Down on the farm

July 31, 2016

Today we were scheduled to meet some more cyclists on the trail. These were not strangers we hooked up with on the internet, Mitch and Michelle were friends that Kerry had met in person back in Florida. After riding about 15 miles of flat rail trail, sure enough there they were waiting for us.

Passing a tranquil stretch of Caesar Creek.

A turbulent stretch of Caesar Creek. Astute locals will notice this picture was taken from the same bridge as the picture of a calm section of the creek.

Michelle and Mitch ready to ride. Let's do it!

It was a lot of fun to have some new people to chat with as we rode. They have pretty well convinced us to make a future trip to Ohio bike path country, perhaps in October to enjoy the fall colors.

Abandoned factory along the trail. Future condos? The trail is bringing economic vitality to the communities it passes.

The trail runs along the Little Miami River. There is lots of camping and canoeing along the river.

We rode with Mitch and Michelle as far as Loveland. The closer we got to Loveland the more traffic there was on the trail. It was great to see how much use the trail gets. Loveland has definitely been revitalised by the trail and has lots of bike friendly restaurants. Mitch treated us to a great lunch at a place featuring sauerkraut balls and awesome salads. If, like me, a sauerkraut ball is a new concept to you, picture a spherical Reuben sandwich without the bread.

After lunch we said goodbye to Michelle, Mitch and the trail and started a much hillier 20 mile leg to Tracy's farm. Kerry and Jeanna had made friends with Tracy and Carolyn at some point in the past. Visiting the farm sounded good to me, but a bit strange since Tracy was off riding the KATY trail with her sisters and family. But Carolyn was at the farm and made us feel very welcome.

We had lots of energy when we got to the farm.

We were treated to fresh veggies from the garden.

There were lots of cats on the farm. Carolyn made sure they were well fed.

Oh! It's a climbing wall. I think I can manage it with my hoofs.

Oscar the dog and Fat Albert the cat look like distant relatives. Or maybe relatives of a black bear.

I'm sure the farm will be remembered as our favorite place to stay for the entire trip.

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