city at a slow pace to enjoy the sights.

Back at the BnB, we scrubbed up and threw a big pile of wet slimy clothes into the washing machine. Extra time on the scrub cycle. Time to go look four some dinner! I think it will either be the Dinosaur BBQ or a Mexican restaurant nearby. Hmmmm.

Until tomorrow, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His face to shine upon you and give you peace.
— Dcn. Matt

2022 Erie Canal Tour: Day 3, Spokes? Nah, who needs ‘em

September 6, 2022September 6, 2022 M. Coriale1 Comment

We spent yesterday evening at my parents’ house. It was about an extra 13 miles each way, but I think we all agree that it was very well worth it. Mom and Dad took great care of us. Food is one of Mom’s “Love languages” and she loved us a lot. Mom fed us a huge portion of pasta with her marinara sauce, home made meatballs, zucchini, salad, fresh corn on the cob, and then home made cherry tarts for dessert.

After dinner, I took JB and Zubby to Wegman’s – the local grocery store that is famous in this area. The one in Webster isn’t even one of the nicer stores, but I think they got a good dose of what a nice grocery store could be like. I went to get some snacks for the ride, but especially because I had given some Benadryl to a cyclist in Buffalo who had been stung by a bee. I wanted to replenish my supply.

Today’s weather was really good for cycling. Cool and comfortable. We started by riding south from Webster back to Fairport and had a nice tailwind to push us along.

The ride east from Fairport was uneventful. We met a few cyclists, saw some canal locks, and enjoyed the scenery. The surface was largely dried out from the rain and it was much easier pedaling.

We passed through Macedon and when we arrived in Palmyra, we wandered into town to look around. When we stopped to get a drink, I went to get my wallet and noticed that my top-tube bag, where I usually keep my wallet, was missing. After a minute of panic, I found the top tube bag in my pannier. Whew.

A few more miles of trail and we reached Lyons and then Clyde. Along the way, we saw this dry-dock. Several barges and a couple of tug boats were in the dry dock.

We stopped in Clyde for a late lunch / early dinner because there isn’t much of anything else nearby. Just before the west side of Clyde, my tire felt spongy. As I was noticing that, Zubby said “your back tire looks flat”. Sure enough, flat tire. First one I’ve had on this bike. It was starting to mist a little, so we found an awning and pulled under it. I removed the rear wheel and prepared to replace the tube. As I was removing the tire, I heard a “twang” sound. Upon further inspection, I discovered a broken spoke. Ugh. I’ve only broken two spokes in 12 years (and tens of thousands of miles of cycling), both are on this bike. This spoke must have been fatigued enough that it was just about to go. We got the wheel put back together and decided that I’ll just get it fixed tomorrow in Syracuse. There’s a wobble in the wheel, but not big enough to cause a major issue. I called a bike shop in Syracuse and they said they’d be happy to get it fixed up right away and get us back underway tomorrow.

After dinner, we finished our last few miles to an AirBnB in Savannah. Along the way, JB said “Hey, my wheel is wobbling now, too!” Sure enough, JB also has a broken spoke. The odds of two of us having broken spokes seems awfully low. Nonetheless, that’s the situation.

So we’re here at our AirBNB. The house is very comfortable and has a wonderful yard overlooking a small lake. After a good scrubbing, we convened in the back yard to enjoy the cool air. Fall is coming, for sure.

Tomorrow is a short day as we make our way into Syracuse. We expect about 40 miles or so to the bike shop. We’re going to try to get out early so that we can get the bikes in early and get them fixed asap. The weather report for tomorrow looks full of … drizzle! Hopefully we can get done before it gets too wet.

Peace!
– Dcn. Matt

2022 Erie Canal Tour: Day 2 – Drizzle

September 5, 2022September 5, 2022 M. Coriale1 Comment

The word for today was: “Drizzle”. Say that word a few times – it’s kind of a funny word, really. We had a lot of time and inspiration to consider the word drizzle today.

As we began our ride, it was wet from the very start. We looked over the weather and decided it really didn’t make sense to wait. We had a long way to go, and no matter how long we waited, it wasn’t going to get better.

Our B&B was a couple of miles north of Albion, so we rode back to the trail and headed east. The surface of the trail in this section is finely crushed stone on top of dirt. When it is dry, it rolls well. When it is wet, it is like riding on peanut butter. Today was like chunky-peanut butter. The worst part is that it takes a bunch more energy to push the pedals through the mud.

One random thought: is drizzle an onomatopoeia? It doesn’t really make a sound, so probably not?

