By Don Mills

What do you do when you retire? Walk from Montreal to Texas, of course!

Through our trail (Ohio-to-Erie and Little Miami Scenic Trails) system of communications, the word was spread about a 61-year-old Canadian lady who was WALKING some 2000 miles beginning April 1^st and ending sometime in September.

Facebook and friends were navigating her trip from one day to the next.

The press is all over her story. Dirk Morgan, FLMSP member, extended hospitality to the traveler in Morrow.

My wife and I communicated with her wonderful team about our desire to host her as she traveled through the Cincinnati area. We joined her in Loveland where she had been treated to lunch by Don Hahn, another FLMSP volunteer.

After meeting them we loaded her 100-pound push cart onto a trailer and headed home for the evening. What a delightful evening it was.

Ghislaine Beaudoin, known as G, is the mother of two grown children, strong, athletic, very personable and outgoing, afraid of nothing but with good common sense and a great joie de vivre. Recently retired and glad for the opportunity to engage in something she could not do while working at a desk, she is determined to complete this journey.

We chatted, beveraged, had dinner, and went to bed. We arose at 5:00 to get her back to Loveland by 6:00 a.m., AND OFF SHE WENT….

June 2018

Totally committed to seeing their trail restaurant quest to its geographical conclusion in the “far north,” the TTA, augmented by Rich Easterly, made its 24^th stop on April 18 at Slim’s Neighborhood Bar and Grille in Spring Valley.  Slim’s is widely regarded by the locals as “the best restaurant in town.” Probably because it is also (to the best of TTA’s knowledge) the only restaurant in town.  Half the space is a bar with only two beers on draft (both “Lite,” though numerous “real” beers are available in bottles and cans). The other half of the building is devoted to the dining area.  Located about 50 yards from the trail, Slim’s is an unpretentious neighborhood bar and grill well patronized by local folks, as immediately noted by the “foreign” TTA personnel who arrived there shortly after noon.  The locals were perceptive diners: ALL the dishes sampled by the TTA were delightful!

As might be expected from a neighborhood restaurant, Slim’s has a broad menu which begins with breakfast dishes (served until 11 am) and goes on to include standards such as pizzas, wings, kids’ items, soups/salads, burgers, and then dinner specials.  We were intrigued by the whimsical comments on the menu and website, such as:

• Order what you like; get what you get.
• We offer fine dining—but not here.
• We love children—but unattended ones will be given a free can of Red Bull and a puppy.  Your call...

Noticing that all the burgers (in 4, 8 and 16 oz. iterations) come from a local market, everyone in our group opted for some variation on that theme.  A variety of included sides were available.  John went for an 8 oz. Pizza Burger topped with bacon, ham and jalapeños, with fries, for $10.29.  Rod chose an 8 oz. Slim Burger with Swiss cheese and fries for $8.99.  Rich took a 4 oz. Mushroom Swiss burger with onion rings for $7.29.  George ordered a 4 oz. patty melt with grilled onions and Swiss cheese with onion rings, also $7.29.  Everyone was eminently satisfied with their burgers.  John asked for his fries well done, but got them pretty much standard (see above comment regarding “Order what you like . . .")  All four diners agreed that the breaded onion rings were some of the best each of us had ever had anywhere, and ALL the burgers were exceptionally tasty.

Overall, three of our party voted for FIVE bells for Slim’s.  George, ever the picky curmudgeon, felt four was adequate, but finally folded in light of the overwhelming pressure.  So Slim’s joins very rare company and gets FIVE bells from TTA!

Slim's Neighborhood Bar & Grille
13 West Main Street, Spring Valley, OH 
Phone: 937-862-9999
Website:  slimsneighborhoodbar.com 
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 7 am - 11 pm; Fri - Sat: 7 am - 2 am; Sun: 8 am - 11 pm

April 2018

Regular users of the trail between Loveland and Morrow are all too aware of three areas of asphalt failure we call “slumps”—two just south of Fosters and one near Morrow. Recently a trail user contacted FLMSP about his concern that the slumps are hazardous for cyclists not familiar with the area. He asked Mark, the owner of the Monkey Bar at Fosters, for a couple of orange cones to mark the locations, which Mark gladly provided.

Trail users who are concerned for the safety of others along with local businesses that are willing to help out are just the kind of people that improve the trail for everyone, and FLMSP thanks them for their efforts.

FLMSP has been battling these slumps for a couple of years now, and the fight continues. Last year 24 tons of gravel was dumped in the slump at mile 38.0 before it was patched, and another team of volunteers used railroad ties to shore up the slump farther north. But these are only temporary fixes. The underlying problem of natural riverbank erosion continues.

The slumps are on the state park’s list for engineering evaluation to determine the long-term fix. As with other issues, the constraints are money and the rigid restrictions for river bank modifications on a river nationally designated "wild & scenic."
As we await a more permanent slump solution, ODNR and FLMSP will continue to place warning markers and apply short-term fixes. FLMSP is even now obtaining more gravel and cold patch to improve the condition. Please use caution near the slumps, and continue to alert us about safety concerns.

May 2018