Starting the OHIO TO ERIE TRAIL (Cleveland to Cincinnati) Day 1 -- Solo Woman Bikepacking Adventure
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- This is Day 1 of Bikepacking the Ohio to Erie Trail Solo. I spent a week riding my bike from Cleveland to Cincinnati. Starting the adventure, I shuttled up from Cincinnati to Cleveland's Edgewater Park to ride the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail to Independence to stage for the rest of my journey.
For more on the Ohio to Erie Trail, visit www.ohiotoerie....
To learn more about the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, visit www.ohioanderi...
Thanks for sharing your trip! Mrs J and I rode this last week and enjoyed it although we didn't have your dramatic weather. We also did it as a credit card tour, went north to south and used your itinerary for the first few nights; Independence, Massillon, Millersburg and Mt Vernon. Our favorite parts were the Cuyahoga Valley (even with the minor detour); with all the historical canal artifacts and nature scenes; and Amish country. Hotel Millersburg was interesting with the old pictures and quilts. Our least favorite section was the Columbus to Xenia stretch which is flat and straight with nothing to see but soybean and corn fields. And our only hit of rain. We spent two hours at the London Peddler. The front half is a coffee shop, the back is a bike repair shop.
We rented an SUV, which was about the same cost as one person on Vegas Velos. The downtown Cleveland Avis/Budget store is about four miles from Edgewater Park/start of OTET and on the way there we saw a few iconic places like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Soldiers and Sailors monument.
Being a Ohio native I apologize for those drivers. We have a great trail system here in Ohio with more being planned everyday but our car people have not caught up to our progress. Looking forward to seeing more videos of your trip. I believe you passed near where I live.
Awesome. Hope you’ll share some nuggets about your area. Ohio has such an amazing trail system.
@@DeniseLookingOut I live just live west of Urbana in Champaign co. The trail here is the Simon Kenton trail. Our trail runs north to Bellefontaine and south meeting upto the trail in Springfield in Clark co. Then this trail connects to another trail. I can go all the way to Cincinnati from Urbana.
@@rogerhart612 wowza that’s amazing. The trail system makes me wanna move to the buckeye state. Ohio got use for a content strategist/editor?!? Lol
Yes they're very bad here in Lima also.
Glad to finally see these trip reports coming up. I don't quite understand getting cursed at while biking. I've had it happen too, seemingly for no reason. Keep pedaling and enjoying your adventures.
Thanks. IKR. Some folks go out of their way to get angry with people on bikes. I don’t get it. Thankfully that didn’t happen as I continued.
That first day looked like fun, except for the road to the hotel. I love the mix of urban trail, bridges; and the wilderness trails.
Great Job, thanks for sharing. I travel the northern sections Cleveland to Akron often (though I grew up in Cincy). I've done to OTET 5 times throughout the years. I love that you did it solo as I did same back in 2021. Trail is truly a gem. Congrats
Thanks. I really enjoyed doing it solo. Followed it up with doing The Katy Trail with two friends.
Thanks for sharing Day 1. I can't wait to see the rest of the week.
Thanks! Day 2 will be coming next Tuesday! That was a pretty stretch of trail.
This trail is definitely on my bucket list so I'm interested in following your adventure!
Oh I can’t wait for your adventure on the OTET!!!
Enjoy this trip. I had the wonderful opportunity to do this ride last year from Cincinnati to Cleveland. It was phenomenal! I enjoyed every minute of it and I am sure you will too. I am excited to keep watching your adventure.
Yay! Glad you had a blast. What was one of your favorite moments?
@@DeniseLookingOut Well, it was all good but I suppose that just completing it was pretty awesome for me. While I learned to ride a bike as a kid, I didn't actually start riding until I was 56 years old. . .then, I waited several years after retirement to undertake this ride. Thus, the joy of completing it! I also loved all of the people I met.
@@constanceloving3622 I love this! It’s always the right time to start a new beginning. I’m glad you took on the OTET!!!!
So inspiring! We live in Valley View (where the white bridge is). My 9 year old and I are planning to complete the trail this coming spring. Thanks for sharing!
That’s awesome to live so close to the trail. Glad y’all are going to ride it. Keep me posted on how the ride goes with the kiddo!
Beautiful start to the trip!
I had to watch this first and second episode over because I have one day stopover in Cleveland on my Amtrak & Bike month-long travel trip in April-May. Planning to ride to Cuyahoga National Park and maybe to Akron just for fun.
Oh fun. I can’t wait to see that. I just love train travel. Cuyahoga National Park is great. Definitely explore there.
Planning on doing this or the Erie Canal Trail next month! (May 2023) I cannot decide which but both would be great.
Per the Vegas Velo website, they are not operating the shuttle for 2024 season. They might be back for 2025.
Yes!! They are off on their own adventure this year. Other shuttle services are running. I would check OTET Facebook group!
Good meeting you this weekend at JB.
Great to meet you too. Fun bonfire evening!
Great Job!
I just did GAP/C and O last year and looking at Ohio to Erie next summer.
That’s awesome. You’re gonna have a great time on the OTET. I also loved my time on the GAP & C&O!
Just curious, is it cheaper to use bike transport than to just rent an suv and throw your bike in the back? Also, thanks for putting out this series, looking to do Columbus to Cincinnati in the next couple of months.