Although it rained the entire day, it was a generally fun day. The wet conditions did not put a damper on our day. We stopped under bridges a couple of times to get a snack and take a little break.

This section of the trail, from Lockport to Fairport, is probably my favorite section. Lots of little towns to go into and check out. Most of them are on the south side of the canal, so you go over a lift bridge to get to the town. We checked out most of the towns today, but with it being Labor day, most places were closed. We went into Brockport, hoping to find a brunch. The only restaurant we found was a diner. The line was out the door, so we decided to go to the next major town and see what we could find.

So, what is the difference between drizzle, light rain, sprinkles, and spitting. We debated these options and thought that perhaps drizzle doesn’t leave ripples when it hits the canal water.

When we reached Spencerport, we went into town to find some lunch. Again, most everything was closed except for Subway. So that was lunch.

I didn’t take many pictures today because of the rain. Stopping to take out the phone was a bit inconvenient. That’s a bit sad because the scenery in this area is really nice.

Drizzle… Good or bad? Drizzles of BBQ sauce – good. Drizzles of chocolate on ice cream – good. Drizzles of rain – questionable. Better than hard rain, but kind of annoying after 5 hours.

After making our way through the west side of the city, we got to Genesee Valley Park. We had toyed with taking a side trip up into downtown Rochester, but with the rain and slow riding, we decided to skip the side trip. I did take the guys up to my alma mater: the University of Rochester.

Eastman Quadrangle at the University of Rochester

You don’t see locks between Lockport and Rochester. Working east from here they count down to zero. We rode past a few today. Here’s lock 33.

We rode through Pittsford and arrived in Fairport. This is where we exited the canal path for today. We’re staying in Webster, about 12 miles north. After a little snack break, we meandered our way up to Webster using county roads.

Fairport, NY – Mules like this used to pull the canal boats in the old days.

We arrived at my parents’ house and decided to hose down before getting into the house. We had quite a bit of the Erie Canal towpath stuck to us, our bikes, and the rest of our gear. A hose did the trick. A thorough rinse down, a shower, and laundry made us good-as-new.

We could have let the drizzle affect our spirits. But it didn’t. It did slow us down, but we had a great day. 66 miles, probably 55-60 of them in the rain, er, drizzle.

We had lots of time to contemplate light rain today. We decided that drizzle is a kind of rain, but not the same as sprinkles. And besides, sprinkles belong on ice cream, not bicycles.

Peace,
Dcn. Matt

2022 Erie Canal Tour: Day 1

September 4, 2022September 4, 2022 M. Coriale3 Comments

A few months ago, some friends and I thought of a few different bike tours to do and we decided to ride across New York along the Erie Canal towpath. I have some experience with the Erie Canal path from my younger days when I would ride sections of the path near where I grew up. The Erie Canal was also my first experience with bike touring back in 2010.

My very first bike tour in 2010 was a self-supported tour with my then 13-year-old daughter. I had no idea how to do a bike tour, but we figured it out. With the support of my wife who SAGd (Support And Gear) for us, we made it across. Since then, I have done a self supported bike tour every year. I’d consider myself a somewhat well seasoned bike tourer.

When we originally planned this year’s tour, there were four of us planning to go. Sadly, a few days before the tour, my friend Billy’s wife spiked a 104 fever. The dreaded Covid-19 screwed up our plans. Billy rightly chose to stay home to care for his family. So now there are three of us: me, JB, and Zubby.

We started out in downtown Buffalo, staying at a hotel. Last night we enjoyed a couple of beers with dinner and got our pre-tour excitement going. We looked over the plan for today and I slept very well.

The Start of the Ride: Me, Zubby, and JB

We found our way to the Shorline Trail that runs along the Niagara river just west of Buffalo. We rode along that trail all the way up to the start of the Erie Canal trail in North Tonowanda. It’s a really pretty ride along the riverfront.

Once we made it to the Canal Path, it was mostly straightforward rolling up to Lockport. It is a combination of path and surface streets, but nothing aggressive for traffic.

Once in Lockport, we decided it was time for a real breakfast. We were just starting to discuss our options when someone looked over at us and said “You want to go to Tom’s across the canal over there!” We decided the local recommendation was good. As we cycled over, a nice older couple pulled up next to us and rolled down their window. The husband used to do long distance bike touring in his younger days. We talked for about five minutes. Great people. They also recommended Tom’s. So that’s where we went. The food was good and the environment was fun.

After breakfast, we began our trek east. The trail is mostly a finely crushed stone surface in this area. It is a slightly slower surface, but very comfortable when it is dry. We passed several little towns before we arrived in Medina. We rode into town and found a lunch/dinner stop.

