I used to be a Snob-Cyclist who was too cool for trails. I thought they were boring, straight and flat like the railroad beds that serve as their foundation. But that was before my experiment in oil-free vacations at the height of gas prices last summer.
One of my best friends lives in Cleveland and I hadn’t seen her for a while. So I packed a handlebar bag and 4 panniers (big bags that attach to racks over the front and back wheels of a bike) and headed north. I took my time, starting out early in the morning and finishing everyday by two o’clock in the afternoon. It took me 3 1/2 days to get to my destination but I got religion before the end of day one. Trails are more than a strip of pavement. Trails are a community. They are the super highways of non-motorized transport.
On the trail there’s always somebody to ask for directions when you get lost, somebody to talk to when you’re sick of your own company. The first night at my campground I got two dinner invitations from families who had come to Ohio just to ride our trail: one from Florida, the other from Illinois. Restaurants, gift shops, ice cream parlors, rest areas, campgrounds and bike shops have sprouted up all along the way. After I left the bike path for the open road just south of Columbus, I came to appreciate how much more comfortable it is to ride along in the shade without the worry of cars. It’s hot on that black top at the end of June.
My trip totaled almost 600 miles, about a third of it on trails. In the past, I’ve traveled the world and stayed in plenty of fancy hotels. But I’ve never had more fun and met more interesting people than I did pedaling to Cleveland and back. I can’t wait until trails connect neighborhoods and attractions all over our city and all over our state in one great big web of alternative transportation and recreation fun. The Ohio River Trail is for everybody. Let’s get it done.
Kathy Holwadel is Chair of Cincinnati Bike/PAC
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