I love central Ohio Riding

I took the day off today to get some personal errands completed. But that did leave me with a little time to go for a short ride. Temperatures in the mid 70's made it just about perfect. So I took off with very few plans in mind. I grabbed the camera with hopes of catching a few pictures that would be of interest. What I captured is typical central Ohio.

Central Ohio rides can be a wonderful experience. There are highways like Rt 70 and Rt 71 cross the state in 4 lane divided ribbons. But for those a little more willing to take some time and see what the state has to offer, you will be rewarded with everything from straight long flat roads like US Route 40 (http://www.route40.net) that crosses the continent, to small gravel roads, to thrills of cresting a hill and encountering a set of blind curves starting with a 90 degree left followed by a 270 degree right switchback. Central Ohio brings together the best twisty roads of West Virginia with the long droning roads of Iowa with corn fields on both sides of the road. All this in a 60 mile ride. And along the roadside, you will find remnants of our history, running back through the 1900’s, 1800’s and occasionally 1700's. Some of these artifacts are exciting and have remained vital, others are derelicts representing a lifestyle that has gone by the wayside.

Just a few miles from my home are covered bridges and this Steel Truss bridge built in 1914 and is heavily used still today. It is nestled in the middle of nowhere, spanning a creek that, unless it has just rained, could be driven through by most of today's cars.

Small towns dot the roadside, often not large enough for a traffic light. Many have a church, a bar, and a general store. Some have old buildings still in use for town meetings and business, while other buildings have gone into disrepair and abandonment.

And throughout the countryside, you will find places to celebrate The Lord. Some churches tend to be hundreds of years old, stone monuments to large congregations and history. Others a small buildings, not much more than a shell of a building whose utiletarian style serves a preacher and a small congregation who is devote believers. And others are more like chapels, beautiful buildings with stained glass windows and towers that overlook the local farmland and small communities which they serve. All are beautiful in their own way.

All of these pictures were taken on a 60 mile ride just west of Columbus. I started going south on Rte 38, down to Rte 40. Then west until I hit route 56 where I headed north to Route 4 which took me back home.

With all the beauty, there are risks. Over the weekend, a bee flew into my helmet and stung me on the chin. Dang that hurt, but I was on the road and couldn't do anything but suffer through the sting. It is Tuesday, and that sting is still red and sore!!!

Weekend Ride

Spent a wonder weekend away from everything! It was hot (over 90 degrees) and sunny, and of course I was riding in near-full gear. Got to the hotel, got to a room, and found a nice cozy place for Kermit to spend out of the sun and rain (if it happened). Walked across the parking lot to a grocery store, grabbed some snacks and a 12 pack. Guess I was dehydrated a little as all but 3 bottles were gone by the time I fell asleep!


Saturday, morning, got up and rode over for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. A great national chain that guarantees good food at a decent price. I was riding with the face shield up so I could plenty of ventilation in that mile or so ride. A bug found his way into my helmet, hit me in the face, and fell down onto my chin. I figured it was a fly, and could feel it stumbling around on my chin. At that point, I found out what it really was - a BEE!!!! The darn thing stung me on my chin! It was painful, but nothing I could do as I was on a multi-lane road with planty of traffic. Sure enough, it swelled up and hurt Saturday, and by Sunday simply was itching.

After breakfast, and at least some of the pain subsiding, I took off for Grand Lake St. Mary's. It was about a 70 mile ride, and the sun beating down on me the whole time. Got a little lost, but the GPS saved me, pointing me down the right path. Got to the lake, changed clothes into a pair of short jeans, and jumped into the cool, algae laden lake. I layed around in the lake for a couple hours, along with all the campers and locals. "Sunscreen? We don't need no stinking sunscreen!" Yup - you guessed it. Sunburned shoulders!

Got back to the hotel, about 7 or 8 hours after leaving. Tired, hot, sweaty, and hungry. Got some chineese, went back to the hotel, and then ate. Then, of course, I went to watch the Browns "play" football - play, cause the sure as heck were not taking it seriously!

