To see the day's Map and Elevation Graph look here: Cycling map and data link (hover on 'Map' button in the upper left corner and click on Terrain).
We start riding at 8:30am on a gorgeous bright, bright, sun-shiny day. The humidity is also low and the temperature is in the high 50s. It feels great. Another perfect biking day.
We first ride into the main part of North Lima but this town doesn't really have a true main street. OH 165 is a nice smooth road that heads east out of town. The rolling hills offer nice scenery. We just wish the shoulder was a little bit wider. Along this route we pass by an elaborate Halloween display in a yard. Although the display is elaborate, the part below is our favorite.
Demon Daycare
We pass through the towns of New Springfield and Unity. Then we turn onto less busy OH 443 which takes us to the city of East Palestine where we ride around a bit and then take a break. Here we meet several nice friendly people who want to know about our bike tour. They also have a couple of nice murals.
Jim at a Mural
The next mural has a more realistic look - like it's an actual street.
Tom at a Mural
We also visit the very large public park in East Palestine. Next we get on 170 and ride through Negley. At this point the topography changes and there are no more straight roads. Soon we get on the light traffic of OH 154 which is also very scenic. Next we see a sign that says "Keep PA Beautiful, Don't Litter" and know we just entered Pennsylvania. The highway number changes to 251 but the scenery is still spectacular.
We leave the highway on Sherman Road and get in some back road riding.
Uphill Riding
At the top of this hill a nice lady greets us and wishes us well. Then there is a nice long green tunnel downhill on Dehaven Road. Next we take Brady's Run Road to Brady's Run Park. So far the scenery has been spectacular and this Park is a huge county park.
Reservoir at Brady's Run Park
Next we stop for lunch in Beaver Falls. This restaurant has a beach theme going on as we eat by the Beaver River while they pump out lots of Reggae music. After lunch we cross the Beaver River and then the Ohio River. We ride through some towns like Monaca and Aliquippa.
Large Gypsum Plant
We cross the Ohio River on a bridge that leads into Ambridge and take a break in a park. We pass through an affluent neighborhood, go back across the Ohio River and take the bike lane through an industrial area on Neville Island. This bike lane leads to a protected bike lane that takes us back across the river. Essentially we go back and forth across the Ohio River to see interesting neighborhoods and to ride some bike paths. The final bridge is the McKees Rocks Bridge and eventually we get to Point State Park, where the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River join to form the Ohio River.
Point Park
There is one last difficult 400 foot vertical climb from Point Park to Jim's house. We are tired and sore but - Mission Accomplished!
Total Distance: 1090 miles