The travels of the Rambling Roses: May 8...Beavercreek Ohio to Hebron, Ohio on US 40

97.61 miles in7:39...average speed 12.8 mph...max speed 27.9 mph, ascent 1388 ft...descent 1483 ft...total trip miles 2077.48 miles....total trip ascent 41,019 ft. Average daily ride ...86.56 miles (24 rides)

Brett had to leave for work at about 8:30, so that's when I tried to get out of there, but first, biscuits and gravy for breakfast, and then we exchanged photos and e mail addresses in case Brett ever comes through our area. The day started out at about 70 degrees at nine am, and only got warmer. The wind was inconsequential, or maybe I had a SSW tailwind for most of the day. I started off downhill, to the Creekside Trail and the Little Miami Trail in Xenia, Ohio, then north on a rails to trails for about twenty miles to Springfield, Ohio, to see the Ohio Madonna of the Trail. Ive got to say at this point, that I am very impressed with the trail system in the Dayton area. I hope they know how nice they have it. All the trails I was on were nicely paved, and had great stopping points scattered about. It was 27 miles to Springfield, almost all on trails. A very nice ride paralleled US 68, and we were climbing out of the Little Miami Valley on an incline so slight I barely noticed, instead of rolling like the road did.

Once I got into Sprinfield, I asked a few locals where the Madonna statue was, and it took four different people, including a cop, before I found someone who knew what I was talking about. I stopped a snapped my picture, and chatted with a guy who had questions about riding cross country, then I was on my way. Springfield was a little bigger than I expected, and after climbing out of town, US 40 became a four lane, all the way to Columbus. The shoulder was pretty nice, but I seldom used it because there was no traffic. I could see I-70 off in the distance, which is where all the traffic was. US 40 was actually labeled as 'alternate I-70', that's how nice the road was. There were some small towns on the 40 miles from Springfield to Columbus and I stopped to fill up with ice water a couple of times. There were some historical taverns and barns along the way, with each town having a couple of 'Ñational Road' historical signs or plaques. Mostly, however, there was very mildly rolling or flat corn fields. I stopped in West Jefferson at a Subway for lunch, and also ran into an oriental guy walking from Santa Monica, California, to New York, carrying a crucifix. I stopped and chatted with him, until people started stopping in the middle of the road to talk and take pictures, so I moved on.

I spotted the Columbus skyline from about eight miles away, business gradually picked up, and the road started to get really crappy. The next twenty miles through town was a traffic nightmare. Bad roads, even though random areas had a bike lane, dirty roads and sidewalks, lots of people turning off and on in front of me, red lights, etc. The downtown area is very spread out, with all the tall buildings pretty far away from each other. I pretty much went right through the middle of the town, even though I didn't see the capital buildings, nor Ohio State, which is north of town. US 40 was named Broad Street all the way through town. West of the downtown seemed to be older and rundown, and the east end of town seemed to be the old money. I passed Capital University, many museums, and then got into the swanky suburb of Bexley. Whitehall and Reynoldsburg followed with jammed packed Friday afternoon four o'clock traffic, and some construction zones to top it off. About ten miles from downtown, traffic calmed down again, cornfields gradually reappeared and the road improved greatly. I stopped and bought a fifty cent lemonade for Jesus off some kids on the side of the road, and then cruised to near the town of Hebron, where I had to go south about a mile, to I 70, to find a Red Roof Inn. There was a Country Buffet at a Truckstops of America across the street, so I plopped down $13 and ate $26 worth of food. Money well spent. There was a sign on the interstate that said 'Wheeling 99'. That is my goal for tomorrow, even though I think it may be another 100 mile day on US40.