When I did this trip, Vehicle rental prices were astronomical and they were jacking up rates for one-way rentals. It was over double the cost of using transport.
Great great video! I’m about to start this trail after the Spring thaw…. You might like the Canal Du Midi bike trail out of Toulouse France. I just finished this ride last November.
Thank you! Enjoy the OTET. I’ll have to check out the Canal Du Midi. I do have the Eurovelo15 on my list soon.
@@DeniseLookingOut Your videos are exceptional. I hope you do one on the Midi. I’m doing the Katy in June and could not find your Katy video. I hope to do the Dublin Ireland to Galway in July but that’s not firmed up yet. I as aways travel solo because I like to stop and smell the roses and either stop for coffee or a beer. However three experienced Rotarian friends want to come with me on the Ireland trip.
Fun video as always and it looks like you had a great time. I’ve done parts of it, maybe you will sell me on doing the whole thing. Hopefully you hit all the cool farmers markets and cool historical markers in that area. It’s nice that whole section is in the middle of nowhere while being right next to the towns. I look forward to seeing the rest of the videos.
It was a great time. So many amazing points of interest. You should definitely do the whole thing. You won’t regret it.
Exciting!!!! I was wondering if your channel was quiet because you were on the road.
Ha yeah I really only wanna put out the good stuff so I stay quiet at time.
Oh yeah I’ve been out there. I have so much content to get up now. And it will continue because I’m doing the Katy Trail very soon!
@@DeniseLookingOut Awesome!! I can't wait to watch all of it.
Looking forward to your videos. This is a trail system I would like to do soon.
You should definitely do this ride soon!
Good fun! I hope to do the Ohio to Erie. I hope you cover the logistics so I can learn and follow.
Sure. Anything specific - Just ask away in the Chat!
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Information on the shuttle? If I bike from Cincy to CLE what is the cost for them to bring me back to CINY?
So I’d reach out to them. the cost depends on the number of people getting shuttled. It was just me on my shuttle so the rate of $200 was high but doable. And still cheaper than renting a one-way vehicle or flying.
How did you accurately follow the trail? Isnt it easy to get lost?
I've done the C+O and GAP trails in their entirety over the years. The absolute poverty of this region is stark. I''d say stay away from DC and Pittsburgh. Still, I have fond memories and may consider that trip you made, or the Katy Trail or Blue Comet. All self supported and solo, might feel safer supported or at least credit card. My bike was very heavily laden but flat rail trails and towpaths tend to make that style tour possible.
Congrats on your past trips. I play it by ear on whether I hotel it or camp. When I'm solo I'm more apt to hotel it. But any trail I've done, I'd do again solo.
Hi, could you tell me how much it was for your ride from Cincinnati to Cleveland with Vegas Velo? Thanks! Love your videos! Keep moving! George
I have ridden and walked (in sections) all of the Ohio&Erie Canal Towpath except the last 8 miles into Cleveland. I'm not sure if the Towpath has been completed all the way to the Lake and I didn't want to ride on city streets. It looks like you were on a bike trail all the way? If so, I need to complete those last 8 miles! I do NOT enjoy riding on roads or streets, so all of my bike riding and a good portion of my walking is on hike&bike trails.
Go for that last 8 miles!!! I was on a trail the whole way from Edgewater Park, except for the times I popped off for food and hotel.
how much did it cost you? it takes money to do it that way . heck it takes money to do it any kind of way. how did you take off work?
thanks for sharing, what kind of bike you using? it looks like an aluminum frame.
@@princepage632 these trips are vacation for me. I budgeted $175 a day for hotels knowing that some nights would be cheaper and others more expensive like staying in Mason on a Friday night was $250. I used hotel sites to book. Many of them I have a rewards account so they were at discounted rates and I booked online all but one. I used my work PTO time to do these trips. It’s why I choose weeklong trails.
@@princepage632 I ride a Motobecane Turino that I got off BikesDirect several years ago. It is a steel bike except the carbon fork which I hate because I can’t load the fork with bags.
Seriously looking into this ride. Just curious, did you book your hotel stays ahead of time? Or will you just incredibly lucky lol
You should! Actually I booked hotels in the major metro cities and when I knew a storm was coming. Other than that, I just rolled in. Mid-week, there was plenty of lodging. Just have to make sure those college towns aren’t having orientation.
@@DeniseLookingOut Thank you so much. Truly am enjoying your videos. I am an avid road cyclist I just bought a gravel bike that would be perfect for this ride. I'm 70 but I do around 2,000 mi a year on road. You're a peach ....keep riding. Oh yeah, what's the best time of the year for this route... Obviously not during tornado season lol
@@423gtrman Weather is fickle. June should have been perfect but I caught the heat wave and storms. I love mid September for Midwest rides too. OTET is beautiful in October but can get a bit nippy in the Northern section.
Dang! I didn't know Motobecane was still a thing!
Yup it’s still a thing. Only they are not made in France anymore. The Turino been a great tour, bike zero mechanicals on tour in 4 yrs. 🙌🤞
@@DeniseLookingOut Ah... I knew of them from when I was living in France as a kid way way back in the 60's.