The heat wave continues

September 30, 2019
Milford, Ohio through Cincinnati to Walton, Ohio

Bob and Choco were our Warm Showers hosts for the night

Last night we stayed with Bob T. in the town of Milford, Ohio.  Milford is just outside Cincinnati and is a popular stop for cyclists on the Little Miami trail.  Bob hosts quite a few cyclists who are passing through and he is also a host on the couch surfing site.   He has been a host for more than one exchange student as well.  Bob has filled his life with a collection of people whom he has met on the journey and I would describe him as a gentle and generous soul.  He shared with us his photos from a trip he took to Newfoundland a few years ago.  At some point in Nova Scotia he picked up a young man who was on his GAP year and hitchhiking across Canada.  They continued to travel together for the next several weeks camping and cooking together every night,  sharing the exploration of Newfoundland and Labrador together and enriching each other's lives.  Bob is an excellent photographer and his photos truly captured the wild landscape and raw beauty of the provinces as well as the joy both men felt traveling there.

All these routes pass through Milford, Ohio

The stone building above is the library.  It is one of the oldest buildings in town.  It currently functions as a "mystery library" meaning it mainly has shelves lined with mysteries.  It is staffed by volunteers.  As a condition of its trust, the building must always function as a library or it will be donated to the Episcopal church.

The trail continues straight through to Cincinnati with just one break where it is necessary to use a highway bridge to cross the river.  It was 95 degrees by noon, so most of our day was spent relaxing in the park along the Ohio River.  We decided to take an express bus to the little town of Walton so we wouldn't die from the combination of heavy traffic, steep terrain up out of  the river valley, and heat exhaustion.  Forty-five minutes and $4 (total fare) advanced us 23 miles and about 450' in elevation.  We got off the bus at the Walton Public Library which was just about two miles from our campground for the night.   Oak Creek Campground is unremarkable but is located ideally for the route.

Cincinnati

October 1, 2019

Walton, KY to Vevay, Indiana

The first thirty miles this morning flew by.  We were on quiet, tree-lined country roads between soybean fields.  The road had been recently paved and there wasn't a pothole to be found anywhere.  The transportation department is allocating their funds well.

The temperature is still at record high and by 11:00 am it was getting very hot.  We encountered a long section (about 12 miles)  of road construction and fresh paving just outside of  Crittenden.

We had read about other cycists having difficulties with stray dogs, but so far hadn't encountered any.  Today was a dog day in more ways than one.  Nearly a dozen dogs ran out at us and chased us down the road at different times.  None of them were actually vicious.  They just liked to chase bikes.  One group of three yellow dogs looked terrifying, but turned out to be very friendly including the big tall mastiff type dog who came up to Tom's waist.  When Tom rounded one corner on a tranquil country road there was a big bloodhound just sleeping in the middle of the road.  He jumped up quickly and gave one big woof before running over to the side.  We don't have any dog pictures.  It  didn't seem wise to pull out the camera.

The second half of today was just plain sweltering.  It was also all uphill on that melting new pavement.  My weather app indicated it would still be 80 degrees at midnight, so we found a hotel and had cool showers and a good night's rest in the AC.

Tobacco drying in a barn.

These cattle know how to stay cool in the 95 degree heat.

49 miles and two ice cream stops: