Even before Bikecentenniel (now Adventure Cycling) completed the TransAmerica bike route, plans were already underway to create the iconic Northern Tier Route which happened to be the route we chose for our first cross country bike tour.
Adventure Cycling’s Maggie Slepian reached out to us and others to help celebrate its 40th birthday.
Our take on the NT route and how it compares to the Great Divide and Southern Tier can be found in the article below
Happy 4️⃣0️⃣ th to the NT! 🥳
We call it the EtOH ride (more on why later), however most cyclists call it the OTET, or the Ohio to Erie Trail.
As is the case with any tour, ya just never know what a week or so of riding will bring you: fickle weather, new friends, new learnings, flat tires and other mechanical issues, etc. We knew one thing. Our good buds Dan and Christie were joining us for their first self supported, multi-day bike tour. What we didn’t know is what a gem the OTET is.
Although we haven’t tackled all of the rail trails the US has to offer, we’ve spent considerable time peddling on the C & O, GAP, Cowboy Trail, Mickelson Trail, Katy Trail, Flint Hills Trail, Prairie Spirit Trail, Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, the Swamp Rabbit Trail and our very own B & O, Cardinal Greenway and Monon Trails. Thinking back, why hadn’t we looked at the OTET?
The 326 mile trail is relatively flat with some easy rollers and knits together some of Ohio’s finest scenery and micro cultures (and microbreweries). Easy to navigate using digital maps, it’s peppered with small towns and includes four major cities. It’s rarely busy and when fellow trail users are encountered, they appear friendly, helpful and curious.
Although we chose inside stays on this tour, there are ample places to camp. The OTET website has just about everything you need to set you up for success including digital maps for north and southbound tours, suggested trip itineraries, updated info on trail detours, places to stay and side trips (and there are many). Just add determination, quads and a bike to make it happen.
‘Nuff said about the OTET. Put it on your bucket bike ride list. :) Now back to Dan and Christie’s first self supported bike tour.
I’m not sure when Dan, Christie, Tom and I came up with the idea of riding the OTET but we all agreed we wanted to cycle it together. Having met as volunteers with Back on My Feet years ago, we’ve been “shenanigating” with them ever since.
Regarding the physical fitness preparation for the ride, both regularly exercise so they had a solid foundation. Prior to the ride, they gradually scaled up their long rides with weight in their rear panniers and completed two longish (50+ mile) rides.
Dan and Tom planned the logistics of how to get the bikes up to Cleveland, where to stay, eat and score beer Bingos along the trail using OTET’s interactive trail resources. Christie and I pretty much let them have at it, however we all agree that the amount of planning and preparation for a bike tour, especially when new to a multi-day outing, reduces the possibility for unexpected events.
Dan and Christie used our packing list as a starting point to make their own. When asked what they brought on tour but could have left home, both said one or two t-shirts. Otherwise, they used everything they packed. Christie would have brought a bandana and different socks as the socks she brought didn’t dry quickly enough. Since we only bring two cycling shirts and shorts, laundry is done each night in the sink and hung to dry.
These two were up and at ’em very early everyday, sometimes ready before us and we’re early birds. Their advice to others wanting to try a multi-day, self supported bike tour is to plan, jump in and then be unafraid! Something unexpected will undoubtedly happen (as was the case when the soles of Dan’s cycling shoes fell off and another incident where his pedal cleat malfunctioned) but that’s the part of bike touring.
We become more resilient and even better problem solvers as we extend the boundaries of our comfort zone. Besides… this is America where almost anything is available and not farther than an Uber ride, a walk to a local store or an Amazon Prime order. As Christie says:
“After all, we’re making memories not just miles.”
After checking into Trailside Lodging on the outskirts of Millersburg and feeling thirsty, Tom and I peddled into town and while locking bikes up, a man approached us and asked if we were riding the OTET. After a brief convo he asked if he could join us for bevvies and a chat. Turns out Tom Bilcze is the President of the Ohio to Erie Trail and was currently riding it northbound. #luckyus
Not only did we sense Tom’s love of cycling, he has a remarkable dedication to and understanding of the OTET. The two Tom’s and I agreed that cycling brings people together and provides a way to discover our communities and even our world, one pedal stroke at a time.
