Day 16 - Beck History in Ohio

Today Ileana and I drove down to Wayne and Holmes counties (Ohio). This is where my Great-Great-Great (3G) and Great-Great (2G) grandfathers lived. My 3G grandfather, Michael Beck, moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio in a covered wagon in 1822.

He eventually settled in an area and built a sawmill on Doughty Creek in an area that came to be called Beck's Mills. One of his son's (Benjamin) continued to run the mill, which remained in operation until after 1900.  The Becks there also opened a general store, ran a schoolhouse, and Michael also was the postmaster.

My 2G grandfather (Daniel) remained in the area as well. Daniel opened and operated a flour mill;  unfortunately he died in a mill accident. Both Michael and Daniel are buried nearby.

The mill is long gone. There is a Beck's Mills Country Store; however I don't think there are any Becks in Beck's Mills anymore. We went into the store and purchased a few locally made fishing lures and some whole wheat flour. We chatted with the people at the shop who told us the last Beck they knew was Bob Beck, but he had sold his farm years ago. Probably a distant cousin...

One of Daniel's sons, Charles, eventually moved to Michigan, establishing the Beck presence in the central Michigan area.

The entire area surrounding Beck's Mills is populated with Amish. We saw dozens of horse-drawn wagons, people on bicycles, and people working farms by "horse-power"

We drove out and visited the cemeteries of my grandfathers. After looking around there, we headed out to see Lehman's, a pretty cool hardware store.

Then we headed back to Nolancito's to pack for the trip back home.

Beck's Mills Country Store

Amish wagon at Beck's Mills

Michael Beck (3G grandfather)

Daniel and Sarah Beck (2G grandfather and 2G grandmother)

Working the land!

Days 14 and 15 - Around Cleveland

On Thursday, we went out for breakfast at a place called Jack Flaps which was pretty good. Nolan took us on a tour of Cleveland where we looked at a lot of architecturally significant buildings and Nolan gave us a small lesson on Cleveland history. We walked around downtown for a while and saw some of the stuff up close. There is quite a bit of history here and some cool buildings.

We then went out to Chagrin Falls and walked around. Chagrin Falls is a neat town that has a river (Chagrin River) flowing right through the center and a pretty impressive waterfall. Nolan showed us where he participated in the planting of about 700 trees a few weeks ago along the river.  We then went downriver and walked about a bit and enjoyed the outdoors. We found a bench that someone had assembled out of slate so we say there for a while and pondered life...

The weather was beautiful and we had a great day out.

Friday, we went to the Cleveland Museum of Art. This is a large and nice museum with a lot of nice works of art.  A short visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art was followed by a trip to the Lake View Cemetery. Here we saw the tomb/monument to President James A. Garfield, and the gravesite of John D. Rockefeller. Both of them were from Cleveland. We also saw the grave of Eliot Ness, who lived in Cleveland.

When exiting the cemetery, we saw the Lake View Cemetery dam. This is an impressive dam that is part of Cleveland's stormwater drainage system. When built, it was the largest concrete poured dam east of the Mississippi.

Chagrin River where Nolancito helped plant 700 trees

Nolancito and Ileana on the Chagrin River

James A. Garfield tomb

 John D. Rockefeller site

Eliot Ness site

Traverse City to Cleveland Recap

Total miles:  596 miles
Longest day:  60 miles (Ludington to Montague and Dundee to Fremont)
Shortest day:  40 miles (Fremont to Huron)
Hardest day (Nolan):  Day 3 - 60 miler to Montague, due to steady, strong, headwind
Hardest day (Ileana):  Day 3 - same reason!
Coldest temperature:  28 degrees F
Hottest temperature:  80 degrees F
Highest speed:  38.2 (Ada, MI)
Longest hill:  South of Frankfort, MI

Day 13 - Final Day Into Cleveland

Route
Huron, OH to Cleveland, OH - 51 miles
For details of part 1 of today's route, click here.
For details of part 2 of today's route, click here.
For details of part 3 of today's route, click here.

Weather
Sky condition:  Overcast about 500 feet rising to about 1,500 feet
Temperature:  65 to 72
Visibility:  1-1/2 to 5 miles
Precipitation:  Rode through light rain
Wind:  Left quartering headwind about 5 to 8 knots
Comments:  We were lucky that storms passed in front and behind us! All we got was mostly drizzle on the edges of the showers. Thunderstorms were forecast, but we never saw any!

