Scylla and Charybdis

Saturday, 8 October 2016

I had biked an errand this morning, the 4-mile ride to the Farmers' Market, but I didn't feel a need to record the errand.

After breakfast, I had an hour or so for a ride before we planned to go see "The Girl on the Train" and "Birth of a Nation." So I took Blue out into the Indian Canyons. Today both Andreas and Murray Canyons were closed for a benefit dinner, so my only route available was toward the Trading Post. By the time I passed between Scylla and Charybdis (the tight passage between the hillside and a single-rock outcropping), I had already done 35 minutes allotted for my ride. So I turned around immediately and pushed to be back within 25 minutes, following the same course. I arrived home a few minutes over, but still pretty close.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 93°F at 13:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 10 from the east
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16
Time: 55:06 for 14.74 miles
Heart rate: 136 bpm HRave, 147 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 3 cyclists
Playback of the ride

Windy ride to Miamisburg

Sunday, 10 March 2013

I started out an hour later than I planned, but that was no problem. The late departure meant that I met Martie Moseman on the trail—and met her friend (Mark?) and saw the runner Mike Nedeff long enough say hello. I had stopped at the rise to East River Road to remove my undershirt; the temperature was so warm today.

Martie stopped, said hello and mentioned her need to suggest a hike or bike activity for the Five Rivers Metroparks volunteers. I suggested a hike in Taylorsville Reserve, perhaps to include a guided history lesson on Tadmor and the aquaduct over the Miami River. It turned out that her ride partner Mark knows the area and its history well, and we had a good Q&A session on the area to clarify my understanding of what I had seen yesterday.

I continued south, into a windy and slow ride to Miamisburg. Tired of the wind, I decided to turn back instead of going to the trail's end in Franklin. I took a breather with a short tour of downtown Miamisburg, photographing many buildings along South Main Street. I wondered if Miamisburg is among the best examples in Ohio of an original, commercial area from before 1900? Just in the commercial area is a 3-block length of buildings that were built roughly from 1875 to 1895. A few are derelict, but most have an active storefront and occupants in the upper floors.

1875 map of Miami township

On my wind-sail return, I had energy to spare and could observe the course of the Miami and Erie Canal on the east side of South Dixie Drive, just to the west of the active railway. As the bikeway heads more northerly at the edge of West Carrollton, I noticed rough-hewn stones underneath a bridge, apparently where a canal lock had allowed the Hydraulic Canal to wind around the towns known in 1875 as Alexanderville and Carrollton. I lost track of the canal as the modern-day sewage treatment plant overtook its former routing before it joined with the Great Miami River.

Meanwhile, the Miami and Erie Canal was also overtaken by the growing city. Where it had neared the Miami River and turned north toward Dayton, now Alex Road, East Dixie Drive, and Interstate 75 have overtaken its path. And in what had been Van Buren township, the canal may have been disguised by a series of lakes that are bounded by the bikeway and East River Road. As I passed the lakes going north, 

1875 map of Van Buren township

I wondered if they had been built to supply canal water. But the 1875 township map reveals that the lakes did not exist back then and that the canal had flowed unimpeded through the area between the river and the hills to the east. Then finally the river and canal near each other where there is now a low dam and the Interstate 75 overpass. From there, the canal enters what is now Carillon Historical Park, where you can see a fully restored lock and a good segment of restored canal. 

Back some four miles, I had passed a cyclist going the opposite direction who was wearing a 1994 jersey from the old Dayton Cycling Club. I had yelled a hello as we met, though I didn't recognize the rider. But as I descended from East River Road to the flood plain, that rider caught me and introduced himself as Scott Weber. Sometime before the crash that had stopped my bike racing, I had sold him some special rims, and he had recognized me from that transaction. We rode together to Veterans' Park, where he dropped down to the river and I bypassed the closed bikeway to head home along clearer paths.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 60 to 67°F from 15:15 to 17:55 
Precipitation: none
Winds: 18 to 22 mph, gusts to 28 from the south-southeast
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16 
Time: 02:10 for 30.19 miles
Heart rate: no data
Bikeway users: 20+ cyclists, 12+ pedestrians

Tuesday, 18 December 2012

A gentle, abbreviated ride today on Chuck's route with Jeff. We started out shortly after nine, and I begged off half-way through to have enough time to shower and shave before a business meeting scheduled for 10:30.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 57°F at 11:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 mph from the south-southeast
Clothing: jeans, longsleeve undershirt, hoodie
Bike: Trek trail
Time: 00:29:35 for 4.73 miles
Heart rate: 128 bpm HRave, 142 bpm HRmax
Playback of the ride

Trails around Wright State

Thursday, 30 August 2012

I took a short ride around the Wright State campus today, following the treeline from the furthest parking lot to the Nutter Center. Nearly past the Center, I found what I sought: an entrance into the forest and a pathway suitable for off-road exercise. The trail systems are not very lengthy through the forests around WSU, but enough is there for an hour's trail ride. Most of the trails are double-track, some graveled, some packed earth. And they offer one stream crossing and quite a few hops over fallen trees.

The forest also has some path openings close to the Creative Arts and Library, but they are marked as part of the Biological Sciences preserve or study areas. Good to see the markings and know that plenty of other paths are available, so these can be left free from bothering the natural habitat.

I plan to find an outdoor activities group similar to the one that has developed at University of Dayton. Perhaps interest can be built for truly developing part of the forest areas for off-road biking.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 78 to 82°F at 11:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Mongoose MGX-D40 trail
Time: about an hour, distance unknown *
Heart rate: unknown *
Path users: 1 pedestrian, close to a campus-forest opening
* no Playback of the ride available, Garmin is on the blink