Memorial Day ride through Hocking Hills

I’ve been lazy about posting. I have no excuses for it other then I’ve been out putting miles on the new bike!

May 26, 2008 – Memorial Day ride near Logan, Ohio (200 miles)

View a GPS track map of our ride

This Memorial Day I went on a trip to Logan, Ohio to visit the wonderful Hocking Hills area. There were 7 of us who head out there. A 50% chance of rain loomed in the back of my mind. It later proved to be a dry and beautiful day. The lead rider for the day explained where he intended on taking us. The highlight of the trip would be a road called Big Pine. A curvy stretch of wooded road with plenty of elevation changes.

We left Columbus heading Southeast on rt 33. I kind of like hanging in the back of the pack and keeping an eye on everything. About an hour into the trip, Andy’s cell phone slipped out of his jacket and I saw it fly back and to the side of the road. If it hadn’t flipped open I probably wouldn’t have recognized the object at all! It made for a nice break and funny conversation.

Once arriving at Logan, we headed south on rt 668 at shortly arrived at the Big Pine Road (rt 11) and we took off. Tree canopy covered most of the road which would open into large open areas of fields with light residential. There are continual twists and turns including some very technical tighter turns with elevation drops. No room for slacking. There are also some pretty steep whoopsies that get your tires off the ground if feel so adventurous to try. We turned around once we reached rt 56 and did it all again.

This the best road to ride on in Ohio that I’ve experienced.

Afterwards we made a nice long loop south on rt 93 to rt 56 and north back up rt 668. Stopped for lunch only to be disappointed by holiday closures. And then traveled back to Columbus. I clocked in another 200 miles on this trip.

First Day Trip

April 29, 2008 – One day trip to Marietta, Ohio (230 miles)

View a map of the ride

At my workplace, a group of riders has recently formed up and organized. Our first destination was Marietta, Ohio. Marietta is located in Southeast Ohio along the Ohio River. From Columbus, there are some great roads takign you there that are full of curves and hills.

Our rally point was the Flying J out in Kirkersville which is a little ways East of the Columbus area. When we arrived, firetrucks were there and the place was evacuated. It was kind of cool until we realized this meant that there would be no breakfast. We filled up and hit the road at 9:15 AM. It was brisk morning and in the high 50s. The weather got better by the hour for the entire day.

Not only was this the first ride for us as a group. It was also my first long ride on my new bike. I was very excited.

The first small town we passed through was Baltimore. We stopped and picked up some snacks to hold us over until lunch. This will sound strange but I was very much in awe over the first sights of farmland and sweeping fields. I’ve been living in the city for a long enough time to cause that.

The miles started piling on. Hills and Curves came and went. It was fantastic. We started passing through town after town. They main streets were lively. People always waved as we rode by. When we entered Somerset, the town center was filled with people that had just started a large BBQ. It smelled incredible. I wondered if any of them watched us ride by and wished that they were out riding. I think any of us would have traded places for at least a little while!

We reached McConnelsville and continued on RT 60. It was very peaceful out here. I wondered what it was like to live so far away from a metropolitan area. What do people do out here? It seems like a place were things don’t change very much. In the middle of nowhere we saw a sign for a development called Beverly Hills maybe this is a up and coming area. We all had a good laugh about it at the next rest break. My bike and I were getting along just fine.

We entered Marietta around noon and found a very nice town. Multi storied buildings lined the main streets. It had an Americana feel about it. U.S. and Ohio flags lined the streets. We found our destination spot. The Marietta Brewing Company on Front St.

We took RT 33 back home to Columbus. This is a really popular stretch of road for leisure driving. It’s very scenic and runs through a national park. After People branched off and went separate ways. I missed my friends as they rode off. I guess I prefer to be riding in a pack then to be alone.

I got home around 4PM. I was exhausted.