Day 16, June 5th, Geneva on the Lake, OH to Cleveland, OH.  We weren't moving very fast this morning but got to a great breakfast place in Geneva at 7am.  The Sunrise Cafe was a true piece of Americana.  The cook is retired Navy man and his son helps out.  The waitress is a salty broad, who has a continual banter with the customers mostly antagonistic but all in good fun.  She really like my bike shorts!!  The cook claimed his French Toast was the best in Ohio, so Dave had to have some and rate it.  Dave declared the Frence Toast to be tied with the Chuck Wagon in West Newton, PA as the best on the trip.  We headed on down the road toward Cleveland thinking we had an easy ride for the day.  About 4 miles into the ride, my rear wheel started to wobble.  The spokes were all messed up and the mechanic team of Stoakley, Stoakley, and Williamson made matters worse.  I tried to keep going but could not keep the bike under control.  Lucky a Lake County Policeman stopped and asked if he could help.  Sam and Dave claim I was arrested for loitering and making a   Officer Ackerman transported me and bike to the nearest bike shop.  The Old Tyme Bike Shop worked ont the wheel and got me back on the road.  It took about 3 hours.  I am leading the race in bike shops visited on the tour.  Not an award I want.  The wheel held up all day over some rough Ohio roads.  We made good time through the Cleveland suburbs and arrived at the Double Tree Hotel, not far from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Tomorrow is a no ride day and touring of Cleveland.

Day 15, June 4th,Virginia’s Beach Campground to Geneva on the Lake, OH.  We opted for an easy day today.  It is about 90 miles to Cleveland and a layover day to visit sight in Cleveland.  We took our time at the cabin at the campground for coffee and bagels and then headed out.  The day started very cool and breezy.  We took a group picture near Lake Erie and turned west on PA Route 5.  After about 11 miles we rolled into Ohio and then into Conneaut, OH.  We ate breakfast at the State Street Diner and met a fellow rider wandering around Ohio.  Our plan was to stop at the Conneaut Railroad Museum but it was not open until noon.  Undeterred we went to the Public Library and spent 2 ½ hours reading the paper and generally resting from 2 tough days.  At noon we went to the museum.  It is a wild collection of railroad memorabilia donated by hundreds. Watches, model trains, photos, etc adorn the walls and display cases.  The museum has a Nickel Plate Steam Engine (2-8-4 Berkshire), some cars, and a Speeder (quite cool).  After the museum, we headed toward Ashtabula, OH.  The ride was very flat with lake views.  Along the way, I discovered another broken spoke.  We fixed the spoke but decided to find a bike shop to make sure the wheel would hold.  This delayed our arrival at Geneva on the Lake, but we got a short cut from the bike shop (Baker’s) and arrived around 5 having travelled 39.01 miles for the day.  We found a small motel, Lakeview Resorts, and a restaurant, Fire House Winery to end the day.  The TV in our cabin has a “dial”!   Geneva on the Lake is a step back in time.  Tomorrow on to Cleveland. 

Day 14, June 3rd, Mercer, Pa to Virginia'a Beach Campground, near Lake City, Pa.  After yesterday's hard ride from Pittsburgh with too many hills, we left Mercer with the goal to make Day 14 an easier ride.  The weather did not look promising with a forecast of showers all day and it was cool (about 50)and overcast and spitting rain as we left the hotel.  We left the Adventure Cycling route and headed north on U.S. 19 toward Meadville.  This cut about 5 miles off and 19 turned out to be less hilly and the climbs were easier than yesterday.  The only rain was short and light but I had to keep putting on and taking off my rain jacket.  I was thankful for the stops to rest my legs.  We took a mid-morning break at a larger intersection.  I bought coffee and talked to the owners about our ride.  We hid under one of those portable aluminum garage structures while a shower passed.  Then on to Meadville and the home of Cindy's Alma Mater, Allegheny College.  Wilma and I tried to visit the campus but the hill up proved more than I wanted (see picture).  We ate lunch at the 3rd fast food joint in a row.  I am over my quota for the trip.  From Meadville we cut west out of town and headed north on PA route 98.  Route 98 turned out to be good road and rolling but no steep hills.  We made good time.  We then made a bad decision to not go to the scheduled Erie campground.  First we found a campground about 3:30 called Folly's End.  Dave wined that we would have to sit around for hours till dark and wanted to keep going.  So we headed north to PA Route 5 and turned west.  Since Erie is east of the link with the Northern Tier Route, we decided to go west along Lake Erie and find a dinner stop and another campground.  Turning west took us into a more rural area and we had a difficult time finding anything.  The wind was out of the west and got very strong and were struggling.  The miles continued to climb.  We finally stopped at a gas station/bait shop and got directions back to Girard to the All Aboard Diner.  We all ordered the Prime Rib special although there was nothing special about the meal.  We were famished and it all tasted great.  During dinner, I found Virginia's Beach Campground which increased our miles again to 83.99 for the day.  So much for a short, easy day.  Dave did come to the rescue once again and asked if any cabins were available.  We are inside a cabin and the rain has been hard and steady for about and hour.  As Sam Stoakley said, the day was long but not brutal.

