Today was an easy, flat ride - just 52 miles along well maintained bike trails. We took the Alum Creek Bike trail out of Columbus - after the first few miles of the bike route beside the Interstate, we reached Alum Creek and from then on most of the way we were riding in a green belt of parks, beside streams and beneath trees. There were boardwalks in some places; everything was well maintained. At one of the bridges we stopped for a group photo.
After miles on the Alum Creek trail, we hit a section of low-traffic roads. Then it was onto the Char-Mar trail. We were in the heart of Ohio now, passing cornfields and small towns.
After lunch, we rode the Heart-of-Ohio bike trail to Mount Vernon. All of these bike trails collectively form the Ohio To Erie Trail (OTET) across the state.
Just outside Mount Vernon we came to an industrial park that had been converted into a city park, the Ariel-Foundation Park. One giant factory smokestack had been preserved. The smokestack
was converted into an observation tower, with a spiral staircase winding about halfway up to height of the tower to a viewing platform. I climbed up the steps to get a view over the countryside.
The short riding day meant we arrived at Mount Vernon relatively early. Lance and I went walking around the downtown area, checking out the old buildings. It seemed like a nice, quiet
place to live. Dinner that night was at a pizza parlor.
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