Wednesday Ride, October 29, 2025 – Grand River Wine Tour
It looks like we will have a perfect fall day Wednesday to wrap up our riding season with a tour of the Grand River wine country near Madison and Geneva. Fall colors are peaking this week and will be on full display in the warm sun against the blue sky. To take advantage, we will ride picturesque Chagrin River Road north to the country estates of Waite Hill and then wend our way over to the Holden Arboretum for a rest break (arriving about 11:15 AM). From the arboretum, we’ll take country roads east to the Grand River valley where we will pass vineyards in the midst of fall harvest and, with a little luck, take in the sweet, fruity smell of ripe grapes. We’ll conclude our ride with lunch at the Ferrante Winery on SR 307 just south of Geneva.
Breakfast at Bob’s Macedonia at 9 AM. Ride departs promptly at 10 AM.
NOTE: From November through March we will not plan rides and distribute GPS routes ahead of time but, if conditions are favorable, some folks at breakfast may decide to take a ride of their own choosing so there may or may not be a ride on Wednesdays. During the off-season we continue to meet for breakfast at 9 AM every Wednesday of the year (except Christmas) at Bob Evans in Macedonia.
Wednesday Ride, October 22 – Ashtabula County Covered Bridges “Adventure”
It looks like we may be getting some light rain this Wednesday which will make for a perfect adventure ride. The route will take us up I-271 and I-90 to the Geneva exit where we will get off and take country roads east to SR 193 and then head north to our rest stop at the TA travel Center at I-90 (5551 OH-193, Kingsville), arriving around 11:15. Then the “adventure” begins – a tour of the covered bridges on gravel roads in the extreme NE corner of Ashtabula County. The roads are well maintained, with some loose gravel here and there, but certainly accessible on a road bike. It will be nice to have a little light rain to keep the dust down and give the fall leaves rich, saturated colors. Lunch will be at The Crow’s Nest in Ashtabula.
Bob’s Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfast. Ride departs at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, October 15 – Wellington, Fort’s Tavern
Rich Frantz will be leading the ride this week, to Fort’s Old Town Tavern in Wellington. The route goes down Riverview Road to the southern boundary of Cuyahoga Valley National Park before turning west on Bath Road. Then Rich takes us on interesting little roads that only a boy growing up in Medina county would know about. Our rest stop will be the Pilot Travel Center at the I-71 exit just north of Burbank (10048 Avon Lake Rd). We should get there just a little before noon, so empty your bladder before leaving on the ride. From there it is about another hour on lightly traveled county roads before we arrive in the little town of Wellington, 20 miles due west of Medina.
Wednesday looks to be a cool, partly cloudy day – perfect for a fall ride.
Meet at Bob’s in Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfast. Ride departs promptly at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, October 8 — Sherrodsville via 164
This week’s ride will take us down to Sherrodsville, a little village a few miles south of Atwood Lake, for lunch at Dave’s Diner. We stopped in several years ago just a couple of minutes before Dave’s closing time – 1:30 – and got a frosty reception, but he fired up the grill and served us. Good man. So we need to make it to Dave’s by 1 PM at the very latest, or we’ll have to ride up Bolivar for lunch at Subway.
But the real high point of this ride is the roads. We’ll take I-77 and US 30 to Minerva for our rest stop at McDonald’s, 601 E Lincolnway, arriving at 11 AM (assuming we get underway by 10 AM – HINT, HINT). Then we’ll take small roads cross-country to Salineville, passing Zion Methodist Church along the way – they often have witty sayings on their sign out by the road. In Salineville we’ll get on SR 164, one of the very best motorcycle roads in this part of the state, with an abundance of sweepers along ridgetops with terrific views of the landscape. SR 164 ends at Leesville, a couple of miles south of Sherrodsville.
For the trip home, you can take SR 212 to Bolivar (15 miles) on I-77, or some of you may opt to ride SR164 back to Salineville and Lisbon and head home from there.
Ride departs promptly at 10 AM. Breadfast at Bob’s Macedonia at 9 AM
Wednesday Ride, October 1 – Jefferson Lake State Park
This week’s ride will take us on a new route down to Jefferson Lake for a leisurely lunch along the lakeshore. We’ll have sunny skies and crisp fall air, and the trees will be taking on their fall colors – what could be more perfect? We will take our usual route down to the Marathon station in Salineville for our rest stop, arriving around 11:30. If you didn’t bring your lunch you can pick up something at the deli. From there we’ll take SR 39 east to the Ohio River at Wellsville, pick up SR 213 south almost to Steubenville, and then take county roads west to Jefferson Lake State Park, arriving around 1 PM. This will be a fantastic day for riding – you will have many options for planning a scenic ride home from the park.
