We exit the trail at Harvard Ave. in the middle of an industrial park. We head left and then right looking for the trail. There is only construction. Then we come to another section that says “Trail Closed.” After re-examining the trail map as well as Google maps we continue forward. A mountainous slag heap […]

It’s a clear, hot sunny morning. We leave Massillon to ride the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath trail, which is adjacent to the Tuscarawas River. The stone dust trail sits high above the river, which has dropped at least 6 feet based on the silt marks on nearby vegetation and its V-shaped banks.  People are […]

As we enter the outskirts of Akron, the trail becomes increasingly urban and industrial. Old factories sit quietly on the side and empty bottles, cans, paper and other garbage pollute the canal. Still, turtles sun themselves on logs, people fish and a great blue heron leads us down the canal toward town.  While the waterways […]

We had the opportunity the other day to walk the streets of Millersburg. It is an old town with a base of historical and architecturally interesting buildings. We stayed at the Hotel Millersburg, which was built in 1847 and is the third oldest continuously operating hotel in Ohio. It is a favorite of those who […]

It is cool and partly cloudy this morning, a welcome change to the last few days. As we leave Millersburg and roll down to the trail, we have started to see the Amish. A family walking down Main Street.  A young girl on her bicycle.  A family in a buggy.  Once we hit the trail, […]

Its a busy Saturday morning in Fredericksburg. The day is heating up and so is the ball game in the field down by Salt Creek. Tractors, horse buggies, cars, trucks and electric bicycles are jockeying for space and taking their turn at the 4-way stop in the center of town. Lem’s pizza is  doing a […]

After being fueled on coffee and carrot cake, we leave Fredericksburg to peddle the rural roads of Holmes county for the next 17 miles. But as we leave town, we encounter something that has been mostly foreign to us: hills. But for now that matters little as we pass directly though beautiful farmland. Though the […]

We had a wonderful breakfast at the Mt. Vernon Inn, which has a lovely internal garden. We lingered a bit but with cool morning temperatures and clear skies we made for an early start. I was excited and hopeful about today as we would be entering Amish country and share our bike path with families […]

As we dismount our bikes at the Glenmont tavern, a fellow long-distance biker stops by to speak with us. But he was very different than most bikers we see. His bike was an old steel 21 speed bike with standard tires. The bike had cheap plastic pedals, no lights and his helmet was  a green […]

After a filling lunch in Glenmont, we are on state road 520 for the next 8 miles. We turn on our safety lights and head for Killbuck. There is little traffic on the road and for the first 10 minutes or so, no cars pass in either direction. The route curves around the base of […]