Milford-Mansfield Ohio Tour 2008

Day 1: Milford - Waynesville Frontier Campground

[ Pre-Ride: Cardinal Greenway ]
[ Day 1 ]
[ Day 2 ]
[ Day 3 ]
[ Day 4 ]

Friday, October 3rd, 2008

Dave P. at the Milford, Ohio trailhead lower parking lot.

Dave G at the upper parking area of Milford trailhead.

The seed of Milford to Mansfield, Ohio bicycle tour grew partially out of a desire to ride the Little Miami Scenic River &Trail during the Tour de COhio back in 2005. However, due to various circumstances, we didn't get any where near Milford during that ride. All the same, Dave Godbey and I (Dave Perl) managed to arrange a relatively short tour during early October of 2008. Our old friend Gary Foley managed to ride with us the first day, and we had another friend, Craig Priess join us during the first two days of riding as well.

The day started early with a light drizzle in Mansfield, OH. My brother Dan and his wife Pat picked us up around 6:15 AM and drove us down to the Milford, OH. We had a quick breakfast at the Milford Bob Evans Restaurant and then drove to the Milford trail head at the junction of US Route 50 and SR 126, arriving around 10:00 AM. We quickly assembled our trailers and bicycles and hit the trail. A few miles into the ride, we telephoned Gary and Craig, who started at the Frontier Campground (in Waynesville, Ohio - near Spring Valley) north of us, to let them know we were mobile.

Craig, Dave and Gary at our first stop north of Loveland.

Dave G and I met up with Gary and Craig in Loveland, Ohio. Gary and Craig got a bite to eat before the four of us started heading back towards the Frontier Campground.

Mystery memorial below I-71 spans over Little Miami Scenic River and Trail.

The weather was an optimal Fall day for riding - relatively mild temperatures with sunshine and a gentle breeze. Our first break was along the Little Miami River near a canoe livery a few miles north of Loveland. A guy from Cleveland, John —, stopped to chat with me after noticing my Burley trailer. He was riding from Cleveland to Cincinatti. He gave us a bit of a heads up regarding a trail closure near Xenia. Per John, this was due to a bicyclist who fell and broke his spine after slipping on some metal rivets on the bridge floor. He also had an ACA map of the UGGR through Ohio. I took a glance at the route from London up North and West of Columbus to see if Dave and I could make a detour through Columbus, but it looked too complicated to memorize. I should have brought my map UGGR map!

Along the ride we came across a mysterious memorial located just beneath the I-71 bridge spans. Except for a little piece of poetry, there was no indication as to why, when or about whom the memorial was for.

Gary, Craig and Dave G during corn field break.

A bit further up the trail, I saw a farmer appearing to mow or rake hay in a field on an old tractor. Shortly after that, we took a small diversion to a Hall's Market and Post Office in Oregonia to stock up on beer, water and Gatorade. We then spent another break in a nearby corn field for about 30 minutes, enjoying the scenery, sunshine, and light breezes.

We wound our way up through some nice Ohio farmland. Craig had marked the trail where he and Gary had entered the trail down a short ways from the campground. The shortcut took us past Spring Valley Lake and then just a short distance to the campground. After checking in and setting up our campsite, the munchies took me over. I am not normally a big ice cream eater, but the campground office had a half-price sale on their frozen dairy products. Two ice cream sandwiches were calling out to me and were quickly consumed. They tasted exquisite! Gary, ever the conscientious bicyclist and all-around good guy, filled all of our bicycle and trailer tires to their optimal tire pressures with his ever ready floor pump. After setting up our tents and gathering / cutting firewood, we made a nice campfire and ate our meals. Naturally, we also partook of a few cigars and malted beverages to wet our whistles throughout the evening. Naturally. I was the first to crash while Dave G, Gary and Craig stayed up a bit longer. Gary soon left for home and Craig slept in his van. We all had a good night's rest.