Meet at Bob’s Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfast.
See you Wednesday! Ride departs promptly at 10AM.
Wednesday Ride, September 24 – Jefferson Diner
We haven’t been to the Jefferson Diner in quite a while, so it’s time we drop by again. The Diner has been a fixture in the Jefferson, Ohio, community since 1941 and serves up traditional diner fare including fresh baked pies and their 1 pound “Wimpy Buger.” We’ll take Pioneer Trail to the Gulf station in Parkman for our rest stop (arriving 11 AM). From there we’ll take Old State Road north to Hamdon, and then SR 166 east to Jefferson. We should arrive around 12:30, so we may have to wait a bit to be seated – it’s a small diner!
Meet at Bob Evans, Macedonia, at 9 AM for breakfast. Ride departs promptly at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, September 17 – Ye Olde Mill, Velvet Ice Cream
Paul Mitchell is going to change places this week, moving up from the rear of the group (sweep) to the front to lead the ride to one of our favorite destinations – Ye Olde Mill at Utica for an ice cream lunch at Velvet Freeze. Our rest stop will be the Marathon station on SR 3 on the south side of Wooster – same as last week (1337 Blachleyville Rd). From there the route takes SR 514 south to Danville, and then US 62 on to Utica, arriving at Ye Olde Mill by 1 PM. The weather for Wednesday looks absolutely perfect for a late summer ride through Ohio’s scenic countryside – blue skies, pumpkins in the fields, early fall colors, and the sweet smell of crisp autumn air. Perfect!
Meet at Bob’s Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfast; Ride departs promptly at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, September 10 -Troyer’s Trail Bologna
Tomorrow’s ride will take us down to Holmes County Amish country again, but this time we’ll take some roads we haven’t been on before, and see some new sights. We’ll slab it down to our rest stop, the Marathon station on SR 3 a mile south of US 250 (1337 Blachleyville Rd) on the south side of Wooster (arriving at 11 AM). From there we’ll head south to Shreve and Killbuck before winding our way east on a mix of state and county roads to the amazing Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum, several miles SE of Sugarcreek. The roundhouse and museum were built in 2010 by Jerry Jacobson, owner of the Ohio Central RR and collector of locomotives, rail cars, and railroad memorabilia. The roundhouse is a working roundhouse where they restore steam engines, and is open for tours Thursday through Saturday during the touriswt season. You may want to come back September 26 or 27 for their Fall Steam Festival where they will have steam engines and other steam driven equipment operating.
A few more county roads and we’ll end the ride at Troyer’s Trail Bologna in, where else,Trail! They have a cute, old-time lunch counter where they serve bologna sandwiches. Order anything you want, but you will get a bologna sandwich. You can have it hot or cold – your choice. When I was in college (Goshen, Indiana) kids from Holmes County would bring Trail Balogna back with them when they went home for the weekend. They always made a big deal of it – I’m finally going to have some!
Tomorrow’s weather is going to be off-the-charts spectacular! Hope to see you then….
Meet at Bobs, Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfast. Ride departs promptly at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, September 3 — Franklin, PA to the Smoke Cantina Restaurant
Kurt Shreffler will be leading the ride this week to a new location – Franklin, PA. Only 8 miles from Oil City, Franklin was an integral part of the oil exploration that began in the area in 1861. Its current claim to fame is the Franklin Applefest held the first weekend in October that draws over 100,000 visitors.
The route takes SR 82 and 88 to the Pennsylvania border, and PA 358 to Franklin. The rest stop will be at the Marathon on SR 88 and 46 (2323 Greenville Rd NE) just north of Cortland, arriving soon after 11 AM.
Wednesday is looking to be a fantastic early fall day, perfect for a club ride!