Our last stop for today is our AirBnB just a couple miles north of Albion, NY. We checked in and got cleaned up.

Today’s ride was just over 65 miles. The weather was cool and overcast all day. A little misty rain early, but nothing too bad. We did have headwinds most of the day. Hoping that won’t keep with us. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for rain most of the day. We’re hoping that changes overnight.

Until tomorrow…. May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Peace, Dcn. Matt

2021 Greenbrier Trail – Day 3 – Journey Complete

October 15, 2021 M. CorialeLeave a comment

We woke up a bit earlier today so that we could get wheels-down shortly after sunrise. We needed to ride about 55-60 miles, plus drive about 4 1/2 hours back home. Riding on this surface is much slower than the road, plus we are trying to enjoy the scenery, not race home. So after doing morning prayer, I finished the normal ritual of sunblock, chamois cream, loading up on some calories, and packing up for the journey home.

Our stay at the Old Clark Inn was very nice. I highly recommend staying there if you overnight in Marlinton. It is an old inn dating back to the early 1900s, but it is well maintained and the owners do a good job of making it a nice home-away-from-home. They cater to cyclists with secure storage as well.

The weather today was faaaantastic. Cool and overcast. The morning fog kept us company for over 20 miles. The sun finally peeked out towards the end of the day and made it a bit warmer, but for the most part, it was just a beautiful fall day.

We saw many cabins and a few nicer homes along the river. Nearly every building was raised up on stilts or built upon a poured-concrete pedestal / garage about 10-15′ tall. This area had a massive flood in 1985 and again some time in the early 1990s, so the homes are raised to try to be flood proofed. In one of the pictures below you can see a flood mark on an older building we saw on a farm. I think this farm may be the only set of buildings we saw that were not on a raised foundation.

Plugging along, we took a break about every 12-15 miles to stretch the legs and our rear ends. One such stop was just outside a prison. I decided it was a good photo op for my bike.

Two of my favorite things commonly found on rail trails are bridges and tunnels. Only two tunnels on the GRT, but they were long enough to be fun. Most of the bridges were very short though.

On day 1, we discovered that there isn’t anyplace to get food between Lewisburg and Marlinton. So last night we picked up some Subway sandwiches to carry with us today. We held off eating until we reached Renick. We pulled off into a park pavilion to rest and eat our sandwiches.

The rest of the ride was beautiful and uneventful as we reached the south end of the trail. Many leaves were down and made for a nice soft-yet-crunchy surface. Each of us had to stop a few times when bunches of leaves would get caught under the fenders or in the gears to clear them. This trail is heavily tree-lined with a nice canopy for most of it. Even with lots of the leaves down, the canopy was pretty. I imagine it would be nicely shady and comfortable when the trees are full. We were a bit surprised that we did not see many cyclists the last three days. Perhaps it was lighter traffic since we rode mid-week.

We parked our car up at the Super8 in Lewisburg. On the way down from Lewisburg on day 1, we were treated to some really nice downhills into the valley. That meant today would finish with a big climb up from the valley. It was about 2 miles of steady climbing, ranging from about 4%-12% grade and rising about 750 feet. I generally like climbing, but I could tell that Joe was having some anxiety about the climb as we got closer to the end of the trail. Climbing with a fully-loaded touring bike is much harder than with a road bike, but I was still looking forward to a little challenge at the end.

We reached the southern end of the trail and rested for a bit. Joe and I talked over the options – I could leave him there and ride the last 5 miles to pick up the car, or he could ride with me. He decided to give it a shot and we both did great. It was a very pretty view from the top looking back at the mountains and realizing we had been at the river level just a few minutes earlier.

A few more surface miles took us back to the Super8 and our waiting car. The desk manager was kind enough to let us use a private area to change our clothes and clean up a little bit before getting in the car to drive home. A quick dinner stop at Arby’s was the only stop we made before getting home. It was great to get home and see my wife, my daughter, and Sophie, my best-buddy dog who was so happy to see me.

On the ride home, Joe and I compared our thoughts about the trail. First, the pros:

The GRT is a really great trail. Smooth, well maintained, and gorgeous scenery. The surface is good and you can probably ride it on 32MM or bigger tires without any trouble. The crushed limestone is well packed and we saw very few muddy patches. If you wanted to camp, there are several primitive camp sites and a few shelters where you could probably pitch a 1-man tent or bivy sack. Some of the sites also had pit-toilets and water pumps.

