Word of the Day: Undulating

Tower City at night

5 July 2012

Stats for the day:

Depart Thompson, OH 8:00 a.m., arrive Cleveland, OH 3:00 p.m.

Trip mileage – 885.0 miles

Today’s mileage – 51.55 miles

Time on bike –4:16:34

Average Speed – 12.1 mph

Max speed – 46.0 mph

 

 "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning."  We had a real red sky at sunrise this morning.

 

Last night's sporadic thunderstorms held on into the morning as we packed up and prepared to head for Cleveland.  Just as we were putting the finishing touches to the trailer, the rain started pouring down and we scampered to a covered area to finish up and have some breakfast.  Luckily, this would be the only real rain we would see for the day.

 

It was a rough start to the day for Rick.  Leg sore and tired, he was having a hard time getting everything to work correctly.  The hardest part was that the roads were up and down, like a sine wave, from the campground until we got just outside Cleveland.  During one of his gripe sessions, Rick made the comment about undulating like a sine wave, so we new we had to make sure that part got into the blog today.  Things did get better after a rest stop to for food and coffee.  Some days he really does need his coffee.  

The terrain evened out a bit and the ride went smoothly as we closed in on Lake Shore Boulevard, the route we had chosen to take us along the lake, then into Cleveland proper.  Who ever said Ohio is flat, didn't ride the route we took.  Lunch was a very enjoyable event at Sandy's Frozen Whip & Coney Island Foot Long Hot Dogs, located at the intersection of Lake Shore Blvd. and Brazil Street.  If you like hot dogs and chilli, this is the place to go!  Both of us enjoyed the food, Nola with her burger and shake, Rick wolfing down two dogs and a lemonade.  We give it four stars!

The ride along Lake Shore Blvd. was fantastic as it was quiet and went by the most spectacular homes; gated and fenced mansions that sprawled across manicured lawns and sculptured shrubs.  Needless to say, the area was not for the common folks, like us, pedaling by.  We eventually came right alongside the lake and stopped for a photo and realized we were still along Lake Erie.  It just brings home the fact that the Great Lakes, truly are great in size.  It's like looking at a fresh water sea. 

 

As we turned off from the waterfront and made our way into Cleveland, we came across some highly, and brightly, decorated dragons along the way.  We later learned they are part of a public art display commemorating the Year of the Dragon.  

Our hosts for the evening, John and Laura, members of the Warm Showers group, welcomed us with this lovely art work!  It is a tremendous boost to our confidence to know that we have come this far.  After a little rest and a great shower, we sat and visited, talking about bikes, routes, trips, and tours.  Both John and Laura are avid cyclists and outdoors people; and we reveled in their telling us of their trips and adventures.  

After a wonderful dinner, enjoyed on shaded backyard patio, we ventured out with them for ice cream at Scoops and a tour of the city.  There is nothing better than eating ice cream as we wander the local neighborhood, seeing the sights and learning the history of a new city. 

We will be enjoying Laura and John's hospitality for another day, as they graciously agreed to let us take a day off here in Cleveland to sight see and just get rested up.  We look forward to venturing out and taking some time to learn a little about this city on the Erie.  Check back later to see what we did and get a glimpse at the multitude of pictures we will no doubt take.