Holmes County Trail, July 2013

In a previous post I wrote about a ride on the Holmes County Trail and concluded with the thought I'd ride it again next time I was in Ohio. Well, I followed through on that pledge during my recent vacation. This time my companion on the ride was my host Peter, riding his trike. We completed the thirty-two miles of trail, passing Amish in buggies, on bikes, and on foot, and passing through towns, woods, and farmland. The day was sunny and warm, but not brutally hot as had been the week before.

Peter is, like me, a man with artificial joints. In his case they are a knee and a hip. So for this trip we had three natural hips, one natural knee, two men, and five wheels. Its amazing what distractions you think of when riding, isn't it? The last time I'd visited Peter he was recovering from his hip replacement and his riding was as limited as his stamina. Two years later I was struggling to keep up with his trike. I later found out we were both struggling - Peter was riding faster than he normally did to keep up with ME. We both paid for it the next day, with Peter resting and I spending the day hiking instead of riding.

We started the trail in Fredericksburg. Our turnaround point this time was the Killbuck Sweet Shop, where we had lunch at the outdoor table. The shop wasn't open last time I was here, and it has a good reputation among trail users, so I was glad to eat there this time. The shop is a short ride past the trail end, on a low traffic road.






Our trip back was a little more leisurely than the ride out. We were both fatiguing, and my problem with my hands going numb continued. Also, I found more spots I wanted to photograph. Peter didn't mind waiting, having brought his lounge chair for the occasion. The thirty-two miles I rode were the longest ride I've completed since my surgery 16 months before, and the ride marked the one year anniversary since I resumed riding on my new knees. In July 2012 I rode one mile and was so wiped out I fell asleep afterward. A year later I rode more than thirty times as far and was alert when I was done. What a difference a year makes.