Jun 27, 2019
Part five of biking DC to Cincinnati. An epilogue story from my evening in Cincinnati, plus 11 takeaways from my trip from DC to Ohio.
DC to Cincinnati - Takeaways + Epilogue
Part 2 on the Great Allegheny Passage -
Pedalshift 166.
Part 3 on the northern half of the Ohio to Erie Trail -
Pedalshift 167.
Part 4 on the southern half of the Ohio to Erie Trail -
Pedalshift 168.
Part 5 on takeaways - Pedalshift 169.
Curated photos over at Instagram. All photos here.
The Journal: DC to Cincinnati Takeaways
1 - Ride your ride: loaded work for you? Great! Minimalist
bikepacky? Awesome
2 - Prepare for a reasonable range of conditions
3 - Miles/Day versus experiences
4 - Flexibility in schedule
5 - Staying clean can be a big deal for mental elements of
touring
6 - Good batteries help remove worries about your ABCs
("always be charging")
7 - Stealth camping is super fun. Spray painted tarp works
ok!
8 - 3 days gets you to happy - 7 days gets you in a long term
rhythm - 14 days says take a break
9 - Get a long ride in when you can
10 - Meet people. The ride is nice, but meeting people is
often the best part of the trip
11 - All trails are different. Make sure you're riding the
ones that fit how you want to ride!
C&O - more backcountry/wildernessy. It's not for
everyone.
GAP - in the middle
OTET - best overall surface (mostly paved)
I happen to like them all and I like the challenge of having
to shift gears (figuratively) to handle the differing
surfaces.
Followup
The C&O outage at MM52 now has a low-level crossing. The
permanent replacement is scheduled for the end of 2019.
The GAP keeps on truckin. No word yet on the rumored
campground near or in Ohiopyle SP.
The OTET is encountering some severe flooding, especially in
CVNP. The detour with no detour south of Akron is open again.
Epilogue
Cincinnati, OH
Guy on Vine yells over at me - “you should ride that bike
across country!” I turn and see a late-50s guy approach with
an excitement I've encountered before, just not in the middle of a
city when my bike's touring character is a little more incognito
without the panniers and bungees.
His name is Martin and he’s got s plan of his own. Ride from
Cincinnati to DC with a bike and a lightweight tent.
He didn’t know that’s exactly what I had just done in
reverse.
After I tell him that, we talk for 20 minutes about my bike...
gear... how he could tell just by looking at my unloaded bike that
it was built for touring... his plans... his hopes and
dreams.
Our conversation turns to shaking off the ties that bind for a
little while and looking to trips like this to reconnect with
nature and explore freedom, even for just a little while. As I
watch him walk off with a spring in his step, I know there's no way
he's not riding that ride. It's happening.
Pedalshift Society
As always we like to close out the show with a special
shoutout to the Pedalshift
Society! Because of support from listeners like you, Pedalshift
is a weekly bicycle touring podcast with a global community,
expanding into live shows, bonus podcasts and tour journals! If you
like what you hear, you can support the show for 5 bucks, 2 bucks
or even a buck a month. And there's one-shot and annual options if
you're not into the small monthly thing. Check it all out at
pedalshift.net/society.
On to the society!
Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Harry Telgadas
Chris Barron
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Stuart Buchan
Todd Stutz
Mr. T
Roxy Arning
Nathan Pulton
Stephen Dickerson
Vince LoGreco
Paul Culbertson
Scott Culbertson
Cody Floerchinger
Tom Benenati
Greg Braithwaite
Sandy Pizzio
Richard Patch
Jeff Muster
Seth Pollack
Dave Roll
Joseph Quinn
Susan Brewster
Drue Porter
Byron Paterson
Joachim Raber
Ray Jackson
Jeff Frey
Kenny Mikey
Lisa Hart
John Denkler
Steve Hankel
Miguel Quinones
Alejandro Avilés-Reyes
Keith Spangler
Greg Towner
Dan Gebhart
Jody Dzuranin
Lucas Barwick
Michael Baker
Brian Bechtol
Reinhart Bigl
Greg Middlemis
Connie Moore
William Gothmann
Brian Benton
Joan Churchill
Mike Bender
Rick Weinberg
Billy Crafton
Gary Matushak
Greg L'Etoile-Lopes
James Sloan
Jonathan Dillard
John Funk
Music
https://soundcloud.com/sunfields
You've been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Their latest album may be their best yet. Go get it.