Night Rider

This past Sunday around 6PM, my friend, Randy, showed up unexpectedly and he told me his plan to do a trip. He'd rode over to my house in about 45 minutes and I loaded his bike in my car and headed over to pick up the other bike and get started on this spontaneous bike trip.

I dropped the car off and we started out. We hopped onto the Taylorsville MetroPark bike path and headed north until the end and then kept going north along Old Canal Rd. through Tipp City and found out where the bike path started up again near the Old Roller Mill. We stopped and looked at a complete canal lock that was part of the Ohio-Erie Canal and, according to a small sign on a nearby post, was built in the 1830s. They also had an old canal boat behind the mill that we looked at for a little bit before getting on our bikes again.

The bike path went north through the Tipp City park and went past the baseball field where my little brother had played a couple of times before. The path ended along 3rd Street and we had to bike on the road over some railroad tracks and got back on the bike path when it started up at N. Hyatt St. next to the new Tipp High School. We followed it out to 25A and stopped at the gas station at the corner to refill our water bottles.

We then went north along 25A past Waco Field and turned right onto CR-227 and found where the bike path started up again. There was two routes (one continuing east/north and one going south) and by this time, it was already pretty dark outside, so we decided to make that part of our return trip (which ended up to be a mistake) to see where it lead to and if it could be a shortcut.

We kept going east along the bike path and past some factories which stunk really badly. We followed the path east along an old train bridge and crossed the Great Miami River. Here, the path split up again. Randy had said his step-father had told him the path continuing east met up with State Route 202. I'll have to check that out later, then.

We kept going north along the river and went under the bridge for 41 and here, the bike path opened up and it was really pretty with the cool trees on the right arching over the path. It must be a lot better during daylight, and should be a great spot for some photos. I decided that we'd turn around at the next bridge.

By this time, our legs were extremely sore and we had just gotten to the half-way mark. We followed the path back to where it started up again along CR-227 and I voted that we take the split south to see where it went. We followed it in almost pitch black and a black cat jumped out in front of me scaring the crap outta me. The path became increasing more wooded and therefore, even darker. I could barely make out Randy on his bike in front of me. After a good ways, he stopped hard and warned me that there was a dead end. I had to brake hard so I didn't hit him.

I was really disappointed that the path didn't lead anywhere, but it seemed like a nice path through the woods and I'm sure, in the future, they will extend it to connect with the paths down south. We flew back the way we came and went west along CR-227 and then south along 25-A. Randy had suggested that we just take 25-A south, but I opted for the bike path as the terrain would be more level and we could make better time. We continued along our previous route until we got to 40, which we took west and then, followed Brown School Rd. north and finally, taking East National Rd. west over I-75.

By this time, my legs were so sore that it hurt just to move my legs to switch between the brake and accelerator in the car on the way back home. It was tough, but it was extremely fun and it seemed more enjoyable at night. It was uncharacteristically spontaneous on my part (though, not at all on Randy's part) and it reminded me of how much fun I had when I was a kid exploring my neighborhood on a bike.

We started around 6 and didn't get back until about 12 midnight. The route was almost exactly 40 miles (I measured it in a mapping program). There's still so much more that can be done to this route, but I'm surprised how little will actually have to be done to connect all of the separate paths together to make an uber bike trail. I can't wait! :D