Some other considerations or cons:

There are very few towns along the trail. In the first fifty miles, we only saw one or two water pumps and only one mini-mart that was about .7 miles off the trail on a climb up the valley (Renick). The only major towns are Lewisburg and Cass at the two ends, and Marlinton about 50 miles north from Lewisburg. In between, it is just you and the trail and a few camp sites. There is also very little cell phone coverage. We really only had coverage in Lewisburg, and a mile or two near Renick and Marlinton. What that means is that if you were to have a major mechanical or medical issue, you could be 25+ miles from getting help. I recommend making sure you have enough spare equipment (tires, tubes, patch kit, chain tool, first-aid kit, etc…) to be self-sufficient because you probably won’t be able to call for help.
We didn’t see much opportunity for water on the southern 50 miles. We both used up our two water bottles during that section. If it had been a hot day, that could have been a problem. I recommend taking more water and make sure to take advantage of the pumps if you have room to refill your water.
We didn’t see many opportunities to get down to the river itself. I kinda wanted to take my shoes off and dip my feet in the water. I didn’t get a chance to do that. On a hot day, that would have been refreshing.

Overall, I gave the trail a 7/10, Joe said 6.5/10. For me, it needs more services (food, water) and towns to adventure into. I very much enjoyed our three days. This trail feels very similar to the Great Allegheny passage in the area near Ohiopyle state park, but not as many places to explore.

Stats for the ride:

Miles: 164.75, including the ride to/from Lewisburg to the trailhead
Hours in the saddle: 15 Hours, 23 Minutes
Energy Bars: a few. Maybe 6?
Chicken wings: 1 dozen – 6 on Weds and 6 on Thurs. They were mighty tasty.
Beer: 1 glass. It was good, but I wasn’t in the mood for any more.

I hope to find a new adventure next year for a bike tour – probably more than three days. This was really a nice short tour with Joe and hopefully we’ll do it again soon. Riding solo is nice, but so is riding with good friends and enjoying the scenery.

Peace, Dcn. Matt

2021 Greenbrier Trail – Day 2

October 14, 2021October 14, 2021 M. CorialeLeave a comment

Last night we arrived in Marlinton and had a quiet evening. After dinner, we settled in and I was asleep before 10.

We took a relaxed time getting ready again today. We had a light breakfast at the Inn and then set off. It was a chilly start with heavy fog setting in the valley. It felt really great and we had nice weather all day long.

Our route today took us north to the end of the trail in Cass, about 25+ miles, then we returned to Marlinton for the evening. We totaled just shy of 50 miles.

The surface along the whole length of the trail was consistently good. Crushed limestone and very few soft spots.

The fog stayed with us for quite a while and made for a beautiful morning.

The Greenbrier River is very low. It is currently low enough that you could walk across it just about anywhere you wanted to. We talked to someone along the trail who said that it usually runs low in October. It is still pretty, but I think Joe and I agreed that it probably would be a bit nice with some more water running.

The colors of the leaves were a bit brighter on this section of the trail.

We arrived in Cass just after 11:30. It was good timing as they were beginning to board the 12:00 train to Bald Knob. Joe and I had talked about riding the train, but it is a 4.5 hour round trip and $75. We decided that 4.5 hours would put our return too late to ride back to Marlinton, plus the $75 seemed a bit steep. So instead, we just watched the train until it pulled away.

The Cass train is a chug train that was used to haul lumber out of this area. The train route is steep so the engine is designed to be able to drive a high torque system in the wheels.

After eating lunch in Cass, we turned around and pointed back to Marlinton. I also noticed that my Garmin radar unit was missing from my bike. The aluminum bracket that was attached to my rack must have fatigued enough to break off on the ride this morning. So somewhere between Marlinton and Cass is a Garmin radar unit. Sadly, although we kept our eyes open, we didn’t see it along the trail. That’s an expensive loss.

We’ve only seen a couple of longer bridges on the length of the trail. Here’s one of them.

As we approached Marlinton, the sun was showing on the mountain ahead and made a pretty view. The picture didn’t really do it justice.

After arriving back at the Inn, we got cleaned up and went in search of dinner. Joe still had leftovers from last night to eat tonight. Since I needed something, we walked to a Subway near by. I got 2 sandwiches: one for tonight and one for tomorrow. Joe got one for tomorrow as well. There really isn’t anything between Marlinton and Lewisburg to get food, so we decided to carry food for lunch tomorrow.

After dinner and some conversation, we went in search of a beer next door. We added some chicken wings for good measure. I have a feeling I’ll come back heavier than I left.

We will set off early in the morning to get back to Lewisburg. We’ll have about 55-60 miles tomorrow to get back to our car and then drive 4.5 hours back home. So we’ll get some good rest and be on our way.

Peace, Dcn. Matt