Another short, pleasant day in Ohio.Tontogany, Ohio
to
Willard, Ohio
Saturday, July 19, 2003
Back up to Manitowoc to Washington
Westbound: ChelseaTontogany Eastbound: WillardNorthCanton
Another short, pleasant day in Ohio.
I discover that Cross Creek Road intersects both Ohio 64 and Ohio 65.
Saturday morning, Chuck had to cover for absent coworkers, but Barb agreed to drive me to the appointed corner. After she dropped me off, I realized that we had made a slight error. My sense that we had turned the wrong way was correct. Chuck had picked me up where Cross Creek Road meets Ohio 64. Barb, however, had taken me to the intersection of Cross Creek Road and Ohio 65. I was on the correct east west road but at the corner of Ohio 65 instead of 64, roughly four and a half miles west northwest of where I had been Friday afternoon. Because I was now further west than when I got the flat, however, my conscience was clear—the two rides in their truck had not moved me forward— and I happily road the modest extra distance to return to my route.
Not needing a motel in Bowling Green, I went north a bit on 65, right on 582, ignored 64, and turned south on 199 which took me east of Bowling Green. While briefly joining U.S. 6 near New Rochester, I was able to get breakfast without too much tobacco smoke. After breakfast, I continued southward to find U.S. 224 toward Willard, my next stop.
This route across Ohio was a bit of wild guess. The simple and prudent choice would have been the ACA Northern Tier until turning toward Pittsburgh, but—based upon limited experience in Washington—I felt that ACA went out of its way to find hills and avoid services. After both good and bad experience in Minnesota, I might have reconsidered but really didn’t think of it. I had chosen U.S. 224 because it looked substantial enough to have shoulders but rural enough not to be super busy. As a “US” highway, I expected the maintenance and construction standards to be higher than the two digit state highways. For the most part, my assumption was backward. US 224 was better than both Ohio 64 and 65 but inferior to almost every other Ohio route I encountered.
After a stop for pizza at a fancy gas station, I reached Willard early enough that the room I could have wasn’t ready yet. While waiting for the room to be finished, I went up the street to the Laundromat.
Dinner was takeout from the Wendy’s across the street with Sleepless in Seattle and The Wedding Planner on the tube. The movies kept me amused but also kept me up too late with adverse consequences the next day and beyond.
About 5:52 on the bike for about 73.74 miles at roughly 12.57 mph.
Back up to Manitowoc to Washington
Westbound: ChelseaTontogany Eastbound: WillardNorthCanton