Although he’s a people person, he also likes to tour solo as he can meet people along his journey. He provided insights on OTET’s future growth and how the trail evolved. What a fascinating visit with Tom to get the behind-the-scenes workings of what it takes to maintain and expand the OTET. Unbeknownst to us, he also said there are quite a few organized OTET tours offered by Adventure Cycling and other companies and the number of trips are increasing every year.
Finally, Trail Tom shared that he posts to a “somewhat weekly” blog entitled “Tom on the Trails” where he shares more about cycling and the OTET. His pics are da bomb and if it doesn’t workout for him as a trail boss, he has a future as a palate tester on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives because the man knows how to source tasty local trail fare. My only personal regret from our own southbound tour is that I didn’t get to Weaver’s Farm and Furniture to take a bite out of their Trail Bologna sammich. #nexttime
As we’ve always said, it’s the people we meet while on tour that is the true gift. We leapfrogged with a family of four from Brevard, NC who was also cycling southbound. Dad, Mom and two sons were riding tandems and camping along the way with a couple of indoor stays scheduled.
We were in awe of this young family not only for their ability to cycle the OTET but to do so and include their sons. We had multiple opportunities to interact with what we referred to as “our young family” and were especially charmed by their sons who were funny, articulate and polite.
Mom and Dad shared with us that they were able to complete a number of self-supported, multi-week tours before their sons were born and that it’s been a joy traveling with them on bikes, being outdoors, meeting other people and learning about places and connections to the world around them.
This week on the OTET was a continuation of their DC to Pittsburgh trek and their hope is to eventually link multiple trips and complete the Great American Rail Trail across the country.
And for this reason, I nominate this family to be elected as the “First Family” of the OTET, and maybe even the First Family of the yet to be completed Great American Rail Trail. Ride on, friends!
Last but not least… as requested by SO many, here’s the skinny on our Beer Bingo game. Since all four of us are craft beer lovers and believe local microbreweries are among the best places to meet locals and swap stories, we thought Beer Bingo might be an entertaining way to ensure we tasted a variety of craft beers and meet new friends.
Because we were not peddling from the Ohio River To Lake Erie Trail (OTET) northbound as many do, but instead southbound the initials would be EtOH or, Erie To OHio. Scientists that they are, Dan and Christie quickly recognized EtOH as the chemical compound for alcohol. Hence, the name of the game. The “R” in REtOH stands for “Ride”. Ride Erie to OHio which is exactly what we did.
It’s still up in the air about who actually thought about the Bingo game. I think Christie did. She thinks I did, but it doesn’t matter. We had ground rules at the beginning of the ride but made some up as we went along. I mean, why not?
Christie and Dan came up with 24 types of beer (note that there are 25 squares but the Free Space takes one block). Christie used Excel to randomize beer types on 16 different laminated cards, however all types of beer were represented on each card and we drew Bingo cards on the first day. Each of us had four cards and would keep these cards the remainder of the trip.
Each time we enjoyed a crafty (usually a small pour, I mean we aren’t lushes and we had cycling to do), we’d mark it off. At the end of the day, Bingos were declared and scored on a randomized name sheet. LOL we didn’t even figure out what the prizes would be. It was just fun to play.
During the last few days we decided that each one of us would keep a card and not erase it at the end of the day. This would be our “coverall” and scored at the end of the trip.
As we cycled south, Christie and I had fun fantasizing how this could be a retirement gig and fund future bike trips. For example, we could change up the bevvie offerings to create a wine-centric Bingo card, or an IPA-centric card. We could fashion a non-alcoholic card. And how fun would it be to collaborate with Trail Tom and create a card that included highlighted landmarks of the OTET (and Weaver’s Farm and Furniture definitely needs to be included.) How about EtOH swag including T-shirts, pins, socks and of course specially EtOH logo labeled markers and hand sani for marking and cleaning Bingo cards? And it could be replicated on other rail trails! All this of course was fodder for fun and nothing more, but can you imagine the extent of our convos and laughter?
Although our southbound ride is over we continue to be grateful for friendship, good health and the mission, volunteers and benefactors of the OTET. And whatever you call it, OTET or EtOH just call it an exceptionally nice ride.
To view more pics, videos and OTET info click on the image below:
We didn’t start out with a goal of riding bicycles in every state. As is the case for most of us, life experiences reveal opportunities and subsequently goals and the steps to accomplish them.