Meet at Bob’s Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfast. Ride departs promptly at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, August 27 – Gnadenhutten, Picnic in Historical Park
This week’s ride will take us to Gnadenhutten, Ohio’s oldest existing settlement, just 12 miles south of New Philadelphia. We’ll take I-77 south to New Philadelphia for a rest stop at the Marathon on SR 214 at the US 250 exit on the south side of town (110 Commercial Ave SE). We should arrive around 11 AM. From there, we ride south into a relatively isolated part of the state, only a few miles east of I-77! The area is heavily wooded, and the state and county roads offer good elevation changes and lots of curves. After riding south close to Salt Lick State Park, we’ll turn north and make a brief stop at Cy Young’s grave in Peoli before continuing on to Gnadenhutten. The Tents of Grace Cafe in Gnadenhutten is no longer open, so we will have a picnic lunch in the historical park on the south side of town.
Besides being Ohio’s oldest surviving settlement, Gnadenhutten is the site of the Moravian Massacre during the Civil War. Ninety-six Moravian Christian Indians were killed by U.S. Militiamen from Pennsylvania, after the women and girls were dragged into the snow and raped. One hundred years later, Theodore Roosevelt called the massacre “a stain on frontier character that the lapse of time cannot wash away.” The historical park features a museum with artifacts and an intriguing video about the history; a burial mound containing the remains of the murdered Indians is nearby. Take time, if you can, to explore the history of this remote and overlooked part of our state.
Meet at Bob’s in Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfast. Ride departs promptly at 10 AM.
Sunday Aug 24th ride to MAPS Museum
The ride will begin at Bob Evens Brunswick at 10 am and end at the MAPS Museum (Military Aviation Preservation Society) adjacent to the Akron/’Canton airport.The pit stop will be at the Get Go station at 9075 State Rt 43 just south of Rt 303 in Streetsboro, arriving there at about 11:00 Lots of interesting things at see at the MAPS museum (https://mapsairmuseum.org). Admission is $15, but I’ll attempt to get us a group rate. Lunch will be after the museum by group consensus. We’re entering the heart of the riding season: I hope to see you there!
A gps track will be posted on the webpage under the title MAPS Ride when I get it done this afternoon.
thanks, Coop
Wednesday Ride, August 20 – Ashtabula, Briquettes Smokehouse
This week, we’re excited to head up to Briquettes Smokehouse in Ashtabula for a delightful lunch on their lovely patio. The drive is quite straightforward—mostly cozy state highways with some long, straight stretches. We’ll start by taking SR 82 eastward to the Gulf Station in Parkman for a relaxing rest stop, aiming to arrive a bit before 11 AM. After that, we’ll continue east on SR 88 to Kinsman, then travel north on charming county roads to Kingsville. From there, we’ll enjoy a scenic westward ride along the beautiful Lake Erie shoreline to Briquettes in the picturesque Ashtabula harbor, reaching our destination around 12:30.
[Edited with the help of AI, making the text friendlier and more inviting. The language has been softened, sentence structures made more warm and personal, and words chosen to better connect with readers, all while faithfully preserving the original message.]
Be at Bobs in Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfast, and ride departure at 10 AM.
Wed Ride, August 13 – Brush Creek to Carrollton Airport Diner
We didn’t make it to Brush Creek all of last year, so it is time we work it into our schedule. Brush Creek Wilderness Area is located in unglaciated hill country southeast of Salineville. Our route will take us over the steep hillsides, deep hollows, and narrow ridge tops that form the terrain. It is a remote, largely undeveloped area of Ohio offering spectacular ridgetop views of the surrounding landscape and is one of my most favorite rides.
We will take SR 14, 9 and 644 to the Marathon in Salineville for our rest stop, arriving around 11:30. Just a mile south of Salineville we will turn east on CR 55 (Monroeville Irondale Rd), following the north rim of Brush Creek hollow to Hammondsville where we will turn back west and take Township Road 72 (Pine Grove Rd) to the top of the south rim of Brush Creek hollow. After two miles we will turn south on Township Road 218, a marvelous little tree-covered ribbon of blacktop, which will take us to Timothy Ridge Rd, heading west to SR 164. A few more miles on county roads and we will arrive at the Carroll County Airport Restaurant for lunch around 1 PM.
Meet at Bobs in Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfast. We will leave on the ride promptly at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, August 6 — Gambier, Gambier Deli
Wednesday looks to be a perfect August summer day – ideal for riding some of Ohio’s best roads in Coshocton and Knox counties. We will be heading for Gambier, home of Kenyon College, tucked away on a hill overlooking the Kokosing River six miles east of Mt. Vernon. Founded 201 years ago, Kenyon is Ohio’s oldest private institution of higher educatio. Rutherford B. Hayes and Paul Newman graduated from Kenyon.
