Tag: Xenia

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Dayton

BEAVERCREEK, OHIO

I was hoping to ride on Friday with my friend, Laura Snyder, but that did not quite work out. When that opportunity passed she suggested Sunday morning could work. I took her up on it.

Laura on the Creekside Trail

Laura and her husband, Chris, met me at the Creekside Trail in Beavercreek for a 7:00 a.m. rollout. A rail trail, it is wide with good pavement and few riders (at least compared to the W&OD in Virginia).

Xenia, Ohio

 

We headed east on the trail towards Xenia which was only seven miles away. We sort of lost “the scent” of the trail at the train station. Or maybe we didn’t. I was thinking we would connect with the Little Miami Scenic Trail which runs north to Springfield. And I see now we could have.

Chris and Barry (Credit: Laura)


Chris and Laura were time-pressed. Although normally it would have been for church, Chris was leaving town for a week on business so we had to turn around and get back to the start.

Barry and Laura

 

After saying goodbye, I rode more, this time to the west. Entering Montgomery County the trail got narrower and it wasn’t as good as it was in Greene Co. The trail may have also been older but there was a marked difference.

Xenia, Ohio


I followed the trail to Eastwood Metropark in Dayton. I think I picked up the Mad River Trail. I ended up at Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum. This brought back some pleasant memories. We lived near here in the mid-60s. Money was very tight and family activities meant to find things that were free.

Eastwood Metropark

 

The Air Force Museum was free. The first time we went we followed the signs and were directed to Gate 35c. My dad saw that and thought he needed 35 cents. And I’m not sure he had it. But when he approached the sentry he waved us on, and Dad was probably not the first person who thought that.

Air Force Museum

 

I smiled as I thought of that memory then turned around. I needed to get back on the road to Virginia.

 

Barry, Chris, and Laura selfie (Credit: Laura)
As I was going through a parking lot in the Eastwood Metropark, a car backed out of a space never seeing me. A man walking a dog yelled to the driver, “there’s a bike behind you.” I swerved and did a U-turn. The driver sped off, and I’m still not sure he ever saw me. As I left the walker said, “that was close, wasn’t it?” I told him as far as drivers go, it really wasn’t that bad.

Beavercreek Station

 

Maybe it was the company I had for the first half. Or perhaps the enjoyment of exploration. Or maybe the gorgeous weather. But it was very enjoyable and I hope to get back to the Dayton area to ride again.



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Little Miami Scenic Trail II

SPRINGFIELD, OHIO

I left this morning for Pennsylvania with another bad weather forecast but surprisingly, as I passed Springfield, it was dry but mostly sunny. The weather forecast was showing a couple of hours with only a 15% chance of rain. I parked at Beatty Station just south of I-70 in Springfield.

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It was 9:00. I met a guy named Dave getting his bike out. We chatted briefly. He told me he was waiting for his group. They would ride to Yellow Springs and back. He also volunteered that I might see them on the trail.

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I headed north to Springfield. I wanted to see how far the trail would go. No far, I learned. When it became a signed road route I decided to turn around and ride south.

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I passed Dave and his cycling friends still getting ready. The trail here is wooded. There are few intersections and just a straight wooded trail. Very pretty. In this section , unlike the southern section, it does not follow the Little Miami River.

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Five miles in a came to Yellow Springs. My impression was this was a Bohemiam community. The downtown had neat buildings including a lot of art shops.

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I continued on the trail. I went under a pretty neat covered bridge. The smell of lilacs permeated the woods.

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I arrived in Xenia then turn around. Or maybe the outskirts of Xenia. But I wanted to get back to Pennsylvania and this was far enough.

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On my return I found the covered bridge and decided to jump on the road. I was disappointed to discover the covered bridge was just two years old (2014). Oh well. It will be historical in 98 years.

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In Yellow Springs I caught the cycling club. I had gone to Xenia. They had gone to Yellow Springs, one third of the distance I had ridden. I saw Dave again and then made my way through the group and eventually back to the car.

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This trail is the third longest paved trail in the U.S. at almost 80 miles. It would be fun to come back and ride the entire route.

 

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