August 9, 2023
Dayton: the good, the bad, the ugly
Overslept. Not sure what happened but I didn’t wake up til nearly 8am. Two hours later than usual. Bruce was itching to go and sent a text but I don’t have any audible alerts set for text messages. Besides I had earplugs in and wouldn’t hear it anyway. Actually felt good to sleep in.
Breakfast was at a nice bagel shop then we meandered into hilly country before turning north and taking the relatively flat Rt 40. Yes, the same route 40 that could take us all the way to Baltimore and beyond. It’s a busy road pretty much anywhere along it’s length as I believe it was one of the first roads to cross the r country and connects quite a few towns and cities. But it’s pretty flat here and we had a tail wind. It also allowed us to use a covered bridge that is over 100 years old and which I had planned to visit when I first made this route a few years back.
The GART disappears here and there so it was trail then road then trail. Coming into the city of Dayton Ohio the trail picks up again but is really a wide sidewalk along a busy four lane. That would be fine except there is broken glass everywhere. So as I did two years ago when going east to west, I used the busy roadway.
You know the neighborhood must be a bit sketchy when glass is everywhere. But what was really alarming was the fences and gated jehova witness church!!! Then the trail disappears but luckily I had foraged through this section before and knew the way. Soon though the trail goes through a really nice river walk sort of area with fountains, reflecting pools, a kids splash pad, tables and chairs, swinging gliders, and an ice cream stand.
Dayton has a lot to offer n spit of some rough neighborhoods. At Wright Patterson Airforce Base you can visit the National Airforce Museum. A fantastic collection of aircraft and its all free. You can easily spend hours there and not see everything. There are several museums dedicated to the Wright Brothers including the site of one of their bike shops. And if you’re into cars the Packard museum has some incredible pieces. If you are into hiking just east of town is the Clifton Gorge, a canyon of sorts that is very out of place in this otherwise fairly flat region. This used to be the site of a number of mills, one of which still functions. John Bryon State park is there and has trails all over, really nice green grassy areas, and frisbee golf not to mention a fantastic campground. And if you are old like me and didn’t get enough of the 60s, go visit nearby YellowSprings, a hippie college town that never grew up. You might run into Dave Chappell as he resides there.
I was again chased by rain but made it to a warm showers hosts home before it hit. However it looks like rain all night and into the morning. Tomorrow……London and beyond.
Pics in no particular order.
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Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 3,022 miles (4,863 km)
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9 months ago