Ann Arbor to Wheeling, WV

 First day on the road. I left a day early because Lucinda’s maintenance and new tire work was completed a day early. Based on the bill for Lucinda, I purchased three cases of Ramen noodles which will be my sole source of nutrition for the entire trip.

Uneventful day which is good as I’m riding on a new type of tire because a lot of the routes in Colorado will be on dirt/logging/Jeep trails so I needed a hybrid tire. I was very cautious for the first 100 miles until I felt comfortable with how the tires handled.

Eastern Ohio is actually pretty country. The topography is rolling hills and hints of the mountains in West Virginia. Unless otherwise noted, all my riding is done on 2-lane roads or 4-lane state roads. I avoid the highway if I can.

I’m staying outside of Blane Ohio, which is the birthplace of Phil Niekro. Niekro is a hall of fame pitcher who played for several teams. I was exposed to Niekro when I lived in Chicago (my first job). My salary was so little that I couldn’t afford cable. One of the few stations I could get for free was TBS, so I became an Atlanta Braves fan. Niekro played for the Braves a couple of times during his career. Because I followed the Braves for a number of years, I got to see some of the best pitchers of the era: John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, and “the professor”, Greg Maddox!

Miles ridden: 275 (that includes a trip to Kroger to get dinner). Less miles than I expected, but longer time to ride due to construction and the twisty roads in eastern Ohio. No photos worth posting.

Tomorrow: if the weather holds 90 miles of pure twistes and another 120 miles along the Ohio River