Significant Events
-Arrived at Nolan's in Cleveland!
-Became honorary members of "Bike Cleveland"

Today's Song
"Money" by Pink Floyd
"Truckin" by The Grateful Dead

Wildlife Observed
Robins
Geese and goslings

NOTE: Earlier birds observed (I called yellow warblers) have been further identified as "yellow-throated vireos" after consultation with Jeremy.

Today's Ride
Got a decent start again this morning. 

We headed eastbound and after about 2.5 miles we passed a restaurant that I had considered walking to last night. I'm glad we didn't; neither of us was up for 5 miles off walking!

Today's route followed the coast of Lake Erie all the east to Cleveland. There were quite a few cottages, bed and breakfasts, and motels along the way, especially near Sandusky. As we got closer to Cleveland, there was less of that kind of thing and the area became more residential.

Our route took us through Vermilion, OH which looked like it had a nice "old-town" section but it was still early so nothing was open yet. Next we went through Lorain,  which looked rather large and industrial. We passed a closed plant that I think must have been a Ford factory. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of Econoline vans in the parking lot. Many were already painted in customer livery (U-Haul, etc.) and others were plain. The plant was obnoxiously closed though.

We made a rest stop at a park in Avon Lake. Nice view of Lake Erie. Thousands of mayflies, which were harmless but a nuisance!

As we rode through Rocky River, Ileana spotted a diner called Bearden's. As soon as we saw it we knew that was the place for lunch. The place has been there since 1934 and has been called Bearden's since '48. Pretty cool place, they have cruise-ins, and make good burgers. They also have shakes and malts, which (unusually) I didn't try.

As we entered Lakeview, the route detoured off of the main road and took a parallel road that went along the shoreline through neighborhoods. There are some pretty nice homes in Lakeview. Money!

We rode across the "Detroit-Superior" bridge and into Cleveland.  Riding into "Public Square", Nolan and the of his mates from "Bike Cleveland" were there waiting for us. We met them and became honorary members of Bike Cleveland. Then Nolan and one his friends, Christina, rode the last mile or so with us to Nolan's place.

Hard to believe it, but the trip is over. I plan to do a little riding and some site-seeing in Cleveland before we head home on Sunday.

Lake Erie

Bearden's in Rocky River

Lake Erie

Nolan and some friends meet us in Cleveland

Day 12 - Short Ride to Lake Erie

Route
Fremont, OH to Huron, OH - 40 miles
For details of part 1 of today's route, click here.
For details of part 2 of today's route, click here.

Weather
Sky condition:  Overcast
Temperature:  65 to 75
Visibility:  Unlimited
Precipitation:  Thunderstorms forecast, but we missed them!
Wind:  Light and variable
Comments:  Very humid today!

Significant Events
- 28 year anniversary of joining the Army

Today's Song
"Hey Tonight" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Wildlife Observed
Red-winged blackbirds
Geese
Chipmunks

Today's Ride
Got another early start to try beat the thunderstorms. We were successful!

We headed back down the Inland Trail. In Clyde, OH, we met a guy cycling the trail. He asked where we were headed, we chatted for a few minutes, and he asked if we wanted to stop for a cup of coffee at a cafe next to the trail. We stopped, had some coffee, and a maple glazed cinnamon roll.  I have a soft spot (my mid-section) for cinnamon rolls, and just about anything maple, so this was a double whammy.  He was an interesting guy named Dan who had done a number of tours, including a cross-country trip back in the 70s or early 80s (San Diego to Georgia) in 40 days. I estimate him as about 74 or so, and he was out there riding a Lightspeed. He has ridden the BRAG, the GOBA, and the RAGBRAI, among other rides.  When we left, he rode with us for a while until we turned north. Clyde looked like a nice little town as well.  The Elmore factory (yesterday's post) was there for a while, and Major General James McPherson (Union) was from there.

Ohio roads, like Michigan roads, are laid out in a square pattern, road crossings are typically one mile apart. The Ohio roads, however, are in a lot better condition (so far), and a lot more of them are paved. There are quite a few dirt or gravel roads in Michigan. I must add that in all the riding I have done, in a number of states and in foreign countries, that Michigan drivers seen to be the most "cyclist aware" (maybe I just coined a term!). They were patient, waited for a safe place to pass, and generally gave a wide clearance when passing.  Thank you, MDOT!

We got to Huron in good time and ahead of the storms.  Looks like plenty of choices when it is time for dinner!

Los Dos Centavos de Ileana
¡No hay!

