Day 5: it pays to be a good person

May 11, 2023

I showed up for breakfast around 6:30 at the courtyard bistro and to plan my day. Like normal, I chat with the people about their day, ask about their lives, etc. they serve me my food and coffee and I check the day’s weather and then go up to the counter to check out. They tell me their system is down and the breakfast is one the house. Meanwhile, they were allowing others to charge to their room. So, yeah, it helps really being nice - not that I expect anything in return, it’s just my personality, but it sure was nice to have them comp me a breakfast.

7:15 I started turning the pedals on my way to Xenia. I had about 59 miles to go today. The first five miles was really just getting out of the city. When traveling on bike paths into and out of city centers, I find they are usually well laid out as commuting highways and provide a good way to get in and out of the downtown area. But then there’s a ring which gets fairly run-down until you get into the suburbs, and then the rural areas. Today I saw more homeless in Wilson Road park on the way out of town. No one bothered me but there were quite a few encampments to ride through.

Leaving Columbus I made a break for it and left the city in my wake

The paths coming into the city are landscaped at this point and rather pretty

Just before Georgetown you have to travel on a bit of gravel.

These grain elevators are quite massive and even cooler, are still active.

Guess what town I’m parked at? Go ahead, guess :-)

A great local shop in London is the Coffee Peddler. Really good guy, and I chatted with him for a bit. If you need water, he’s your man! Ohio to Erie shirts? Got that, too. We had a good time talking about some of the bikes he had rebuilt and placed for sale in the shop. I fixed on a fixed-gear bike because it had really thin tires. I guessed they were 700-20 and yep! I still got it, although I don’t know how to monetize my tire-spotting skills. While he’ll fill your bottles. With water for free, give him a tip - he’s got rent to pay and he’s there all day.

I liked the look of this old depot. I took this shot and then had to go

I arrived at the Deerfield Inn in Xenia. Now, they best part of this hotel is you can check out the next day. This may be one of the worst places I have ever stayed. My suggestion if you choose to stay here is to go to the Hearthstone inn in Cedarville. Being my normal self, I walked around town to (1) get out of the room and (2) chat with locals. Received information that this place is for drug addicts and be careful at night. Nice. Oddly enough, she stated it’s better than the (closed) Ramada Inn which should have been torched years ago. I also learn Xenia has a homeless problem. So, yeah, Tim Hortons open 5am tomorrow morning so my plan is to pack up and get out of here by 5:30.

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Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 288 miles (463 km)

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Bill ShaneyfeltIf you are planning on going through Dayton on Creekside Trail, be aware of a detour. I have ridden it. It is well marked, but rather hillier than the rail-trail would be.

https://www.gcparkstrails.com/temporary-park-and-trail-closures/
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11 months ago

Bill ShaneyfeltThat said, I do realize the O to E trail heads south from Xenia, so it should be a non-problem.
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11 months ago

Paul MulveyThanks, Bill! I did run into a detour on the Little Miami and had to go up and around through the suburbs. Started with a heck of a leg-busting climb and ended with a quick roll back downhill a few miles later to reconnect with the trail.
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11 months ago

Jeff LeeHeh - I stayed at that Xenia Ramada Inn on a bike tour several years ago. It was notably bad at the time.

But I've stayed in far more skeevy and sleazy places on other bike trips. My rules for bike touring are different than regular life. As long as I can lock the door, and the shower and A/C work, it's good enough!
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11 months ago

Paul MulveyTo Jeff Lee@Jeff - funny you should mention that. When I originally started looking at planning this trip, the Ramada Inn right there off the trail and in the middle of downtown was my first choice. When I returned to book all the hotels, I couldn't find it on Google Maps. I searched Ramada Inn's website, and then finally found it had closed.

But yeah, this probably wasn't much better. My concern wasn't so much the age of the place but I don't want to deal with bedbugs. Thankfully, I didn't see any evidence of that.
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11 months ago