Northern Tier Day #15 Cleveland, OH to Fremont, OH

July 13, 2019

Northern Tier Day #15

June 3, 2019
Cleveland, OH to Fremont, OH 81 Miles
Ride Time 6:19
Tour Total 1196 Miles
details at: https://cyclemeter.com/058ffe3224dd3702/Cycle-20190603-0935-24600

I slept great last night at the Travelodge in the Lakewood section of Cleveland. I had a king-sized bed, and my curtains were completely drawn shut. I couldn’t believe that it was 8:30am when I woke up. I had such a deep sleep, and awoke completely re-charged. All of my clothing was clean and dry, and my electronics were fully charged. I went to the breakfast room and had a waffle on a styrofoam plate, cornflakes in a styrofoam bowl, and used flimsy plastic cutlery to eat everything. I miss Vermont where all my meals were on ceramic plates along with metal cutlery.

I began the day’s ride through the Lakewood section of West Cleveland. There were beautiful homes with nice lawns and big trees. I rolled through Lakewood on Lake Road. It was a gorgeous day, crystal clear, sunny, and cool in the mid 50’s. I was wearing my long-sleeve jersey, sweater, cycling shorts, and sunglasses.

On State Route 6 West in Bay Village I encountered a ‘Road Closed Ahead’ sign with a detour that I decided to follow. The detour took me to I-90, so I was damned either way. I decided not to ride the interstate and rode back to 6 West. I pedaled ahead to the construction area and noticed that I couldn’t pass where they were working. I rode south a few blocks and took a right on Wolf Road to get over the stream and cut around the construction.

There was a bike lane in Avon Lake. I rode past the massive power plant, a coal fired power plant along the lake. I encountered a stretch of road with dozens of seagulls milling in the roadway and surrounding yards, all of which took flight when I approached. It was a strange experience. I found myself on the Grand Army Highway of the Republic, honoring American Civil War veterans. I crossed a singing bridge over the Black River into Lorraine.

I saw a Biden banner in somebody’s front yard so I pulled over to take a photo. I talked with the guy who lives there and he said that, “The world had become so divisive that we’ve got to go with whomever who can take Trump out”. I thanked him and rode on.

I stopped at West Erie Gas & Food for an egg sandwich and a Starbucks Frappuccino. I rode through Vermilion, named for the red color of its clay which Native Americans used to make pottery. It had a nice marina with plenty of bait and tackle shops. Vermilion was a delightful little town with plenty of places to stop and eat. It had an art gallery called ‘Art Seen’, but it was closed.

I’ve seen so many large cast-iron boat anchors in front of people’s homes and businesses. In addition I saw a large cast iron boat propeller adorning somebody’s front yard. On the two-lane Cleveland Sandusky Road headed west out of Vermilion I encountered stealthy rumble strips that blended in with the pavement. I like to avoid rumble strips because they rattle my teeth. I passed a possum roadkill and a chipmunk roadkill on the shoulder.

I saw two groundhogs running alongside the road and ducking into the bushes. A restaurant offered fresh perch and cocktails. My chain was a lot less rickety today, after the lubrication I gave it last night. I gave my bike a good look-over. My tires were in good shape, my rack and fender screws were all tight, and my bike was almost as clean as it was at the beginning of the tour.

In Huron, I headed southwest and bid Lake Erie goodbye. It was kind of sad. I’ve been with Lake Erie since Ontario on the Niagara River. I first laid eyes on the beautiful blue lake at Fort Erie in Canada. I’ve now ridden from New England through the Northeast to the Great Lakes and am now headed towards the heart of the Midwest. I rode over the Huron River and went south on State Route 13, away from the lake.

I found myself on the Huron Avery Road which had two lanes and was quiet with very little traffic. I pedaled by modest homes with lush grass yards and large beautiful trees. I passed blooming poppies in somebody’s front yard and stopped to take photos. Afterwards I rode through rolling cornfields. It definitely felt like the Midwest. The corn seedlings here are about 6“ high and tightly planted.

At Avery I passed under the Ohio Turnpike also known as I-80/I-90. It was actually a double underpass. There was a train overpass underneath the turnpike overpass. I-80 West goes through Iowa City, where I’ll be stopping in about a week. An hour in a car equals a day on a bike. I now found myself on farm roads. I passed a field full of sheep. The terrain was practically flat. I was surrounded by cornfields, and felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. There were no longer any big blue areas on my map sections. I was concerned about finding a place to sleep.

Cycling is so much more pleasant when it’s not raining. When I don’t have to stop every five minutes to adjust my clothing, I can really have a fantastic ride and make good time. I saw lots of signs in people’s front yards for 'No Wind Turbines in Erie County'. I guess they’d prefer to burn coal. Ohio ranks number 49 for producing electricity from renewables.

I stopped at a Marathon Station and picked up a Gatorade, a pack of cashews, and a banana. I checked a couple of emails, and then set off on the North Coast Inland Trail which ran through the woods paralleling a railroad line. It was fantastic! A bunny ran across the trail right in front of me at the start, followed by a chipmunk. I passed a huge Whirlpool plant in Clyde. I saw 4 more bunnies and 3 groundhogs. A freight train with tanker cars passed me to the right.

I had ridden 80 miles and there were no Warm Showers or camping options nearby. I didn’t want to cycle another 16 miles to camp, so I settled on the Double A Motel in Fremont. I had a fantastic shower and did some laundry. For dinner I went to the Tackle Box, an eclectic kitsch-filled joint alongside the Sandusky River. I had the Perch dinner and fries, with several Sam Adams. My phone only had 1 bar and they wouldn’t give me their WiFi password.