Little Miami Scenic Trail - The Last Bit

So, I neglected to mention here that last weekend Mrs. Cartophiliac and I completed the last leg of the Little Miami Scenic Bicycle Trail, Morrow to the Trail Head near Newtown:



This was also our longest ride; around twenty-five miles. We used two automobiles, so we could leave one at the trail head. All together, I suspect we spent more time in the car than on the trail...

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

Highlights (and low-lights) of the trail:

• Drove past Kings Island Amusement Park (no roller coasters this time).
• Stopped for lunch at an Art Festival in Loveland
• Delicious Curry Humus Wrap from the Veg Head
• Run in with Speedy McBikepants, very rude bicyclist who was pissed off because I didn't give him the right of way, when he had a stop sign. Why is it, the more expensive your bike and gear, the more obnoxious they are?

We will probably stick a little closer to home for a while...

Little Miami Scenic Trail - Part 4

Today we completed the fourth leg of our goal to bike the entire Little Miami Scenic Trail before the end of Summer. Mrs. Cartophiliac AND Miss Cartophiliac.



Part One
Part Two
Part Three

14.7 miles from Corwin to Morrow (to Morrow, to Morrow, I love ya to Morrow...) was the most pleasant ride so far. Nearly all of it was directly adjacent to the river, which was teaming with a floatilla of canoes. In addition we passed through the Ft. Ancient State Memorial Park featuring 18,000 feet of earthen walls built 2,000 years ago by American Indians. A sweet conclusion at Miranda's Old Time Ice Cream Shop in Morrow.

Perhaps we can get out in another week or two and finish the route.

Little Miami Scenic Trail - Part 3

This afternoon Mrs. Cartophiliac and I completed the third leg of our goal to bike the entire Little Miami Scenic Trail before the end of Summer.

Part One
Part Two

Xenia to Corwin (Waynesville), 14.3 miles one-way this time.

Followed by lunch at the Corwin Peddler (Beef and Ale Pie).

Less than forty miles to go. We'll probably do it in two trips in August.

Little Miami Scenic Trail - Part 2

Earlier this month, Mrs. Cartophiliac and I set out to bicycle the Little Miami Scenic Trail before the end of the summer. Today we completed the second leg today: Yellow Springs to Xenia (actually Xenia to Yellow Springs and back again); 20 miles.

More pleasantly flat former railroad right-of-way.

Bicycling the Little Miami Scenic Trail

Mrs. Cartophiliac and I are pleased to announce the newest addition to our family... bicycles!

Neither of us have done a lot of bicycling since our teenage and young adult years. We are not serious bicyclists, and these bikes are not for serious biking. We just like to toodle around town. Last week, during Memorial Day Weekend, we visited family on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, near St. Louis. So, we took the bikes with us and tried them out on the Mississippi flats (the flood plain). Seventeen miles altogether (there and back). No small feat for an old, out of shape cartophile.

And of course, we had to map our route!



This novice bicyclist also discovered something... the "flats" are not completely "flat". It was noticeably more difficult to ride "upstream" than down. Well, duh. Even on a large river, there's a reason the water flows downstream, there is a slight change in elevation.

Nevertheless, Mrs. Cartophiliac and I were inspired to continue our adventure by attempting to cover the entire Little Miami Scenic Trail here in Ohio. Designated Ohio Bike Route #1. Primarily created along the right-of-way of the old Little Miami Railroad:

The Little Miami Scenic Trail is over 78 miles long. The trail starts at Springfield in Clark County. From there the trail runs South through Yellow Springs and Xenia in Greene County. Then the trail travels through Corwin, Oregonia, Morrow, Foster in Warren County, Loveland, Milford in Clermont County and Terrace Park in Hamilton County...

The trail ends just short of the Ohio River, but there are plans to extend it.



So, our summer project is to complete the trail. On Sunday we road from Yellow Springs, up to Springfield (the northern terminus of the trail) and back. Twenty miles or thereabouts. Then made up for all the calories burnt with a pitcher of Abita's Purple Haze at Peaches Grill. A good day.



This time, we made sure the first leg of the ride was "uphill" before returning "downstream".

I'll keep you informed of our progress... with maps.