Day’s distance: 247 miles
Total trip distance so far: 6,242 miles
The temperatures ranged from the low 70’s to the low 90’s. Skies were sunny and there were some mild winds.
I shortened today’s route, eliminating the initial portion through Crown City Wildlife Area. This gave me an opportunity to have more time for photos and arrive at my destination earlier. With the days getting shorter, the sun has been low in the sky in the late afternoons, making traveling west a ‘glaring’ proposition (LOL – couldn’t resist).
The ride started with a short trip on I-64 over the Ohio River and into Ohio state. Check another state off the list. I traveled north on Hwy 52, called the Ohio River Scenic Road, but it wasn’t scenic and pretty far from the river.
The GPS took me off Hwy 52 and onto Hwy 335, which was actually pretty nice. I saw several groups of bikers riding in the opposite direction.
After a handful of miles, though, the GPS all of a sudden acted as if I was on the wrong road and couldn’t calculate a route to my destination. When it does this, I am on my own to get back to the route it determined I should be on.
In hindsight, I should have stayed on Hwy 335 until I reached Hwy 123, but instead I turned west at my earliest opportunity. I found myself, just through bad luck, stuck in traffic heading to a weekend fair. I was able to get back onto Hwy 23 north, but was delayed about 15 minutes
Back on track, I turned onto Hwy 124, a two-lane each direction road and went into a more forested and hilly area.
The Hwy 124 separated from Hwy 32 and became a two-lane highway, more my style. 🙂
But then my route took me onto Lapperell Road, a narrow road not even close to being called a highway. I wasn’t sure if the GPS was messing with me again, but my “time to destination” hadn’t changed, so it seemed to know what it was doing.
The road continued through the Pine Lake State Park area.
I was nervous about ending up on some gravel road like I did in my travel north of Yaak, Montana. I didn’t have cell reception and no detailed paper map, so I kept going. When I came out of the forest, I was actually just blocks away from the destination I programmed into the GPS – The Country Crust Bakery. Whew!!
I looked up lunch spots in Bainbridge earlier this morning and read about the Amish bakery. It was well rated and perfect for lunch.
No doubt this was a popular place. A ‘U-shaped’ line took you past an order window. Someone outside suggested I try a pretzel sandwich. The special of the day was a Rueben sandwich served on a pretzel, so I ordered it.
The bakery staff was busy baking the pretzels and breads, desserts, etc.
The line took you past the registers and the sandwich soon followed.
I shared a table with Cheri, Tony and their son Ryan. Tony’s connection to Seattle was through his time in the Army when he was stationed at Lewis-McChord base nearby. We talked of travel and work and generally enjoyed lunch.
Soon enough I was heading south along Hwy 41. This route was inspired by a review that said it was fun for bikers. It was scenic, the road quality was good, and there were some non-technical twists and hills.
I crossed into Kentucky at Maysville.
Heading into Georgetown, my destination, along Hwy 460 took me past many horse ranches and impressive gates and properties.
It was a good day, full of meeting cool people and eating a great lunch. I totally live a charmed life. There are three new states left to visit, including Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa.