What my sister didn't tell me

On the Little Miami Trail

I know that it is the duty of an older sister to protect her younger brother and that that may entail keeping from him some of the perils that lie ahead. But the surprises Mary Jo sprung on me today were a bit much.

First of all her idea of an 80-mile bike ride registered 89.6 on my odometer. And she didn't tell me that the added miles would be so that we could go to places that served lots of tasty food so that any hope of losing weight on this ride was lost.

In Waynesville

The first diversion was to Waynesville, OH, and the Hammel House, which the literature there said had been in operation since 1799 and was once a place of "daily misbehaving." We missed that fun by about 100 years. What is served up daily now is delicious food, homemade lemonade and fattening strawberry shortcake with both ice cream and whipped cream.

The next detour was to Young's Dairy where they tempted us with "Double Buckeye Sundaes." That would be a scoop of chocolate ice cream, a scoop of peanut butter ice cream, whipped cream, M&Ms and a very large Buckeye as in a candy made by dipping a ball of peanut butter in milk chocolate. I succumbed, When in the Buckeye State, act like a nut . . . I mean, do as the natives do.

With Double Buckeye Sundaes

Speaking of which, I need to get hip to the Ohio State University greeting that is in vogue now. It apparently came into use after I left these parts. We wore our Ohio State jerseys today, and instead of the "Go Bucks!" shout current in my day, most passing cyclists shouted "O-H." The proper response is an immediate and robust, "I-O." Took me a few times to get that registered, but I think I satisfied the last OSU supporter flying by. I resisted the temptation to shout, "I-O, Silver, away!"

Most of our ride today was on the Little Miami Trail, which follows the Little Miami River (candidate for a spring weekday kayak trip). There is an amazing network of bike trails in this state. We could have stayed on one that goes to Cleveland and Lake Erie. Several others branch off at the town of Xenia. Wonder what state has the most miles of bike trails?

Mary Jo saved the biggest surprise for the end of the ride when she started slowing down in what seemed like the middle of nowhere and began looking off to the right and then down along the trail. Turns out she was looking for a flag pole she was supposed to use as a guidepost to our lodging for the night. I suggested we look for a road and ride to the flagpost and/or inn. "There isn't a road," she said.

"So how do we get there?" I asked.

"We bushwhack."

That's why she was looking down along the side of the trail, for a break in the trees and brush that would let two cyclist through. What a great way to end a long ride! Traipsing through tree branches, sticker vines and knee-high weeds. 

Not on the Little Miami Trail

"Hope there's no poison ivy here," said she who could get it from a neighbor burning brush that had poison ivy in it. Never had it myself. Not something she likes to hear from me.

We got through and then rode through a truck company parking lot to our inn, which is fabulous.

Mary Jo is leading 25 women here on a ride over Labor Day. If they all come parading across the truck lot, I'd love to see the looks on the faces of the men working that day. Our prayers are answered!

Best thing about the day? Being with my sister. And riding all 80 of her miles. One hundred on the schedule for tomorrow. In Mary Jo miles.