After we finished riding across the country on the Northern Tier route, we’d racked up 11 more states in addition to a few we already had in the bank. And COVID, although a limitation for many, provided time for us to spend time outdoors on bikes. Hence in February 2020, we made our state list and checked states off one by one in a variety of different ways.
Lucky for us (or maybe unlucky because we may not return) when we visited Alaska and Hawaii, we were able to get a couple rides in, even before riding a bike in every state was a thought.
After completing our 48th and 49th state on our very own Tour de N’Utah we started talking about Oregon and where we wanted to ride. We’d never experienced a fully supported bike tour together so our conversations included questions like:
We’d seen Backroads vans and riders while on tour and commented how nice it must be to skip the tough parts with sketchy traffic patterns and road conditions. How nice it must be to cut off some of the elevation and most importantly, is it even a bike tour if someone else is schlepping clothing, gear and food in a van instead hauling it on our own bikes? Who could we trust to be responsible for navigation and finding/cooking meals? Would we be “cheating”? I mean we’d never done such a thing together. We rode the Tour d’Wyoming, MUP and TRIRI rides where some of that was taken care of but the Backroads tour seemed uber plushie and that just didn’t seem like us.
At the end of the day, we chose to return to Bend and Sisters and based on reviews, knew Backroads would be the best choice for us. As we talked about it, we were both comfortable with that decision and trusted that the people God brought to us that week would be people that would inspire us, teach us and entertain us. And we weren’t wrong.
Our group of fourteen cyclists included us of course, three sisters, a couple with young children and a solo traveler, all from California. A couple from Iowa helped represent the Midwest, and two couples from Florida rounded out our group. The age range was mid-forties to seventy something. All were strangers on day one and parted as friends at the end.
Backroads, or “Snack”Roads, as they are lovingly referred to, goes to great lengths to use locally sourced food to create carefully curated lunches that offer not only variety but taste. The tours at the Deschutes Brewery, Alpaca Country Estates and Rainshadow Organics were something that Tom and I would never stop and take time to visit if touring self supported. Most of the time we’re too tired.😂
At the end of the week, Tom and I agreed, we’d choose to end our Fifty State Chase again in exactly the same way. What a treat! Now that doesn’t mean we won’t do self supported bike tours in the future, but much to my surprise, I’m guessing another Backroads tour may be in our future, particularly an international destination.
Yes, the scenery is remarkable, the accommodations and food exemplary and the local side trips worth it, but our guides, Brandon, Lael and Leni make the magic happen. That’s all I have to say about that.
As far as costs, our six day bike tour in Central Oregon (plus the cost for airplane tickets, trip insurance and a hotel stay on both ends of the tour in Bend) cost about as much as our 65 day self supported bike tour in early 2023 when we cycled from San Diego to Key West. However, I wouldn’t trade either trip as both are as remarkable as they are unique.
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We packed up at Watchman Campground in less than 20 minutes and hit the road early anxious to beat the intense heat that was forecasted.
Our Valley of Fire State Park cruise brings our Tour de N’Utah to an end and sets us up for our 50th state in 2024: Oregon
Valley of Fire was Nevada’s first state park, dedicated on Easter Sunday in 1934 and boasts 40,000 acres of bright red Aztec sandstone with unique rock formations. It’s believed that nearly 11,000 years ago this part of Nevada was home to early man as evidenced by petroglyphs and artifacts.
Much later as part of Roosevelt’s Civilization Conservation Corps (CCC), cabins were built and remnants can still be visited today.
Whether hiking, biking or traveling by car the views from Golden, CO, through Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase Escalante, Zion National Park, Scenic Byway 12 in Utah and Red Rock Canyon are indescribable. Utah most certainly has moved up the list as one of our favorite outdoor destinations.
After Nevada we head back to Utah and then after much anticipated proper showers, a resupply and Mass at Christ the King in Cedar City, we are headed home.
So long friends and thanks so much for the follow!
To view more pics and vids click on the image below:
Just a 30 mile gravel ride today that started about an hour outside of the national park on and around Gooseberry Mesa.
We found the route on the Gravel Bike Race website that hosts an annual gravel race, downloaded the gpx file and just went with it. There was some technical riding on one end with open canyon country on the other and both were 🤙🏻
Ya never know what you’re going to get. The directions said turn left on Main Street but Main Street was nothing but a dirt road. 🤣
The ride did NOT disappoint and we had a little bit of everything as far as road surface; gravel, baby head rocks, small boulders, ruts, deep sand, lots of washboard and mucho cattle guards. As usual the afternoon thunderboomers kept us at the ready.
