werestillrolling

  THURSDAY, JULY 24--CUYAHOGA VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, OHIO We knew it was going to be really hot today so we were hoping for some shade on the trail and we were not disappointed.  This was a delightful canal trail and a national park.  The canal was dug in the 1820's and transported goods between Cleveland and Akron.  So you have the Cuyahoga River on one side and the canal on the other.  It makes for a very scenic trail.  We rode from lock 38 to 24, 36 miles round trip and had a delightful dinner with my brother Bob and his wife, Barbara after the ride and yesterday evening.  Thanks, guys! There were several bridges over the trail.                    Q2Q Small tunnel Heron in a dead tree Another bridge Homage to the mules towing the boats.  (poor mules) Mule We saw this on a wall in  South Bend Indiana.  Couldn't resist.  

  TUESDAY, JULY 22--LAKE SHORE--CHICAGO Dennis loves this trail!!!  It takes him back in time and he's constantly amazed at all the new buildings.  It is a great trail.  There are lanes for pedestrians separate from the bike lanes which makes it somewhat safer.  However, no one warns you when they want to pass and I almost got clipped by a biker in a hurry.  It's also fairly crowded especially for a week day. After riding along the shore we made our way to Pequod's pizza in Lincoln Park, frequently rated to be the best pizza in Chicago.  We like Uno's better, but we did find the place and then we made our way to the 606 which is like the Hi-line in NYC, a raised converted RR bed completely landscaped for 2.7 miles.  Amazing.  Good signs telling us how to get back to the Lakeshore trail, as well.   Sculpture on the Lakeshore Trail The 606 raised trail Artwork on the 606 Pizza at Pequod's Just some crazy sculpture in Chicago Chicago h...

  SUNDAY--JULY 20-- RAINOUT We had planned to ride The Old Plank Trail (a hall of fame trail) to Frankfort but it rained all day.  So we drove to Frankfort where there was a farmer's market in spite of the rain.  We're definitely going to ride this trail next time we're in the Chicago area.  It really looked scenic.  I did take a few photos. We're staying with Dennis's sister, Ramona and brother in law, Jerry at  Fox Lake for two nights.  It's supposed to be good weather next few days so Tuesday we'll ride in Chicago.  This pair of sandhill cranes was hanging out in front of Ramona and Jerry's. Old Plank Trail entrance. Sidewalk in Frankfort, a beautiful little town. Frankfort sidewalk.

JULY 19, MONON TRAIL TO BROAD RIPPLE Yes, there is a town called "Broad Ripple". It actually had quite a few restaurants.  There aren't many photos today but not because we didn't see worthy sights.  The weather was perfect and it was Saturday so the trail was just too crowded to stop for photos.  This trail was close to being our favorite.  Almost as wide as a 2 lane road and paved are 2 huge pluses, but because it is an old RR trail it's a straight line the entire way, so a little boring.  If you ever get out this way check out Carmel, also a beautiful little town right on the trail. We got back to the car after riding 42 miles and the sky went dark.  Poor Dennis then drove 2 hours to Champagne, Illinois in sheets of  heavy rain.  We are now at the University of Illinois where Dennis and Sally got their degrees.  The sky cleared. This is the sculpture in front of the electrical engineering Bldg The Monon Trail through Carmel.  Dennis i...

  FRIDAY, JULY 18--GASTON TO MUNCIE, INDIANA Today began with heavy rain so we got a late start and hoped for clearing skies.  Luck was with us, no rain and we discovered an additional ride along the White River.  We also found a wonderful ice cream shop after the ride.  Photos aren't great.  There wasn't much to see and we rode 38 miles. This sculpture was in front of the Gathering Center located at the Minnetrista  museum and gardens donated by the Ball family. (They made Ball mason jars) Minnestrista is a Sioux word for gathering place.   I just liked this bike rack.  I'm going to make a pendant in this shape. The White River This is a mile marker on the Cardinal Greenway Trail, almost impossible to read as you're riding by but showing up every half mile.  Most other trail mile markers are made of 4/4 treated wood with carved numbers.

  THURSDAY, JULY 17, DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE/JEFFERSONVILLE INDIANA Barbara West's birthday.  Happy birthday Barbara.  Hope you enjoyed your day!!!!!  See you next week. Today was kind of a mixed bag.  We started out riding in Downtown Louisville and had some trouble staying on the trail.  I think we managed to ride its entirety which wasn't much.  But then we crossed an old RR bridge over the Ohio River into Jeffersonville Indiana and thoroughly enjoyed that ride. It's called the Ohio River Greenway and  followed the river across levees and through parks.  We stopped at the Falls of the Ohio State Park and saw some videos on the birth of the Ohio River.  Pretty neat.  We could have looked for fossils along the river but it started raining pretty hard.  We waited it out and had a lousy lunch with a great view.  Made it back to the car before it started raining again.  A crazy day! But lots of Photos. This is the most...