We conquered another section of the C & O Towpath bicycling the dirt and stone path from mile marker 10 (ten miles from the end point at Washington DC) going westward past locks 15-20. We passed the Great Falls Tavern and the National Park Visitor Center at MM 14.3 and continued to MM20 before turning around and heading back to the truck. We bicycled past Billy Goat Trail A, B & C and the Great Falls Overlook. Most of the trail was shady and the towpath was crowded with bikers, joggers and walkers.
We began at C & O Canal Visitor Center at Mile 184.5 of the C & O Towpath Bike Trail (or mile 0 of the 150-mile GAP – Great Alleghany Passage Bike Trail which heads northwest). We biked ten miles southeast on the C & O from downtown Cumberland towards Harpers Ferry (and eventually Washington DC). We bicycled parallel along the North Branch of the Potomac River and spotted deer, fawns, groundhogs, turtles and owls.
At the Visitor Center was a fantastic exhibit of the old canal and its history. Next door was the Eastern Maryland Railway where earlier Rosie, me and our bicycles rode the train from Cumberland to Frostburg, Maryland then bicycled back 18 miles down the mountain. Railroad pedal cars from Frostburg that were pedaled downhill earlier by patrons, sat on the rails waiting to be towed 18 miles back uphill. After biking we had a late lunch at The Crabby Pig Restaurant where we enjoyed a crab burger, crab soup, and a fish sandwich.
On a recent 30-mile bicycle ride from Xenia past Spring Valley and farther south we biked the Wright Cycle Bikeway Spur a couple of miles south of Xenia. The .4-mile out and back spur led to Wright Estates and back. At the corner of the Little Miami Bike Trail and along the spur was the beautiful restoration project as Glady Run Stream and the neighboring forest area had been renovated. We saw wildflowers, some buckeye trees and a large tree planted in memory of former Governor Taft. The Wright Estates subdivision streets all had bicycle or Wright Brothers themed names.
Biking Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Holly Eller
Date: September 13, 2025
We participated in the 15-mile Bike the Boro event which wound its way throughout the town. About 4.5 miles of the event were on two relatively new greenways that I had been wanting to bike. The Springboro Greenway section began at E. Milo Beck Park with six switchbacks taking us down a hill past two large parks and through a cooler, shady wooded area. Eventually the bike path, which ran parallel to Clear Creek, took us under I-75 and onto the Franklin Greenway section.
There were lots of bicycle-related booths and giveaways at the staging area plus free bicycle helmets which we got for Mallory and Elizabeth.
Biking Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Holly Eller
Date: August 23, 2025
After training all summer we successfully completed the 50-mile event along with over 1,200 cyclists. We pulled the travel trailer and camped at the beautiful Mt. Comfort KOA Campground. The bike tour day was cooler weather, and we enjoyed the countryside as the route took us along countless farms growing corn and soybeans. We occasionally saw cows, horses and llamas and very little car traffic. Our registration fee covered a free meal and drink as there was a small street festival, food booths and a band after the race. Returning to the KOA after the race I accelerated onto I-70 west and my truck conked out with a throttle issue. An Indiana State Highway Patrol Trooper took Rosie and Holly nine miles back to the campsite. Two hours later the AAA trick showed up and I had him drop me and the bicycles off at the campsite and he drove my truck 102 miles to the Centerville repair shop. We enjoyed a nice dinner around the campfire. The KOA had goats and horses that Holly fed. God blessed us as Sunday morning we found an Indianapolis Enterprise Rent-A-Car Shop open for a few hours. I took an Uber to Enterprise and rented a pickup truck to pull the travel trailer back safely to Moraine. Quite a challenging weekend but a fun, great bicycle ride.
Biking Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Holly Eller
Date: August 17, 2025
Today marked my five-year anniversary since my life-saving bone marrow transplant. In essence, it was my fifth birthday with my new immune system, and I now have all my baby/infant vaccinations. To celebrate we biked 20 miles in preparation for next weekend’s 50-mile bike ride in Indiana.
We began at Carillon Park and biked north on the Great Miami Valley Recreational Trail through Dayton and briefly on the Stillwater River Recreational Trail by Island Park. We continued north back on the GMVR Trail parallel to the Great Miami River. Eventually we biked past the now closed Kittyhawk Golf Course where we saw an eagle soaring overhead. This six-mile section of bike trail I have never gone on before. We came to some unexpected forest area where we saw a deer. Just before reaching the Taylorsville Metropark area, we turned around and headed back south.
Biking Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Holly Eller
Date: July 19, 2025
Rosie had us training for our upcoming 50-mile bike ride, so we put in 47 miles today beginning at Spring Valley on the Little Miami Bike Trail and heading north to Xenia. Just past the Xenia Station Bike Hub we turned east and headed to Jamestown on the Xenia to Jamestown Connector Trail and then on east toward Washington Court House along Shawnee Creek. We turned around just before the village of Octa near Rattlesnake Creek. We were quite surprised as this eastern trek was 90% tree covered. Later on, the South Branch of Caesar Creek ran parallel to the bike trail for a few miles. We biked past lots of corn fields, deer, a few farm silos, and saw a parachuter landing at the nearby Greene County Airport (Skydive Greene County).
We had a surprise on the way back at Xenia Station about 38 miles into the ride. A “Friends of Xenia Station” group had free food and handouts. Against Rosie’s advice, I ate a free, delicious chili dog which “fueled” my final part of the journey. During the short stop, I climbed a spiral staircase to the top of Xenia station (a converted railroad station). Back outside I got my photo with a local “Ghostbusters” movie fan club posing by the field investigator vehicle and a green, slimy ghost.
We camped at the Sandusky Bayshore KOA Campground then took the Miller Ferry from Catawba Island on the 25-minute ride across to the island. The small island had a dedicated bike path by the road for much of the island. Very few cars came by as most of the island visitors and residents traveled via golf carts. We biked about nine miles total, stopping for various roadside attractions, South Bass Island Lighthouse & Light Tower, and scenic views. We ate lunch at the “The Keys” overlooking Perry’s War Monument. Rosie had mahi mahi tacos, I had a delicious walleye Rueban capped with a Lake Erie Monster (pina colada, kiwi-strawberry Daiquiri and topped with Malibu rum). We biked over to the Memorial, to a very small state park, the harbor and around the island. We could look across the lake and see Canada in the distance.
The 105-mile NCIT Trail crosses northern Ohio from Toledo to Cleveland, passing rural landscapes, historic sites and small towns. We biked 26 miles from Bellevue east to Norwalk (the Huron County Section) and back. The trail was a mix of hard dirt, gravel and paved. The route is a former railroad line. The first section of trail ran parallel to railroad tracks on the north and corn, soybean and wheat fields to the south. Eventually, we passed under tunnel-like areas of forests bordered by wide open fields. Between the railroad and the bike path were beautiful wildflowers filled with butterflies. In Monroeville we stopped at a railroad museum that served as a bike rest area. Near Norwalk we stopped at the scenic Huron River Overlook, a double trestle that crossed the river. A few miles from the end a sleek, long, black animal ran out onto the bike trail in front of us. It stood up on two legs, saw us and then scampered back into the woods. It was a mink. Later, at the end of the bike ride, I climbed on top of an army tank at the Bellevue VFW where we had parked.
This one-mile trail traversed Veterans Memorial Lake Park and wrapped around three Norwalk Reservoirs where many people were fishing and picnicking. This trail connected with the Norwalk Multi-Use Trail and the North Coast Inland Bike Trail.
