Day 24 - June 3, 2023. Millersburg, OH - Massillon, OH

A pretty short day today with the official distance under 40 miles.  Linda had made arrangements for a 2pm tour at the Spring Hill Historic Home - about a 2 mile ride from our hotel.

Back onto the Holmes County Trail to start the day.  Holy cow - rush hour with the horses & buggies as well as the Amish e-bikes!  Those horses move pretty quickly when they get some momentum going.  We saw everything from single seat buggies to full-sized family wagons.  We had been asked to not take pictures of the Amish people so no photos of the ones in motion.  I finally understood the rules of road/path - after stopping at the Millersburg station and info board.  










We were back on roads from about mile 10 (Fredericksburg) until mile 28.  It was kind of nice to be off the pathways for a while and to ride a few hills again.  Horse and buggies were also negotiating those roads.  Not sure what the braking system looks like.  The road patching was interesting - apparently the horses wear out fairly thin strips of pavement which are then subsequently repaved.







There was a beautiful cyclist rest area at one home along the way.  Apparently a "warm showers" host.




Back on a bike path for the final 10 miles - the Sippo Valley Trail.  Horses allowed, but no buggies.  I'm guessing we're out of prime Amish country now.  Lots of prime agricultural land today.





Another hot day out there.  Thank goodness it was an easy ride.  We had lots of time before our 1:20 departure for the Spring Hill tour, so a DQ on the way to the hotel beckoned to me.


Ten of us rode a couple of miles to the Spring Hill Historic Home.  It was settled by prominent New England Quakers in the 1820s and is part of the National Parks Service's Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.  






A bit underwhelming, especially given all the great stuff we've seen recently, but a better use of time than sitting in the lobby waiting for rooms to be ready.  In fact, I was the last to get my room and that didn't happen until after 5pm; ugh!  Out for Mexican food tonight since they won't let Emily cook in the parking lot.  


Massillon, Ohio

Population 32,146 (2020).  In 2000 the median household income was $32,734.  The original settlement here was in 1812 by Quakers from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire.  The Ohio and Erie Canal was completed in 1832 and Massillon was a major port town along the route.  It was incorporated as a city (population 5,000) in 1868.  


Stats for the day:

Distance:  68.5 km / 42.6 miles

Elevation (Garmin):  496m up / 411m down.  1626' up / 1349' down.

Elevation (RWGPS):  552m up / 482m down.  1811' up / 1581' down.

Weather:  16C - 34C.  Another stellar day.  Hot, with a bit of a headwind but mostly sheltered on the bike paths.





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