Sycamore State Park, Ohio; GPS, flat roads, into the wind!

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Again I had the opportunity to take my road bike on a camping trip. While my wife rode with the girls, I went on a 70 mile trek through the country. It was a brisk fall day in October. Upon arrival we set up camp, which also meant getting the horses set up with water, picket lines, and hay bags. By the time I set off on my ride it was near noon.

This is the first ride on which I used a hand-held GPS. I immediately got lost! I turned the wrong way out of the parking lot, followed by an incorrect turn on Wolf Creek Pike. I pulled out the older model Garmin GPS, and immediately knew that I need to do a 180 and head the other direction. Already, thankful for the GPS I corrected my route and headed east toward Snyder Rd.

Traffic seemed light as I headed northward on Snyder Rd, to Snake Rd, and Shiloh Springs. Diamond Mill is a bit heavier traveled but not to the point of being uncomfortable. Most of the traffic on Diamond Mill, is made up of pickup trucks traveling just below the speed of light. So be prepared if you choose this route, I would plan my next ride on another road.

Sweet Potato Ridge took me yet farther east to the edge of Englewood, where I would continue north on Haber Rd and ending up on Reinhart Rd after a short distance on Phillipsburg Union. While cranking out the miles on Philipsburg Union, I took notice of how smooth the ride had been to this point. Passing a jogger on my side of the road I asked him if he was British! (Wrong side of the road.)

My ride continued north, taking several zig-zags and becoming more rural as I went. I marked all of the intersections as way-points on the GPS unit. The key intersection was County Highway 9 and West Horseshoe Bend Rd. An appropriate road to take to the west, since I was on a horse camping trip!

Just outside of the town of Laura, I managed to get myself off route.I stopped at an intersection flipping through my maps, with a guy shooting a rifle in his backyard just across the street. He seemed into his target practice, and I had no intention of asking directions from a guy holding a 30-30. As I worked my way through the maps, a car pulled up next to me. There were 2 women in an SUV, looling at me ratyher quizzically. The passenger said, "Are you lost?" My reply, "I have 2 GPS systems and a map, so if I'm lost I deserve it, but thanks for asking." The ladies drove away laughing.

The easiest way to figure out where I was at would be to ride into Laura, Ohio. I could easily get on Lowry Rd. just west of town, head north and turn left on Hollansburg-Sampson Rd. Riding is never just that simple! I knew there could be trouble as I rode into Laura, Oh. Ahead a black, white and orange sign said, ROAD CLOSED! It seems someone decided to tear out every road in the town of Laura, all at the same time for replacement. That's planning!

I Turned around headed back up 571, to pick up Arcanum Rd. and head west. After pedaling an extra couple of miles, I at least knew exactly where I was. Screwed. The wind was blowing steady about 20 miles per hour. I went from a 15 mph pace immediately down to 10mph or less with the gusts. The next ten miles took me over an hour. I was going to get back to camp late!

Now traveling slower into the wind my ride took me through the towns of Arcanum and Lewisburg. Lewisburg is a nice town, looks like a great place to live. I would have stopped for a break but the wind had slowed me down, and I still had some traveling to do before dinner, which was very much on my mind at this point. Late in the afternoon, somewhere between Arcanum and Lewisburg, the wind started to ease.

My pace picked up as I headed south east back toward Sycamore State Park, and dinner! The GPS had done it's job, I had set over 20 waypoints, and could easily navigate with my maps, and the Garmin. I showed up in camp shortly after everyone else had finished dinner. I had a few more cycling stories to tell by the fireside. I guess the wind story wasn't nearly as exciting as the crash with the groundhog, but I told 'em anyway.

(As always, cycling can be dangerous. So be careful, and plan you rides with caution. Be sure to map your own rides, my Google Maps are only routes that I have traveled, and should not be ridden by inexperienced cyclists!)