We’ll take I-271, SR 21 and 585 down to Wooster for a rest stop at the Marathon on SR 3, a mile south of US 250 (1337 Blachleyville Rd), arriving around 11 AM. Then it’s south on SR 514 to Nashville where we will turn off onto small roads and explore the more remote parts of Coshocton and Knox counties, passing through Killbuck and Walhonding, and follow the Kokosing River to Gambier, arriving around 1 PM. The Gambier Deli has a large menu of healthy salads and sandwiches. Feel free to bring your own lunch if you prefer.
We will leave Bob Evans in Macedonia promptly at 10 AM. Come at 9 AM for breakfast.
See you Wednesday!
Wednesday Ride, July 30 – Lake Erie Bluffs
Tomorrow is looking to be hot and humid, but with a breeze off the lake, so we’ll do an easy ride up to Lake Erie Bluffs (near Perry) for a picnic lunch in the shelter overlooking Lake Erie. Out of respect for the sun and heat, we’ll take Old Mill Road and Pioneer Road (light traffic and lots of shade) to our rest stop at the Gulf Station
on US 422 in Parkman (16250 Main Market Rd), where you can pick up a sandwich if you haven’t packed your lunch (arriving in Parkman around 11 AM). From there we will take SR 608 north to Girdled Road Reservation, and then Vrooman Road north to the Bluffs, arriving soon after noon. We should all make it home by early afternoon before the heat maxes out.
Departing Bobs in Macedonia promptly at 10 AM. Come early for breakfast. Hope to see you tomorrow!
Wednesday Ride, July 23 – Beaver Creek State Park
We have a new destination this Wednesday which will take us over some impressive “mountain” roads to one of Ohio’s gems – Beaver Creek State Park nestled in the Little Beaver Creek valley just north of East Liverpool. We’ll take our usual route to the Love’s Truck Stop at the SR 225 exit on I-76 for our rest stop (arriving 10:45 AM). From there we’ll head SE cross country to the Swift Mart at SR 14 and 170 to pick up lunch fixins. And then…. we get on SR 170 which takes us through East Palestine and winds its way over some pretty rugged hills to just north of East Liverpool before we take small roads north into the Park. We’ll pick a nice spot to have our lunch in the shade along Little Beaver Creek, before winding our way back out of the valley to Lisbon where you can find your own way home.
I was amazed when I first rode this route last fall. The southern part of SR 170 is a great little curvy track with good pavement, lots of curves, and some nice elevation changes. The one-lane road into the park makes a steep descent into the valley where there is a restored 1837 mill and buildings from a pioneer village, and remnants of the Sandy and Beaver Canal and Locks. The area was first inhabited by Native Americans about 10,000 years ago.
Ride departs Bob’s in Macedonia promptly at 10 AM. Come early for breakfast.
Wednesday Ride, July 16 – Old Port Washington Road
Wednesday is looking like it will be a rainy day… a perfect day for an adventure ride! We will be riding the Old Port Washington Road from Millersvburg to Port Washington, 33 miles of truly back roads, about half of them gravel. If the weather forecast is correct, there will be no dust on this ride, and maybe a few mud splatters. This road is certainly doable on any bike – road bike, cruiser, etc., but if you are not keen on gravel roads I created a modified route that substitutes paved roads for the gravel sections.
We will head straight down to the BP station on routes 301 and 83 the south side of Wooster (825 Dover Rd) for our rest stop, arriving there around 11 AM. This will be a picnic lunch ride, so if you haven’t packed your lunch you can pick up something at the BP. The Old Port Road begins in Millersburg and goes through Baltic on the way to Port Washington where it ends. The road was used originally by farmers in the Millersburg area to transport their crops by oxcart down to the canal in Port Washington. It’s a fascinating, winding route through backcountry. We should get to the park in Port Washington around 1 PM. There is a nice picnic shelter there, but no rest room. We may take a “rest stop” up in the woods before getting into town.
Ride departs Bob’s in Macedonia promptly at 10 AM. Come by 9 AM if you want breakfast.
This will be a rain or shine ride (unless it is a total washout). FUN!
