Covid Cross Day #10 Newark, OH to Xenia, OH
Covid Cross Day #10
June 10, 2020
Newark, OH to Xenia, OH 112 Miles
Start 7:29 AM Finish 7:52 PM
Ride Time 10:14
Ascent 1448 Feet
Descent 1314 Feet
Tour Total 866 Miles
I slept relatively well stealth camping last night at the last frisbee golf hole in Licking County Family YMCA Park outside of Newark. Because of the pervasive fine brown dust, once I entered my tent I never left it until morning. I went to bed without brushing my teeth. I slept in my underwear and didn't need my sleeping bag or liner. During the night I opened the tent fly flaps to allow more ventilation. The noise from nearby four-lane Highway 16 was pretty loud.
I woke up at daybreak, packed up my camp, and got an early start. I rode down the meandering trail for awhile before I spotted anyone. The fist cyclists and runners that I passed were cast bronze public art. The route eventually brought me to a rail trail alongside Raccoon Creek that was perfectly straight and level. There were several runners out on the trail near Granville.
It was overcast and it seemed like it could rain. Precipitation was in the forecast for later in the afternoon. There had been good stealth camping options after Granville, which was six miles past where I had camped. I had been exhausted yesterday evening. I left the trail at Alexandria and found myself on busy two lane Highway 37.
I crossed over Highway 161 which was essentially an interstate. I took a right on Worthington Road which was a two-lane road that paralleled Highway 161. I saw a bright yellow bird zoom past me overhead. I didn’t shower last night and I was wearing the same clothing as yesterday. Worthington Road eventually split away from Highway 161. It was a straight route with corn and soybean fields to either side of the road. I stopped at a Shell station where I purchased two Starbucks Frappuccinos and a package of Hostess Donettes.
It was overcast and was the perfect temperature for cycling - not too cold, not too hot, and ideal elevation profiles. New Albany had a uniform design and feel, and felt like a college campus. It had nice bike lanes that I neglected to use. Located on the outskirts of Columbus, it was the home of Les Wexner's clothing empire and nearby mansion where Jefferey Epstein once entertained. I came to a Road Closed sign that I ignored. Workers were putting in a pipe and they smiled as they let me pass. I’ve been following US Bicycle Route 50 signs and the directions have been good. I rode over the Hoover Dam - the Ohio version, where folks were out walking and jogging. I said good morning to everyone whom I passed. On the far side of the dam there was a girl's calisthenics class in the middle of the trail, and I had to detour around them.
I branched onto another trail through the Inniswood Metro Gardens and passed a guy on one of those motorized one-wheel balance boards. I pedaled through the suburbs of Columbus and noticed numerous people out doing yard work. I crossed over I-71 and found myself surrounded by office parks and a Budweiser factory. I spotted a Black Lives Matter sign in someone's front yard in the suburbs of Worthington. I now found myself on the Olentangy trail, that ran in between the Olentangy Freeway and the Olentangy River. I crossed over the river where I saw a huge Black Lives Matter banner in somebody’s backyard and the tour's third Biden lawn sign. I was now out of deplorable country. The trail system around Columbus was really nice. It felt like I was riding through the woods and alongside rivers and streams my whole way around the city.
I passed the Ohio State University campus and the ginormous Woody Hayes football stadium. I spotted downtown Columbus for a moment. I was on the Ohio Erie path and then the Scioto trail. I crossed over the Scioto River and passed three police officer types, dressed in black with badges and walking down the middle of the trail spaced three feet apart. One of them was carrying a handgun. I missed my turn and had to circle back around to cross back across the Scioto River one more time. A big mean looking dog noticed me from the other side of a fence and I saw a gap up ahead. Sure enough he shot through the hole and followed me out onto the trail. He began to close in on me while barking furiously. I told him to leave me alone and pepper sprayed him in the face.
On my way out of town I stopped at El Jaliciense Restaurant and had a fantastic shrimp burrito with chips and salsa and several bottles of Modelo Especial. The servers were all wearing masks. After lunch, I lathered up with sunscreen and rode through some horrendous sprawl. It was so bright that it was difficult see the display on my iPhone. It was tricky navigating and I overshot a turn. I ended up on the very pleasant Camp Chase trail that ran alongside a railroad track.
I stopped at Speedway where I darted into the beer cooler and stood under a fan. I drank two red Gatorades out on the curb. The town of London had a fancy courthouse. All of the Ohio county seat courthouses have splendid architecture. I rode through town and then got on the Prairie Grass trail which ran at railroad grade. There was a strong crosswind coming from the south, and the trees alongside the trail blocked and sheltered me from the wind. A cyclist on a recumbent passed me going the other direction.
The wind shifted and became a headwind. It felt like 30 miles an hour, but I later checked and it was only 20. There were dark clouds in the sky and a thunderstorm seemed imminent. I got a text message from my uncle warning me there was rain and heavy winds coming. This part of Ohio is tornado alley. I remember as a kid when the town of Xenia was razed by tornadoes. I was just outside of South Charleston and figured I could make it to town before the rain hit. Sure enough, the drizzle began right as I pulled under an IGA supermarket awning and hopped off my bike. I estimated that it would be a four beer storm, so I purchased a six pack of Stella and a bag of pretzels. The storm hit full force while I was at the check out. Outside, there was just enough dry space underneath the awning for me to sit on a bench. The rain was intense, and hail stones soon began pounding the pavement. After two beers the storm ended. The pavement had cooled and it was time to push on.
I strapped the remaining four beers and pretzels to my rear rack. I had looked at a number of weather apps while waiting for the storm to pass. There were columns of systems moving south to north. There was now a gap, and it was safe to continue riding. Out on the trail I could visibly see the dark systems from the south, but they would advance east of me.
There were so many bunnies and rabbits out on the trail. They would zigzag away from me as I approached. A day cyclist passed me traveling my direction west of Cedarville. I was already at over a hundred miles for the day, and had the tour's first century under my belt. Leaves and branches littered the trail from the earlier storm.
Xenia was a bike trail mecca. Numerous trails converge here including U.S. Bike Route 50, the Creekside Trail, the Prairie Grass trail, and the Little Miami Scenic trail- which goes to Cincinnati. I turned onto the Little Miami Trail and a road sign said Cincinnati 58 miles. I stopped at a BP station and purchased a six-pack of Sam Adams and bag of ice. I rode a few miles down the bike path to a bench situated at a trail fork in the middle of the woods. There were perfect stealth camping options nearby. I sat on the bench while drinking beer and eating pretzels. I edited a blog post while dealing with the intense wind. It was thick with bugs and the frogs were screeching.
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