USNA 1973 Ride-2-Remember

Day 51, 23 September: Fremont to Oberlin, OH

As per our norm we head out about 30 minutes before dawn, which in the western part of the Eastern Time Zone translates to a little before 7:00 AM. Within a few miles we reconnect with the North Coast Inland Trail. Some of the trail is quiet country road and some is rail trail. Together they combine for comfortable riding… comfortable enough to listen to music most of the day.

We pass through a number of small- to medium-sized towns, each displaying well-preserved public and private infrastructure from each town’s golden years. In that over half of our miles today are on a rail trail, which routinely parallels an active line, it was easy to deduce the source of money for the opulent and ornate homes and centuries-old commercial buildings.

Several towns have created parks adjacent the rail trail that include tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds, picnic pavilions, rest rooms and more. In each town the rail trail is tree-lined, paved, and ideal for local non-motorized transportation as well as long-haul cycling.

We start our day in Fremont, Ohio, a newer town that’s vying for the fast-food capital of the world. Not as nice as the towns that followed, but certainly more representative of our times. At the end of the day, however, we enter (and are spending the night) in Oberlin, Ohio, home to Oberlin College. The central park in Oberlin is impressive and almost all of the store fronts are appealing in structure as well as in their offerings. I can speak from experience that Gibson’s Bakery is a worthwhile stop.

We are spending the evening at The Hotel in Oberlin, which has an affiliation with the college. They’re pretty rigid with their policies, but in return patrons get an excellent upscale and contemporary facility in the heart of town.

Upon checking in, which I thought might be an issue since it was only noon, I am warmly greeted and advised that Sally has already arrived and checked me in. When asked for a photo ID in order to get an additional key card I’m distracted by a large television screen to my right, which is displaying pictures of our team. Several photos of both the ’73 and ’83 cross country riding teams keep reappearing on a loop along with a welcome message. Rather than producing a photo ID, I just pointed, “That’s me.” It was a lovely gesture to support our team so warmly, as they will do for ’83 when they stay here next week.

All in all, it was another nice riding day… and a beautiful Fall day!

Doug Leland