Wednesday Ride, July 9 – Sandusky Shoreline Park
Wednesday looks like a good day to end up on the shore of Lake Erie, hoping for a breeze off the lake, so we’ll head to Shoreline Park in Sandusky. The route will take us down through Cuyahoga National Park to Ira Road, and west and north to 303 at Valley City. We will continue west on 303 to Lagrange where we’ll have our rest stop at the Marathon on the north side of town (600 N Center St), arriving a little after 11 AM. From there we’ll take some nice little roads, crossing the Vermillion River and riding ridge roads near Lake Erie past orchards and vineyards. We’ll have a picnic lunch in Shoreline Park in downtown Sandusky, right on the lake. Pack your own lunch, or you can pick up something at the Marathon rest stop.
We’ll leave Bobs in Macedonia promptly at 10 AM – come at 9 for breakfast.
Joining the Cardo Packtalk group — Please make sure you have installed the Cardo Connect app on your phone, and have paired it with your Packtalk device. Then go to settings in the app and name your Packtalk (your name is best) so others in the group will know who you are.
If you’ve been using your Packtalk intercom you are already a member of one or more groups – click on the big Intercom button in Cardo Connect to see. You can be active in only one group at a time, and we all need to be in the same group for us to be able to communicate with each other. So to make it work I started a group called Wally BMWMOC. The group currently has 11 members. I am the admin of the group and you will need to join through me, but I do not need to be present for the group to function after the initial pairing. Once a group is established, members can join and leave freely without needing the group admin to be present.
If you have Cardo Connect installed on your phone, paired with your Packtalk, and named for you, it will only take a minute or two to add you to the group.
–Wally Gingerich
Wednesday Ride, July 2 – Carrollton to the Airport Restaurant
Wednesday is looking absolutely perfect for a ride – 80 degrees, sunny, less humid. In other words, Wednesday will be a good day to ride down to Carrollton to one of our favorite lunch spots, the little restaurant perched right next to the runway of Carroll County Airport, and if we’re lucky we will be able to get the tables outside on the porch. Assuming we get started on time (lets go! ), we should get to the airport right at noon.
We’ll take SR 14 down to our rest stop at the GetGo in Ravenna where SR 14 intersects SR 59 (arriving around 10:45). Then we’ll take SR 44 south to near Canton before turning off onto side roads to wind our way through the countryside to Carrollton. I rode this route last summer and the roads were fine, but I can’t promise that we won’t have a detour or two. It should be a fun trip!
See you at Bob’s in Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfast, and 10 AM ride departure.
Wednesday Ride, June 25 – Geneva Township Park
Several days ago I made a special plea to Betsy (Channel 3) to moderate the heat this Wednesday so we could have a pleasant ride, and she generously complied. Thanks, Betsy! And to make it an even more enjoyable ride, much of our route takes shaded roads along the Chagrin and Grand Rivers, and passes extravagant estates of the top 1% of the one percenters.
We will take River Road from Chagrin Falls to Willoughby Hills, and then wind our way through Waite Hill to the Sheetz at SR 306 and I-90, arriving around 11:15 AM. From there we will take southern Lake County roads to River Road south of Perry, this time the Grand River, to our 2nd stop at the Circle K at SR 64 and 534 where you can pick up lunch fixin’s if you haven’t packed your own. From there it’s only 10 minutes to Geneva Township Park, a lovely shaded park on a bluff overlooking Lake Erie. With a little luck we will have a gentle breeze for a nice, relaxing lunch on a warm summer day. Sorry, I forgot to include this in my plea to Betsy.
See you at Bob’s Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfast. Ride departs promptly at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, June 18 – Middlefield, Mary Yoder’s
Matt Walker will be leading the ride tomorrow to Mary Yoder’s in Middlefield, with a rest stop at Observatory Park on Clay Road north of Middlefield. This is a relatively short ride, with arrival at Mary Yoder’s at noon or soon after. I think the weather will be good – sunny with the temps in the mid 70s. It’s looking like the rain will hold off until evening.
Breakfast at Bob’s in Macedonia at 9 AM. Ride departure at 10 AM. I’ll see you for breakfast.
PS. A big thank you to Bill Penney for leading the ride last Wednesday to the Log Cabin Inn in Harmony, PA.
By all accounts it was a great ride. Rich Frantz topped it all off by leading a return ride retracing the route back to Ohio. Nice!