I only rode about 150 miles Saturday. And between Friday night and Sunday, it was another 150 miles. Not much, but my rear still hurt! I have not been riding much this year. It felt great to be on the bike again, even if it was hotter than hades.

Risky Weather pattern

The weather can be very dangerous in central ohio. You never know when the weatherman will make his mark on the news.

Kilo's Australian Adventure - Melbourne

For the final location in Australia, I received local recommendations. The Royal Botanical Garden in Melbourne won out. It was Friday afternoon after I finished all my work and meetings in the office, and took a taxi back to the hotel. It was a cool day in the low 50's and had light rain. I took Kilo's final bit of ashes with me for a walk past Flinders Street Station and along the Yarra River.
It was quite a walk, with the cool and damp weather. There were runners and bicyclists out for their daily exercise. And more than a few rugby games as well. After walking past some other gardens, I finally found the entrance for the Royal Botanical Garden. Once you walked past the gates, it felt like a quiet refuge from the hustle of the city. I walked around the ponds, had an espresso, and finally found a nice quiet and beautiful location. I spread Kilo's ashes with some final well wishes.

Kilo's Australian adventure - Sydney

This weekend, Kilo and I made the trip to Sydney Australia. We took a walk along the Circular Quay on Sunday morning. The day is beautiful, with the sun shining and a few billowy clouds as a backdrop. Far less somber than the Central Ohio location. So we stopped and watched a young street performer do her act. I knew Kilo would be smiling, and probably snickering, as she did her contortionist's positions.



We walked further down the pier where we had a great perspective of the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. Such a beautify building, what a wonderful view. A sight that is equated to Australia, and to Sydney.



I found a picturesque location across the bay for Kilo, a place where he could easily reach the water. I looked around to ensure there were no police to be seen (I was warned by the receptionist at the hotel "it was illegal to spread ashes, so just don't get caught"), and scattered Kilo's ashes into the Pacific Ocean where he will be able to watch the comings and goings in one of the most scenic areas in the world. The first picture below is where I spread his ashes, over the edge where the man is standing. The second is a picture showing the outcropping of the location, and the Opera House.



One last trip for Kilo and I to make. At the end of the week, I travel to Melbourne. We will find one final location there for Kilo.

Susie, I am sure Kilo is smiling at all the places that he has gone over the last week. You and the brothers and sisters of VROC are doing a wonderful thing, fulfilling a man's last wish.

Kilo

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." - Genesis 3:19

I received some of Kilo's ashes today. My intent was to set up a ride, but frankly the gravity and onus overwhelmed me, and I just had to free some of his ashes tonight. My apologies to Kickstand for being unable to wait. I rode up to Delaware, walked to the top of the damn, said a little prayer for his peace and for those he left behind, including his wife, Babe-In-The-Wind, and 28,000 VROC brethren, and untold numbers of people he touched in his life.

With a smile, and half-a-tear, I let the wind take his ashes back to where they came. His soul, spirit, essence, or what-ever-you-may-believe is free from the bindings of this world. I pray he is watching and smiling as brothers and sisters are letting his ashes fly all over the world.

A couple of pics of his new Home in Ohio:

A clean bike and fridge

The last time my bike got a wash - a REAL wash - was before the Spring Rally in Angola. There was a layer of dust, bug carcases, mud, and even some tar/rubber stuff stuck to my muffler. So today, I opted to take a few hours and strip the bike of all the leather, nascille, saddlebags, seats, etc and give it a good, deep wash from stem to stern.

Then after the wash, I pulled it back into the garage and gave it some wax for both the paint and the chrome. Not a perfect job, but it took over 3 hours of pleasurable, detailed, mind numbing, tedious effort that has resulted in a much better looking bike - and a better attitude.

What's with the fridge in the title of this entry? I also cleaned out all of the remaining Canadian beer ! ! ! Side effect of the near-90 degree temperatures. ;-)