Cycle adventure from the house to Xenia Station 07/05/2025

I love riding my bike and never really get to but I managed to get a long ride to Xenia in.

Here's a screen cap of my strava. I rode fasted and took along a few packs of electrolyte mix. This was foolish and I was feeling it towards the last 5 miles. I also had to get to work and JUST BARELY got home in time to eat and change clothes. I didn't have a chance to take a shower. Another 20 minutes would have been awesome.

This is Fifth Third Gateway Park and Ride. There used to be a vending machine on that wood platform. I wonder where it went? Did people keep stealing things? Was it just not profitable? I never bought anything there but alwas thought that someday I might.

There is a gazeebo thing and a water fountain. This was the first place I ever saw those fountains that you can fill your water bottle up with. That was like 15 or 20 years ago now because I'm old.

I felt compelled to take a picture of this little free food pantry thing. When I rode back home I noticed that the bottom was cleared out. I agree tuna and macaroni and cheese were the real hits here. That probably made a nice meal if you mix that tuna in.

Here's a place to park on Grange Hall Rd. Some times I park my truck here and take my kids on rides. This place has a board to post some stuff and one of these bike tool things and a picnic table. That's about it. I guess now they have a portolet. If you need to take a WICKED DUMP on the trail this stops got you covered.

Beavercreek Station is one of the nicer stops on the bike trail network. There's also Yellow Springs Station and Xenia Station which was todays target destination.

I like stopping at this little park the William Maxwell Rest Area. There's nothing here but some cool monuments and these two picnic tables but what makes it nice is that it has plenty of shade.

I've never actually read this thing before today. That's pretty cool that a group of publishers bank rolled this monument.

Finally made it to Xenia station. I drank so much water along the way and a those electrolyte packs. Man it was hot. The hottest temp I saw on my bike computer was 104 degrees. What a silly time to go on a fasted ride for such a long duration when my longest ride before this was 30 miles. Dang am I goofy. It was a race back home and I was wiped out.

Here's another monument. I don't remember this being at Xenia station the lst time I cucled out here but who knows I probably wouldn't have paid it much mind. But heck yeah to that guy for spearheading the trail system. I really love the bike trails we have here in Ohio and hope to ride much more of them and explore new places that I haven't seen before. Back in the day I used to park at a K-Mart in Riverside at Woodman and Burkhardt (It's a Kroger now) and I would start my journeys there.

The furthest south I rode was to Fort Ancient and would love to cycle back out there again and maybe even further. Perhaps the next time I get to do a really long ride I will start at the Grange Hall parking lot. I would like to make it all the way down to Loveland, home of the famous cryptid, which was always the goal. Another goal is to do an overnight ride but man the amount of bums you see on the trail is wild especially in Xenia. There were a few camped off the side of the trail just on the other side of a fence near a creek. Then there was this bum just sitting in the middle of the trail by the McDonalds. Was the seating in the middle of Main St taken? Come on now.

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