Wednesday Ride, June 11 – Harmony, PA to Log Cabin Inn
Bill Penney will be leading this week’s ride, to the Log Cabin Inn just north of Harmony, PA. The route takes SR 14 down to Lisbon, and then SR 154 (great curves) east to the PA state line where it proceeds on scenic state highways through Beaver Falls and Harmony to the Log Cabin Inn. The rest stop will be at the Circle K station on SR 45 south of Salem (1827 S Lincoln Ave) where it makes a right turn southward (arrival around 11 AM). We should get to the Log Cabin Inn around 1 PM.
Please note… Bill has an appointment Wednesday morning and will be late to breakfast but he WILL be there, so don’t leave without him.
Ride departs from Bob Evans, Macedonia at 10 AM. Come early for breakfast.
Wednesday June4 to Port Clinton, Jolly Roger Seafood
Michael and Gretchen Nahas will be leading the ride this week.
From Mike: This time we will take Freeways to Lake Road to Jolly Rogers. We will be picking up Lake Road in Bay Village this time because of Detours in Rocky River. Pit stop will be in Vermillion at Speedway. Then on to Huron where we get on to RT2 to cross Sandusky Bay to Marblehead exit, then on to Port Clinton along rt269 and rt163. Let’s go riding.
As usual, the ride will depart from Bob’s in Macedonia at 10:00 AM.
Come at 9:00 for breakfast.
Have fun, and thanks to Mike and Gretchen!
SATURDAY May 31, Club Ride to GAMBIER, OH
Join me Saturday, May 31, for one of my favorite routes, riding the back roads (all paved) of Coshocton and Knox counties to Gambier, home of Kenyon College, for lunch at the Gambier Deli. These lightly traveled roads off the beaten path have lots of hills and curves, and offer lots of scenic views of the wooded hills and valleys.
The ride will depart at 10 AM this Saturday from Bob Evans in Brunswick on SR 303 at the intersection with I-71 (SW corner). We’ll head south on secondary roads to our rest stop at the Marathon station on the south side of Wooster on SR 3, about a mile south of US 250 (arriving around 11 AM). Then we’ll continue south on SR 228 and 514 to Nashville where the riding gets really good, on delightful small roads in this out-of-the-way part of Ohio.
We’ll have lunch on the patio outside the Gambier Deli (arriving around 1 PM) in the middle of the bucolic hilltop campus of Kenyon College. This really is in the middle of “nowhere” (that’s where the founder of the college wanted it to be!) so I’ve planned a little add-on route to get us back to SR 514 in Danville, and from there you can find your way home.
Ride departure: Promptly at 10:00 AM from Bob Evans, 3198 Center Rd, Brunswick.
The service at this Bob Evans has been slow in the past, so I suggest you give yourself plenty of time if you want to have breakfast before the ride.
The gpx files for the ride are available in About+ menu: Gambier W, Gambier W TRK, and Gambier Return Route.
Wednesday Ride, May 28 2025,- Ashland, Lyn-Way Restaurant
We’re going to head southwest on Wednesday to one of our best lunch spots, the Lyn-Way Restaurant in Ashland. They always have great daily specials, friendly service, and totally amazing pies.
Leaving Bob’s we’ll head west through the Brecksville Reservation and take Valley Parkway and SR 303 to the Brunswick Sheets Station on 303 at W. 130th street for our rest stop (arriving around 10:45). Then we’ll continue west to Swartzendruber Amish country around Lodi and make a brief stop at the County Line Produce Auction. They’ll be taking in produce from Amish farmers in preparation for the auction which begins at 2 PM. This is always a colorful array of vegetables, fruit and flowers and a chance to mingle with the local folks. Then we’ll head south on County Line Road 175 through more Amish country before going west to Ashland for lunch at Lyn-Way (arriving close to 1 PM). You won’t be disappointed!
Breakfast at Bob’s Macedonia at 9 AM.
Ride departure promptly at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, May 21 – Danville, Don Leo’s Market
Join us this Wednesday as Ed leads us on a scenic ride to Danville where we will be stopping at Don Leo’s Market for lunch.
There will be a rest stop at the Marathon in Mt. Eaton, arrival around 1130.
Don Leo’s is an Amish market and deli where you can pick any meat and cheese, along with bread and toppings for $4!
