Black-Eyed Susans bloom near the Grandin Rd. bridge
by Tom McCray
As I rode into Morrow I saw many riders already filling the shelter. Normally this is where I take a break and eat a snack. I contemplated moving on to another location but I saw an unoccupied corner table where I could sit down. There were five other cyclists there, three on recumbent trikes and the other two on upright bikes outfitted with panniers and a trailer. There was already a discussion going on with the guys on regular bikes asking the others how they like their recumbent bikes – a common discussion with recumbent riders. I was curious about the guys all packed up with touring equipment and asked them a few questions.
It turns out they were brothers-in-law out on an overnight adventure. They started their day in Newtown destined for Spring Valley where they planned to camp for the night. From there they would finish in Springfield. One was from Cincinnati and the other from the Columbus area.
There was also a husband and wife team visiting from Terre Haute, riding the trail for a few days and visiting some nearby attractions. They were staying at a bed and breakfast in Yellow Springs.
The discussion came around to our trail and others that members of the group had ridden on: the Great Allegheny Passage, the C & O Canal Towpath from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C., and the Greenbrier River Trail through the southern mountains of West Virginia. I realized that we don’t just have a trail used by local residents; we have a destination trail used by many out-of-state visitors and vacationers. They are coming here to ride our trail.
Just yesterday, a beautiful Sunday, I set out from Corwin and made a point to check the license plates in the nearly-full parking lot. Granted, most of the vehicles were from Ohio, but I also found Texas, Virginia, and Florida plates. During my ride I was stopped by a woman walking the trail. From Kentucky and just passing through, she had heard about the trail and wanted to check out. She had a lot of questions, was quite impressed, and indicated that she and her husband would plan to return in the fall to do a multiday ride.
Our area does have a lot to offer: paved and maintained trails with hundreds of miles of connecting segments, canoeing and kayaking along the Little Miami River, zip-lining over the river gorge, historic sites like Ft. Ancient, nearby state parks and numerous nature preserves. It’s easy to take for granted this wonderful resource almost in our backyard, but the word is getting out. So don’t assume that the rider or walker that you just passed is a local resident. They may be from Hawaii.
July 2017