i had a very pleasant experience riding thru ohio too, that is until i got close to cleveland. then that may have been one of the worst cycling experiences i've had short of the time i got hit
2009-04-21 13:35:42
4
Dropped by a horse and buggy
I just did a 3 day bike tour in north east Ohio (~200 miles). When I was slowly riding through a small village an Amish buggy passed me. That's a first for me. Ohio highway 7 (near lake erie) is awesome. Low traffic flat roads and a reasonable shoulder. Youngstown sucked bigtime.
You can see the route I took below:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/280091
2009-04-21 13:16:27
Youngstown was bad. I took south ave because it seemed like the easiest way through on the map. It was 5 miles of heavy suburban sprawl traffic (with a gradual uphill too). The worst bike experience I can think of (837 in duquesne might be #2).
2009-04-21 13:46:37
I like hearing of bike travels.
God bless any road that has horse buggies on it.
The motivations of the Amish - to avoid war technology - is similar to the goals of some bike riders. The typical life style and beliefs, though, are about as different as you can get.
Youngstown: Routes other than south Ave?
Cleveland:
Do they have a bike forum? Do they let bikes on their commuter trains?
Duquesne:
Is the trail finished through there, yet? I'd hesitate to go through there at midnight.
When I ride through Duquesne, I sometimes take the glass-strewn-sidewalk/rut-next-to-the-road to avoid the roadway interaction.
Which would you rather do? Eat steel wool or drink battery acid? Have a nice day, dude.
I'll also take 2nd Ave along the hill through most of the Duquesne. Not much traffic. At twilight, a resident in a friendly tone: "You got a pistol in there? You need a pistol."
Mick
2009-04-21 16:38:29