Day 13, June 2nd, Pittsburgh to Mercer, PA. We got an early start out of the hotel this morning after a good breakfast.  The first part of the ride was getting to the Adventure Cycling route.  We rode through the city streets and by Point Park.  We crossed the Allegheny River on the Roberto Clemente Bridge (formerly the 6th Street Bridge).  We took the North Shore bike trail past PNC Park and Heinz Field and then along the Ohio River.  We crossed the river a couple of times and rode the length of Neville Island.  We then went through a number of river towns: McKees Rocks, Coraopolis, Sewickley, Ambridge, and Rochester.  We then headed up the Beaver River valley and went through Beaver Falls.  The route got very hilly and the wind picked up right in our faces for much of the day. The ride from Beaver Falls to Mercer was the toughest stretch so far.  Mileage was 75.02 for the day, which is a little longer than Dave and I would like.  Dave was the Ironman and made every hill.  Sam and I called No Mas at about 3:30 pm and had to walk for some short distances.

Day 12, June 1^st, Off day in Pittsburgh.  We had a great day in Pittsburgh.  Everyone slept in, ate a slow breakfast, and read the paper.  Bob and Fred finished their part of the tour and headed back to Richmond.  Janet and Paul picked up Sam, Dave, and me and took us on a tour of Pittsburgh.  We drove up onto Mount Washington,  rode the Incline, and then headed out to Oakland, Squirrel Hill, and Shadyside.  We ended at Pirmanti Brothers in the Strip District to introduce Sam and Dave to the “sandwich”.  Sam and Dave were not particularly impressed with the Pirmanti sandwich with meat, French fries, and cole slaw all between the bread.  We then went to the new Pittsburgh History Museum which I highly recommend.  A great venue and good displays.  We did some bike cleaning and then headed down East Carson Street for a light dinner.    The South Side is a hopping place with a lot of bars and small restaurants.  I had some Yinzerogies  (potato and cheese pirogies)  Tomorrow we head out again toward Erie.

Day 11, May 31^st, Roundbottom Campground, GAP trail to Pittsburgh, PA.  Miles today totaled 48.72 and were fairly easy miles.  This part of the GAP is on the old Pittsburgh and Lake Erie RR and is wide and smooth.  We had some coffee in the campground and headed down the trail early.  We ate breakfast in West Newton, PA at the Chuck Wagon, a local eatery and bake shop.  Dave rated the French Toast to be the best so far on the trip.  We continued on the trail and passed through Boston and on to McKeesport.  The GAP trail has been greatly improved from McKeesport to Homestead.  Wilma crossed another river, the Monogahela, on the way into Pittsburgh.   We snacked at “Eat and Park”, only found in Pittsburgh, and then headed down the trail to the Holiday Inn.  The GAP trail near Sandcastle Waterpark is still not completed.  Looking forward to a day off.  We had dinner with the sisters Janet and Barb and husbands Paul and Bruce at the Hofbrau Haus german restaurant.  A wonderful day and I got "ginger cookies" to take on the next leg of the trip from my favorite younger sister.

Day 10, May 30^th. Rockwood, Pa to Roundbottom Campground along the Great Allegheny Passage.  Mileage for the day was 58.96 miles of some of the best riding anyone can do.  We left Rockwood about 8am (early for us) and headed toward Confluence.  It was downhill, shaded, and through a beautiful mountain hardwood forest.  We crossed the Casselman River several  times over high bridges, saw the construction site where the CSX is removing a tunnel through Pinkerton Mountain, and saw lots of waterfalls and brooks.  The weather was perfect at about 70 degrees, low humidity, and blue sky.  All the way down the trail the CSX trains were passing us on the other side of the river.  We stopped in Confluence for a break and kept rolling down to Ohiopyle State Park.  We ate lunch at the Ohiopyle House Café (the KirkWood Krew might remember it from another tour).  Dave and I went to the Kayaking/Hiking/Biking store and bought more stuff.  I had to leave before it got out of hand. The ride to Connellsville was still downhill and under the trees.  We had some problems finding a dinner stop and ended up eating in the Martin’s Grocery Store.  The GAP organization has built some nice camping shelters at their campgrounds.