Day 46: Bowling Green to Huron, Ohio

Today was another day of unjustified uncertainty about our route and the weather conditions leading us to our destination. With encroaching storms forecast, we awoke with uncertainty about whether we’d be able to bike east at all. As we checked the weather at breakfast, however, we noticed that there was a clear patch forecast until 11am, and we decided to move quickly east to get to Fremont or Clyde, where we could bunker down for the night and wait out the storms if needed.

As we left Bowling Green, it was humid and cloudy, but we experienced no rainfall as we started out of town. Traffic was heavier leaving town, but as we got into the country, it died down and we enjoyed some great, quiet, rural roads. The clouds remained for much of the day. We went a bit more swiftly than typical, since we knew the chances of storms were there. As we arrived in Fremont, things looked clear, and it was still early, so we decided to push on to at least Clyde. From Fremont to Clyde, we followed an excellent bike path that floated us above the town, across the river, and through a flat, forested path. In Clyde, we knew we needed to stop for food, so we headed to a very busy diner and checked the forecast as we ate. As it turned out, the storms were passing south of us, and there was nothing in the forecast between Clyde and Huron to deter us from riding onward. So, after our “second breakfast,” we continued our last 25 miles to Huron, where we are staying tonight, just 50 miles west of Cleveland. It is hard to believe that another day we were certain would derail us with weather ended up being almost completely dry, with just humid conditions, and generally favorable winds all the way to our ideal destination.

Huron, which is on the shore of Lake Erie, ended up being a nice destination. We are staying just at the mouth of the Huron River where it reaches Lake Erie. There is a good town with three barber shops (I finally was able to get my haircut at the third one), and some nice riverfront restaurants. We enjoyed a long walk out to the lighthouse at the mouth of the river to stretch our legs.

Tomorrow we will do the last stretch into downtown Cleveland where we’ll be taking a rest day tomorrow to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and catch up with a friend of mine from college who lives in Cleveland.

By the numbers:
Miles traveled: 68
Total climbing: 502 ft.
Average pace: 13.9 mph
Average temperature: 72F
Aggressive dogs changing us: 2
Aggressive Llamas chasing us: 0
Pizza restaurants in Huron: 5

 At our hotel by the river.

 At the mouth of the river.

 Riding this morning. Note the cloudy conditions.

 On the trail between Fremont and Clyde.

We took a selfie by the lake. 

Ed at the lighthouse. 

Ed on a lakefront beach. 

Permanent cornhole in this park.

Bridge over the river on the bike path in Fremont.