July 23, 2014. Austinburg, OH to Erie, PA. 49 Miles.

It was raining when we got up this morning. That's never a good sign. It eased off enough that when we left at 7:30 we did not wear rain gear--it was too warm and muggy for that. A mile after leaving the hotel we got on the Western Reserve Greenway Trail and rode it to Ashtabula, about 5 miles.

We crossed the Ashtabula River and rode along the shore of Lake Erie for the next 13 miles. The first few miles the lake was obscured by power plants, but once we were away from town it was a lovely ride.  It was drizzling slightly, but we were trying to get to the hotel before the real rain came in, so we did not stop very often. Our SAG, Lorna, took a wrong turn (because the SAG notes told her to take that turn!) so we did not see her all day.

We rode through farmland and plant nurseries, much like yesterday. There were some rolling hills along the route, nothing serious. About halfway through the ride we crossed the state line into Pennsylvania.

A couple of miles after we crossed into PA Dianne had a flat tire.  Of course we stopped and changed it. Ann (from our group) stopped to see if we needed anything (we didn't) as did a man riding self supported whom we had met earlier in the day. He is riding across the country at the rate of 8 days a year. He started in Oregon seven years ago! It started raining just as she finished changing the tire.

 

We arrived at the hotel about 11:30, all wet and muddy. Some of the rooms were ready, including ours. I'm not sure what the desk clerk thought when we cheered; I felt like hugging her! They promised us rooms at 3 PM, NOT 11:30!  We checked in, then cleaned the mud off our bikes, and when we were about done, Robin and Cindy rolled in and did the same.

 

 

We showered and put our muddy clothes in the washing machine, then walked out to lunch with Robin. The rain cleared out long enough for us to eat outdoors, but it looks like it's coming back. We are glad, as always, that this is a hotel ride!