will dehne

My wife and I visited our son and GF in Yellow Springs, OH. We stayed in a motel in Springfield. There is a paved bike trail to Cincinnati, OH about 80 miles away.
Helga and I started on this trail with our tandem bike and met our son in Yellow Springs (about 6 miles).
So we looked at each other and said what to do. I suggested we bike to Loveland a little N of Cincinnati. My son was all for it because they have a great restaurant with some good looking service staff. Somehow we did not discuss the distance.
Well, I knew that this was going to be a long day and stopped in Xenia LBS and bought $40 supply of Hammer Gel and Cliff Bars.
My wife has never in her 66 years biked more than 75 miles in a day. This was going to be a first for her. The round trip was 125 miles and we did it at 17 MPH average. Our son kept up with us, sort of. One year ago he was a smoker since his teens.
We had big pasta dishes in Loveland and the Hammer gel and Cliff Bars were all gone. We were tired but no worse for wear and able to do other things the next day.

The message of this story? Age is no limitation. Food is out-most important. Ohio has fabulous paved trails. This trip was on the Little Miami Trail.

stapfam

There is no way you are going to get me to go for a gentle recovery ride with you after your last little trip.

Tell the wife she dun good- but also promise her a more gentle exercise next time you take her to lunch.

bike4life

Excellent Father's Day fun! I'm going to use this post to convince my better half that it's time for an all day cycling adventure. Wish me luck!

Bikehead

Glad to hear you had such a great Fathers day. Did you get
to stop in Yellow springs, they had there street fair, last week-
end. It's always crowded,and the bike path is super busy.
The ride from Yellow Springs is a nice ride,and a good lunch/dinner
at Loveland is always a treat,much better than Cliff bars and
Hummer Gel. I ride the Little Miami Trail almost everyday, and
think we have some of the nicest trail,anywhere. Hope you come
back again,we have lots of other trails for you to enjoy.

lighthorse

It is good to hear someone actually taking advantage of one of the trails we have in this country. There aren't any close by here and as I travel cross country, I seldom find usable trails going my way.

Beverly

Glad you had the chance to enjoy the trails again

Which restaurant in Loveland? I always enjoy the Loveland Mill.

Beverly

If you're ever in the SW Ohio area you really should take time to ride the trails. They've been opening new ones each year and we now have over 200 miles of paved connected trails

Siu Blue Wind

Sounds like a great time! Glad to hear your son quit smoking. So how does your wife feel about her making it so far this time?

George

Sounds like you had fun Will.
Since you made your ride across the country and talked about the Hammer products, I bought some of that hammer Gel and the Heed as well and it seems to help on my hot rides down here. I had a couple of the Recoverite packets and they helped too. Thanks again.

will dehne

George,
I did this same trip not so long ago all the way to Cincinnati. Difference was that I did it with just energy bars and pasta lunch. I bonked on the way back and had a terrible time doing the 160 miles.
This time I insisted we stopped every 15 miles and had a Hammer Gel. That is in addition to a big breakfast and that pasta lunch. We all three did that. My wife and my son are no athletes but were able to finish without too much trouble. I give credit to that stuff.

will dehne

She was bitterly complaining that we conned her into this 125 mile trip. But I heard her bragging about it later to her GF's. Women!

Siu Blue Wind

That's great! Perhaps she will be willing to make it a regular thing..........

will dehne

It is the big restaurant with the big parking lot as you enter the town coming from North. I believe it is the Loveland Mill. There is a nice outside sitting area also. They got great Pasta dishes. Very unusual to have that quality right on the bike path. I hear Loveland is upscale?
My son mentioned that the home prices in Loveland are not cheap. We were looking at it as possibly to move there. Rockford, IL is one of the lowest real estate markets in the USA. So we may be stuck here.

We will be in that area on a regular schedule and try some of the other trails. The Little Miami is very nice for what I do. Fast and steady biking for about 100 miles. Next, enjoy good food and drink and be happy.

will dehne

We actually look for these trails and make our vacations around them. There are so many trails that I fear we will not have time to do most of them. Wisconsin is great but so is OH, MN, IL, FL, ID, IO.
And I am sure there are others.

will dehne

Yes, we did also go to that fair. Loveland also had something going on.
I enjoy good food. I found out the hard way that the good food does not turn into energy fast enough for a fast ride. That is were the Gel comes in handy. I did not know that until I learned it the hard way on a Cross Country ride.

You are so lucky to have this trail. It is really a wonderful trail. Priceless.

will dehne

Yeah, I did not go without some bitter complaining. She normally watches the miles but her desire to be with her son clouded her judgement and I used it.