Day 27 - June 6, 2023. Akron, OH - Austinburg, OH

I must say I really wasn't looking forward to this ride.  Our last long & climby ride.  And - I was really feeling pretty tired yesterday.  But, it turned out A-OK.  It actually seemed like a pretty easy ride.  

Breakfast at 6:30 (yawn!) and departure about 7:30.  Back to the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail.  Very similar to Sunday's ride.



At some point the trail continued into Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio's only national park.  More of the same scenery.



Lots of old locks in this section......













We got off the trail at Lock 29 at about mile 13, and got to the lovely little city of Hudson (pop 23,000) at about mile 20.  It is considered a suburban community of Akron.  We did a route through town to find a John Brown historical marker.  John Brown made his first public vow to destroy slavery here, and it became part of the Underground Railroad.  The Hudson Clock Tower was built in 1912.  Hudson was the home of Western Reserve College and Preparatory School, founded in 1826.  It went on to become Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.  The old red brick buildings are now the Western Reserve Academy.  








Ohio's Western Reserve "was probably the most intensely antislavery section of the country".  John Brown grew up and was educated in Hudson from 1805 to 1825.  Thousands of fugitive slaves, heading for freedom in Canada, passed through Hudson; it was a stop on the UGRR.  Owen Brown (John's father) was very active in assisting the fugitives.  As of 2019, 21 locations in and around Hudson associated with the UGRR have been identified.

A brief break at Aurora Sunny Lake Park.


Mantua Center


Once we left the Towpath at about mile 13 we rode through mostly mixed rural terrain - some beautiful estate homes, some small farms, and some forest.  I hadn't taken many pictures, so finally stopped some time after the 2nd SAG stop just to take a picture of the terrain and the hazy sky.  Thanks, Canada, for the smoke. 


Our ride today was pretty much flat for the first 13 miles and for the last 25, so all our climbing was in the middle 46.  Nothing too steep or long, though.


Who knew Ohio made maple syrup?


A few farm pictures.



We were back in Mennonite (or Amish?) country today.  Lots of kids out playing in traditional attire.  Also - it seemed to be laundry day for everyone today.  Lots of stuff hanging out to dry.  With today's wind, it would all be dry in no time.




Glad our route didn't take us over this old bridge that leads directly to a cemetery.


Monument in Rock Creek.




And finally onto the Western Reserve Greenway for the last 10 miles.  








Austinburg, Ohio

Population 505 (2020).  That's pretty much all Wikipedia has to say about it.


Stats for the day:

Distance:  135.8 km / 84.4 miles

Elevation (Garmin):  977m up / 1014m down.  3205' up / 3328' down.

Elevation (RWGPS):  1049m up / 1078m down.  3441' up / 3536' down.

Weather:  9C - 26C.  Wow - nice temps compared to the heat we have been riding in!  Wind picked up after the 2nd SAG stop.  Seemed to be a headwind when we were going north, but almost a tailwind when we were going east.  Smoke was in the forecast.  The sky was a bit hazy but I only caught a whiff of smoke once in a while mid-ride.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 32 - June 11, 2023. Niagara Falls, NY - Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

Image
A relaxed start today shortly after 9am.  Less than 30km primarily on bike path from Niagara Falls to NOTL.  I've done this one several times in days gone by, so nothing new for me.   Back over the Rainbow Bridge to get from New York to Ontario.  We passed a Harriet Truman "tribute" near the Whirlpool Bridge.  Underwhelming, but an UGRR landmark.  In 1855 a railroad suspension bridge was built in this location, and apparently Harriet used that bridge as her route into Canada in 1856. I took a brief detour into the Niagara Horticultural grounds which I've never been into before.  Found out that this tree, which I've seen before on this trip, is of the Dogwood family.  The Butterfly Conservatory is also located here, but I have been into there before.   More pics into the gorge near the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. Pics (again) at the Mackenzie Printery. An easy ride in to Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL).  Lisa sent me message that she ...
Read more

Day 31 - June 10, 2023. Hamburg, NY - Niagara Falls, NY

Image
The smoke and cool temps of the last few days are in the rear-view mirror.  Nice day ahead.  And - people were keen to get going.  I came out at the appointed time for snack table and the only people left in the parking lot were those who were riding in the van to the border.  There were about 8 to 10 of them; they didn't want to have to negotiate Buffalo traffic.   The navigation was actually quite easy, although some of the roads were a bit rough and the Shoreline Trail was in deplorable shape.  It was pretty much all Buffalo suburbs until we hit the city itself.  It was a much more pleasant route coming out of Hamburg than it was going in yesterday.   Some fun metal works on display. We rode past the Buffalo Naval Park, and I had to investigate. Along the dreadful Shoreline Trail. And the Peace Bridge to Fort Erie comes into view. Canadian soil!  So good to be here, if only for the day. Looking back at downtown Buffalo. Getting t...
Read more