Dudes fishing in the Sandusky river

(the bridge is the bike trail)

20+ fish - Dinnertime!

Dan in Clyde, OH

Day 11 - Into Ohio!

Route
Dundee, MI to Fremont, OH - 60 miles
For details of part 1 of today's route, click here.
For details of part 2 of today's route, click here.
For details of part 3 of today's route, click here.

Weather
Sky condition:  Clear
Temperature:  61 to 85
Visibility:  Unlimited
Precipitation:  None
Wind:  Mostly light and variable, periodic 15 knot headwind

Significant Events
Crossed into Ohio through Toledo!

Today's Song
"Freeborn Man" by The Outlaws

Wildlife Observed
Geese and goslings (dozens)

Today's Ride
We got a pretty early start this morning (0700). The weather was cool and nice, and there was no traffic to speak of. We worked our way south and headed toward Toledo.

The trip through Toledo was actually pretty good. Again, the traffic was light. Several of the streets were paved with bricks, which looks really nice, but made a pretty poor cycling surface. We crossed the Maumee river and headed southeast toward Fremont.

At Elmore, we picked up the North Coast Inland Trail.  It was pretty nice: no traffic, in the woods (shade and wind block), and pretty flat.  Elmore apparently has a lot of history. There is a railroad history building and a historical society building near the old railroad depot. I found out that this is where the "Elmore" car was built.  The Elmore was eventually one of the first companies bought to become General Motors (long before the government bailout).  About 5 miles northwest of Fremont we exited the trail for the last 5 miles of our trip.

The Ohio border

Elmore train depot

Trying to get a workout

Flowers along the trail

Close-up

More flowers!

Day 10 - A Change in Plans!

Route
Chelsea, MI to Dundee, MI - 41 miles
For details of part 1 of today's route, click here.
For details of part 2 of today's route, click here.
For details of part 3 of today's route, click here.

Weather
Sky condition:  Clear
Temperature:  55 to 75
Visibility:  Unlinked
Precipitation:  None
Wind:  Light early, becoming strong headwind

Significant Events
Had an Orange Julius!

Today's Song
"What's Your Name" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Wildlife Observed
Yellow Warblers
Red-Winged Blackbirds?

Today's Ride
We got a pretty good and early start this morning and the weather was great!

However, Ileana's knee was giving her a little problem, so I decided to forego a night of camping and get a hotel. I was able to find one (Memorial Day weekend!) in Dundee.  That meant about a 40 mile ride. That would give us plenty of time for Ileana to rest her knee and ice it.

About 16 miles into the ride, the knee was not getting any better.  I thought about getting Nolan Jr to come pick us up in Saline, which was about 5 miles away.

We made it to Saline, and got some Tylenol. Ileana took a couple and we waited about 45 minutes for it to start working. Meantime, we saw a Dairy Queen, so we decided to chill out there and get a bite for lunch. We had a couple of chili dogs, which reminded us of eating chili dogs with Rob in Cumberland, MD. That gave us a pretty good laugh!

Sidebar:  Ileana and I started a ride in Cumberland, MD a couple years ago, and Rob dropped us off there.  We walked around a bit and found this place that claimed they had "famous Coney Island Style" dogs. Well we went in there, expecting some really good chili dogs. Needless to say, we were sadly disappointed.  The dogs themselves were about the size of a #2 pencil. (If you are young and don't know what a #2 pencil is, sorry!).  When we were done eating, we had to go somewhere else to actually get a meal. Fortunately, Rob knew of a decent Thai place in the next town...

Anyway, after today's chili dogs, which were pretty good, we had Orange Julius for "dessert". That brought back some memories that I won't delve into here. One sidebar is enough...

We had about 20 miles to go and the knee was feeling better, so we "mopey-joe'd" along at an easy pace, about 10 mph.

Ileana was happy to see the hotel, and I noticed a Lone Star steakhouse that just might suffice for dinner.

Los Dos Centavos de Ileana

Today, we were loading our bikes in front of the hotel and this couple that was leaving the hotel in their van stopped and asked us what we were doing.  The man asked if he can take a picture of him and us and I said 'sure.'  While Nolan was talking to the man. I was talking to his wife about Nolan and I making a deal that we'll balance sleeping in a tent and hotels.  She says, 'that sounds fair.'  And then she said, 'we are actually staying in a campground close by. But I could not take shower there and couldn't fall asleep in the tent. So, I left my son with my friend at the campground and my husband and I got a room here.'  What about that?! I think this lady may be relate to the baby bunnies' mother!