There were views of Zion National Park and Kolob Canyon and the second half took us through cowboy country and some of the best canyon scenery at 12 mph.
We rode south towards the Arizona border and then made our way back to the car.
For dinner it was back to Zion Canyon Brewery because I mean why end a good thing? The food has been tasty, service 💯 and we sit right by the Virgin River each night recapping our day, planning for the next and estimating how old the ancient Cottonwood trees are along the river.
We got a 20% “locals discount” since we’re basically regulars now this being our third night in a row.🫣
Tomorrow we head to Nevada for our 49th state with a bike cruise through Valley of Fire State Park and our first proper showers in a week!
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The title of this blog post Hike AND Bike is not to be confused with HAB (Hike A Bike) which we have experienced on Fleecer Ridge, Lava Mountain, et al on the Great Divide.
We started the day out in the rain but ended it in the sunshine and put in a 40 mile bike ride and a little under 6 miles of hiking.
Soon after the rain the skies gave way to sun and we were on our way to hike. Having our bikes with us means we don’t have to ride the shuttle. We just cycle to the trail head.
And meet Tina the tarantula. She’d just crossed the trail before us. About the size of my fist and cuddly as a golden doodle we decided to leave her be but not before snapping her pic.
The day ended at our fave place, the Zion Canyon Brewery for cheers and beers and deciding what the next day might bring.
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After breaking camp and having our last chat with Roy we were on our way to Zion National Park, however not before a quick coffee stop to check weather and schedule stays after Zion. Valley of Fire State Park is forecasted to be 100 degrees on Friday. 🔥 Ouch!
Between our bike ride and drive on Scenic Byway 12 yesterday, through Red Rock Canyon today and then entering Zion through the east gate on Highway 89, we were shocked at the views around every corner.
And then a small herd of big horn sheep decided to come out and say hello.
The Hebrew origin of the word Zion means “highest point”. Go figure. It’s majestic, massive, vibrant and awe-inspiring here.
I remember Checkerboard Mesa from my last visit. It’s aptly named wouldn’t you agree?
We are camping in Watchman’s Campground, its namesake, and just under it’s towering influence.
And lucky for us… look what’s located a half mile away.
Cars are still not permitted on the main road so as cyclists we have the whole road to ourselves in the park (well besides the shuttle buses).
Although different from Bryce Canyon and Grand Staircase Escalante, Zion National Park is equally breathtakingly beautiful and we can’t wait to make the most out of our brief two days here.
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We’d picked out a stellar 54 mile bike ride on one of Americas Scenic Byways and even though the climb was a little over the top (4,600) at this elevation, the route is paved and there would be lots of cool scenery to distract us from our misery. 😂
There were some righteous downhills at 14% but since it was an out and back we knew whatever we road down we had to climb back up. 😂
It all started out great until the storm front (again, not forecasted) moved in.
We pressed on thinking we’d skirt around it, however a little after the half way point a wicked canyon wind kicked up, more clouds moved in and we decided it best to turn around. 😏
Strong one directional sustained winds are one thing but strong winds that circulate are more difficult to handle on a bike, in the rain especially when zipping down canyon roads at 25 miles an hour with no guard rail. And oh yea it was Sunday which meant we were sharing the road with mucho RVs broke camp this morning.
Not to be robbed of seeing the scenery we wanted to see, when we got back to our car we drove the route (in the rain) and finished an audio book. Soooo there ya go. Life is seldom what you expect but it IS what you make it.
Tonight is our fourth and last night at Ranchito Feliz, a Hipcamp where Roy is our host. Roy owns nine acres in Cannonville, UT (just outside Bryce Canyon). He was one of the first to jump on board the Hipcamp idea and is among one of their top hosts.
The way Hipcamp came to be is fascinating. For a quick story click here but if you don’t have time to read it just know that needs drive business and this female founder rocked it.
The best part of this Hipcamp stay, however was Roy, a San Diego native, and former marine who knows more about the natural history of the area, the customs and people than I have space to share here. Besides his stories are his to share and only he can tell them the best. Sooo if you’re ever in Southern Utah and have a mind to camp, look up Roy at the Ranchito Feliz.
