Gallipolis Weekend Ride – October 4-6, 2019

[WGingerichParticipant]

The Ride

Our fall weekend ride for 2019 takes us to Gallipolis (GAL-ə-pə-LEES) on the banks of the Ohio River, 70 miles southwest of Marietta and next door to the Ironton district of the Wayne National Forest. Gallipolis was settled in 1790 (only two years after Marietta, the oldest city in Ohio) by a group of French aristocrats and merchants escaping the French Revolution, hence the name Gallipolis, or French city. It’s a small town with a lovely riverfront park in the historic downtown district and plenty of history to explore.

On Friday we’ll take I-77 south to I-70 west, and then take Rtes 83 and 78 southwest to McConnelsville for lunch. This takes us through reclaimed coal mine land, home to The Wilds, the largest wildlife conservation center in North America. Lunch at Boondocks BBQ offers some of the best ribs you’ll find anywhere. After lunch we continue on Rte 78 to Nelsonville, then take triple digit Ohio roads south to Rte 7 at Pomeroy and on south to the Quality Inn at Rte 7 and US 35.

Saturday we’ll ride roads in the Wayne National Forest, an area of the Appalachian foothills that is remote and largely undeveloped. Our route takes large and small roads abundant with hills and curves, follows ridge tops with panoramic views, and winds alongside rivers through Appalachian valleys. Some of the roads will be narrow, but all of them paved.

For those interested in off road riding the area offers many unimproved forest service and dirt roads. I recommend getting a copy of the detailed Wayne National Forest map which shows ALL of the roads in the area, including trails.

You are on your own for dinner Friday evening; I’ll make reservations for us at the Courtside Bar and Grill downtown along the park for Saturday evening at 6 PM.

Everyone is on their own for the ride back on Sunday. Gallipolis is four hours from downtown Cleveland via Rte 7 and I-77, but if you have the time there are many scenic alternatives.

The Hotel

Our hotel for the weekend is the Quality Inn, 577 State Route 7 North, Gallipolis. It is well maintained, includes a hot breakfast, and has a bar and surprisingly good restaurant in house. The hotel is holding a block of rooms for us – call them at (740) 446-0090 and tell them you are with the Cleveland BMW Club. Rooms are $75 for a double or king.

Departure

We’ll leave Bob Evans in Macedonia (I-271 and Rte 8) promptly at 10 AM on Friday, October 4 (come early for breakfast). Saturday we’ll depart from the Quality Inn entrance at 10 AM.

GPS (gpx) files

• Bobs Macedonia to Gallipolis
• Gallipolis – Wayne National Forest Loop

Ride Roster

Please let me know (wallyging@gmail.com or text to 216 536-2045) if you plan to join us for the ride. I will keep a running tally here so you will know who is going and I can contact you with any last minute changes.

Steve Clarke
Duncan Cooper
Crissy Desimone
Ed Desimone
Wally Gingerich
George Lopez
Paul Mitchell
Kurt Shreffler
Mike Sikora
Michael Ujcich

MAPS

 

[WGingerichParticipant]

For those interested in off-road riding Saturday in the Wayne National Forest here is an excerpt from the National Forest Map.The area west of Dean State Forest (in blue) shows the most unimproved roads (double dotted lines) and is about an hour’s ride from the hotel.

[WGingerichParticipant]

The weather forecast for Gallipolis for this Saturday is 76 and mostly sunny, perfect for our fall weekend ride. Rooms are still available at the Quality Inn so its not too late to sign up – as of now I’ve heard from 13 folks who will be going. Friends are welcome.

Be at Bob Evans in Macedonia by 10 AM this Friday, October 4, if you want to ride down with the group. If you want to ride down on your own just let me know not to wait for you. I’m guessing we’ll be hanging out in the Quality Inn Friday evening since they have a restaurant and bar.

[WGingerichParticipant]

I revised the Friday afternoon to take SR 278 and 160 from Nelsonville to Gallipolis which will give us a little more forest riding and not duplicate the likely Sunday route home following SR 7 along the Ohio River.

GPS file

Bobs Macedonia to Gallipolis Alt

MAP

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