This is the story of our journey, and the friends we shared it with.  Come along, and enjoy!

We first rode GOBA in 1996, when Alex was barely 9 years old. Our 1999 trip began with a small misfortune.  As we were ready to leave home, we discovered that our minivan would not drive in reverse, so we stuffed our bikes, luggage, and bodies  into our old station wagon and drove to Ashland.

We arrived at the campground late Saturday afternoon and quickly located our friends Mike and Janine.  After setting up camp on the infield of the racetrack, we checked in at the registration tent. We visited the start of the bicycle parade, which contained many colorful characters.  Our favorites were the family dressed as Goldilocks and the three bears.

The three bears

After dinner, the four of us piled into the car and drove to Bob Evans to get our free water bottles, and then stopped at the store for sidewalk chalk.  By then it was getting dark, so we headed to bed with visions of adventure dancing before our eyes.  For the rest of the trip, our tired bodies would slumber soundly, but that first night we were excited and slept fitfully.

Sunday dawned as a beautiful, cool morning, and we began our daily GOBA ritual  We took down the tent, and hauled our three duffel bags to one of the four luggage trucks. Cycling through the fairgrounds, we purchased a "bag breakfast" from a local charitable group, and sat at a picnic table to relax a bit. We were on the road at about 8:10, when most of the cyclists were long gone.

Leaving Ashland, we traveled rolling roads through Amish country, receiving a friendly smile and a wave from the drivers of the horse-drawn buggies.  Many Amish children stood along the road and waved to us as we cycled by.  Rolling along, we saw the first of many sidewalk chalk messages to Alex from Lucy Lehner and her son Chase.

An Amish Buggy

As lunchtime neared, we cycled into Wooster, Ohio.  Climbing a large hill, we came to the lunch stop at the beautiful Secrest Arboretum.  A large tent was set up with plenty of food, including tasty deep-dish pizza.  Locating a shady spot on the lawn, we stretched out for a delightful lunch.  After lunch we wandered through the rose garden.  Even though most of the roses had peaked several weeks earlier, the garden was still very colorful.

Leaving Wooster, we cycled for miles through a beautiful valley, with hilly woods on our left and ponds and green fields on our right.  After rounding some curves, we began climbing the first big hill of the trip.  The hill was covered with panting cyclists, some riding, some resting, but most walking.  Rounding a curve, we came upon a level section, with a country church, cemetery,  and a picnic area.  In front of the picnic area was a snack trailer offering "Smoothies", a delicious and cooling blend of ice, milk, strawberries, and bananas.

Heart of  Ohio
Tailwinds Bike Club (Marion)

Contact Dan and Alex

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