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As we drank our coffee and prepared breakfast, we thought we had our day all planned.
Then… a message arrived from Roy, our Hipcamp host “Hey! Want to go on a short gravel ride me with me and the dogs?” “Sure!” we responded. ‘Cause you don’t say no to the locals who are a treasure trove of stories, advice and local lore.
So off we went riding with Roy, G-Mo and Lozen, his puppers.
Before we knew it, after chatting it up with Roy on our ride, plans for the day changed.
Off to Willis Creek for a hike in a slot canyon.
Roy let us know once we reached “The Wall” if we made a right and hiked up we’d find petroglyphs so that was our destination for the hike.
The hike out had us hopping over Willis Creek that was barely a trickle through the slot canyon. We marveled at the smooth canyon walls and the power that wind and water have to change rock.
Just as Roy promised, and thanks to Tom paying attention (because I wasn’t), we found the petroglyphs and they did not disappoint.
There was a mural of etchings that appeared to be a map. Would have loved to know what the ancients were communicating.
We stopped for a trailside snack, got up and began our hike back. That’s when we heard the thunder, looked up and saw the weather was turning. Rain was coming. Most everyone knows the worst place to be when rain comes is in a slot canyon.
We got up, got our hustle on and headed back. Rain started; thunder continued (none of this was in the forecast). And soon after the water flow through the canyon increased. We didn’t think the rain would last long locally but we were thinking if rain fell up ahead of us we would be “up 💩creek” .
As it was, the rain didn’t last long however our feet got a little wet – no worries there. What WAS the problem, however, was getting back down to the main road in our 2015 Subaru on the ratchet road we drove up on. It was a dirt (now mud) road with three creek crossings and some very steep grades and drop offs.
Prayers, low gears and me holding the passenger side door on 😂 got us down safely but not without a lot of slipping and sliding. Tom said it was the most white knuckled drive he’s ever experienced. I wanted to take a video but then thought I better not.
After the morning ride and afternoon hike (and subsequent mud debacle) we decided to jump on our bikes one more time. Folks, there isn’t a bad view in southwest Utah.
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And thanks to my good bud Christie for the song suggestion today. Soooo good!
Who do we think we are heading back out for more bike adventures when we’ve already finished San Diego to Key West and The Northeast Scramble earlier this year?
I’ll tell ya. We are “Mr. and Mrs. Ready to Complete our 50 State Chase” and finish riding our bikes in all 50 states. The Tour De N’Utah will give us states number 48 and 49.
The hardest part of this trip (since we drove here and have our car and that makes most everything easy) is keeping up with some of our favorite fellow adventurers who are also out on tour. Mike and Sue have ridden their bikes around the perimeter of the US and are now on EuroVelo 6 riding across Europe from the Atlantic to the Black Sea.
We share a love of the west with Garry who is On The Road Again headed west for a backpack trip to floor of the Grand Canyon and back yet finds every opportunity to explore sites along the way (that I’ve bet you’ve never heard of but wish you had) and listen to some of the most intriguing stories from folks along the way.
Finally Deacon Matt and his buds are on yet another do-si-do with the GAP and C&O trails. If you’re an armchair adventurer, these folks offer ample opportunity!
Between reading their blogs, rinsing my bike shorts and boiling water for Mountain House meals I’m pretty busy over here.😂
So four nights near Bryce Canyon, three in Zion National Park and then on to Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park. By the way Nevada puts the “N” in N’Utah hence the Tour De N’Utah.
Currently we are camping at a Hipcamp (more on this later) where we get a nightly show of the setting sun when it retires for the day beneath the ridge behind us. The colors on the rocks across from our campsite are remarkable to watch so we position our camp chairs for the evening show.
This form of natural entertainment precedes the one the stars provide at night. Like Marfa, TX where we bicycled through last February, this area is also know for its dark skies and optimal opportunities to star gaze.
By day the pinnacles of weathered rocks called hoodoos keep us ooohing and awwwing as we cycle or hike paste them. The beauty of this place cannot be described in pictures or words. If ever you get the chance, visit southern Utah, you must!
So “hoodoo” we think we are? Just old grandma and grandpa over here trying to catch our breaths at this elevation as we cycle up hills and live outdoors relishing in its beauty and the kindness of others.
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Keep Calm and Pedal On 