Sunday, June 30, 2013

Sadly, we had to split ways with the rides this morning. We watched them resume their ride across the country on their bikes and then we headed back home. We miss them already and it will be a long time until we see them again.

They rode 48 miles today. Ten of those miles were on the Wolf Creek trail and the last 40 miles was on Route 40. Karl told me they were out in the country on Route 40 and there was light traffic. They are spending tonight in Richmond, Indiana.

Here are a few pictures I took as we saw them off.

They stopped at the end of the road to wave goodbye to us one last time.

Here are two pictures Karl sent me from their ride today.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Karl and Zach took a break from riding today so they could spend time with us. We spent most of the day at the hotel so the kids could enjoy the pool. We did take a drive to through Dayton, Ohio.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Karl and Zach did a short ride today because they were meeting us. It was great to see them and get to spend a little time with them!

They only rode 22 miles. They rode from the campground to Xenia, Ohio, the bicycle hub of the mid-west. We met them at a McDonald's there. They wanted to get in a few more miles so they continued to ride their bikes to the hotel in Centerville, Ohio  where we were finally able to find rooms for the weekend.

Here are a few of the pictures I took of the riders on the road. We stopped at a Wal-Mart to pick up new water bottles for the rides. They tossed their after the racoons were all over their bikes the night before. The riders got ahead of us on the road before we passed them and beat them to the hotel.

Here are a few more I took of them enjoying the evening with us.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days, but  Carol (Zach's mother), Sammy and Samantha (her other two children) and I drove out to Ohio to spend some time with Karl and Zach before they were too far away.

We didn't leave until finish work for the day, so the riders put in a full day today. The bike riders started out from Columbus, Ohio and rode 53 miles to John Bryan State Park where they camped for the night. About 15 miles of today's ride was spent on the Ohio Erie trail before arriving at the campground. They learned about the campground from Matt,  a University of Ohio college student they met on the trail. He told them he rides to this campground from his home a few times a year,  spends the night and then rides back home. Matt led them to the campground and hung out with them there.

 They saw some deer at the campground and a fawn came out of the woods in time to get in the picture they took of their new friend Matt.

Sometime during the night, Karl was awakened by what he thought was dogs growling near the tent. When he looked outside with his flashlight, he discovered it wasn't dogs but racoons. One of racoons was on Zach's bike eating peanuts from a jar they had left in one of his water bottle holders. The racoon was smart enough to unscrew the lid and reach inside the jar to get the peanuts.

Here are some pictures Karl sent from today's ride, including one of their new friend, Matt.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Today Karl and Zach spent the day touring Columbus, Ohio so they only rode 28 miles today. The visited the replica of the Santa Maria http://www.santamaria.org/index.php. and the Center of Science and Industry http://www.msichicago.org/. The also rode bike trails along the river. When they were about 3 miles from their new hotel on the west side of Columbus, the took shelter from a passing storm under the shelter of a building's canopy.

Here are some pictures Karl just sent me from their time in Columbus. I am not sure what order they should be in.

Tuesday, June 25

Today they road 70 miles with a total ascent of 1500 ft. . The stopped for the day in Gahanna, Ohio. Gahanna is 8 miles east of Columbus, Ohio. According to Karl, the first hour of their ride today was hilly, after that it leveled out. They rode on two rail trails today. The first was the T.J. Evans Panhandle Recreational Trail, which they rode 10 miles on to get to Newark, Ohio. Then on the other side of Newark, they rode on the Evans Foundation Bike Pat for 8 1/2 miles. Around 4pm, they waited out a thunderstorm on a nice man's porch.

Here are some pictures Karl sent me from today's ride. The basket is the Longaberger's Home Office in Newark, Ohio.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Today they rode 59 miles with a total ascent of 2148 feet. They stopped for the day in the small town of Coshocton, Oh. Karl described today's ride as hot and hilly. He did say that the hills aren't as high or steep as they have been.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Karl never did send the additional pictures he told me he was going to.

Today they rode 57 miles with a total ascent of 2946 feet to Atwood Lake Park, Ohio where they will be camping tonight. They rode on Route 151 and after awhile they got on the Conotton Creek Trail that runs parallel Route 151.  They rode on the trail for 11 miles till it ran out and they had to get back on Route 151 before getting on Route 212 West.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Karl and Zach rode 60 miles today. They got on the Montour Trail this morning and followed it to McDonald where they got on the Panhandle Trail. The stayed on the Panhandle Trail till it ended in West Virginia. Then they took Route 2 south to the Market Street bridge which has a pedestrian walk they used to cross into Ohio. They then road about 1 1/2 uphill to to the hotel in Steubenville, Ohio where they will spend night.

Today Karl and Zach met a nice couple in a restaurant when they stopped for lunch. This couple was interested in their trip and asked if they could follow them on this blog. The couple said they were planning to ride to Washington, DC with their family this summer. When Karl and Zach went to leave the restaurant they learned the couple had paid for their meal and they wish to say thank you. Karl would like me to ask them to post a comment letting them know that they found the blog. They also hope they will post comments letting them know how they made out on their bike trip.

 I keep forgetting to mention two things about the maps I have been including each day. First, they might not always be the actual route they took that day because besides checking google maps using the bike mode for the best route, he also checks his GPS. Second, by clicking on the map you can see a larger image of it. 

 Karl sent me two pictures. The first is of the Market Street bridge they crossed into Ohio. The second is of Zach enjoying time in the pool. Karl is going to try to send me more picture from the day later but I might not get them posted until tomorrow. 

Friday, June 21, 2013

Karl and Zach only rode 49 miles today. They spent some time this morning tearing down their campsite. They left the Great Allegheny Passage Rail trail and are taking a connecting trail to the Montour trail. They are spending the night around Clairton,Pa.

Here is a map of the Great Allegheny Passage Rail Trail.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Today, Karl and Zach road 50 miles from Rockwood, Pa to Adelaide, Pa. on the Great Allegheny Passage Rail Trail. I couldn't find Adelaide on the map but Karl said it is about 5 miles northwest of Connellsville which I did find. They are spending tonight in a campground.

Here are some pictures Karl took at the campground they stayed at.