You can even purchase double meat. They also offer fry pies and other snacks to top off your sandwich.
We can eat picnic style across the street at the gas station or at the park in town, depending on the size of the group and weather conditions.
Bonus for after lunch, Ed will lead whoever wants to go on a short ADV ride toward Millersburg.
This ride is “rain or shine” and will leave Bob Evans at 10.
Wednesday Ride, May 14 – Pymatuning State Park
Our ride this Wednesday will take us northeast to Pymatuning State Park for a picnic lunch on the beach. We will take Pioneer Trail and SR 305 to the Sunoco Station in Champion (SR 305 and 45) for our rest stop (arriving around 11 AM). If you haven’t packed your lunch you can pick up something here. Then we will continue east, skirting the south end of Mosquito Lake on our way to Cortland where we will pick up SR 7 northeast to Kinsman, and then SR 5 north to Andover and Pymatuning State Park (arriving around noon).
Bob’s at 9 AM for breakfast; sidestands up at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, May 7 – Mohican State Park
We will be heading down to Mohican State Park this Wednesday. We should be seeing some sun, and I’m sure we will see a lot of spring foliage along the way and farmers in the fields. We will slab it down to the Pilot Truck Stop in Burbank (I-71 and SR 83) for our rest stop (around 10:45 AM). Then the riding gets interesting… We will take Overton Road traversing the Killbuck Creek bottom south to the Old Lincoln Highway on the outskirts of Wooster. I love that highway – it is a real step back in time with many original buildings along the road. It was one of the first transcontinental highways (U.S. 30) in America, completed 100 years ago, and ran all the way from New York City to San Francisco.
Ten miles west of Wooster we’ll turn south on CR 175 which will take us through another interesting lowland area along the Mohican River. At SR 3 we’ll head SW to Loudenville and on to Mohican State Park, for a picnic lunch at the Gorge Overlook. Pack your own lunch or pick up something at the Pilot in Burbank. We should get to the Park somewhere around 12:30.
Bob’s at 9 AM for breakfast; ride departure at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, April 30 – Columbiana, Carla’s Corner Cafe
We’re going to head over to Columbiana this Wednesday for lunch at Carla’s Corner Cafe, an interesting spot recommended by John Adamski. It’s a small restaurant in the rear of Carla’s antique shop. We’ll ride through West Branch State Park on our way to Love’s on I-76 and SR 225 for our rest stop (arrival around 11 AM). Then we’ll continue on secondary roads across Lake Milton, down Palmyra Road, and on south to Columbiana (arriving soon after noon).
Wednesday Ride, April 23 – Baltic, East Main Kitchen
The forecast for Baltic this Wednesday is 77 and sunny – a good day to get the bike out and on the road again. We’ll head down to Baltic for lunch at what is probably our most favorite eating spot, the East Main Kitchen. Our rest stop will be the Marathon on US 30 in Dalton (arriving around 11 AM). On Cement Bridge Road we’ll turn right on Lower Trail Road rather than left to avoid the nasty downward camber turn with lots of loose gravel and limited sight distance. We should get to the East Main Kitchen around 12:30.
I’ve attached both the route and track files for the ride.
See you Wednesday at Bob’s in Macedonia – 9 AM for breakfast, 10 AM for ride departure.
Wednesday Ride, April 16 – Salem, lunch at BB Rooner’s
This week’s ride will take us to Salem for lunch at BB Rooner’s. I haven’t been there yet, but the reviews look good and they have a nice selection of food at reasonable prices, plus a few bicycles and a motorcycle or two adding to the decor. We’ll take Pioneer Road and 82 to Garrettsville for a rest stop at the Speedway (10769 North St), arriving a bit before 11 AM. Then we’ll head south through Lake Milton and take Ellsworth Rd and Salem Warren Rd to downtown Salem, arriving around noon. It might be a good day for a bowl of chilli!
See you at Bob’s Macedonia for breakfast at 9 AM, and ride departure at 10.
Wednesday Ride, April 2 and 9, 2025 — Burton to Coffee Corners (first Wednesday ride of 2025)
The weather is looking a bit iffy for our first Wednesday Ride of the year, but some of you stalwarts may want to give it a try anyhow. This will be a relatively short ride following Mennonite Road and other small, country roads to the Gulf station on US 422 in Parkman for our rest stop (~ 11 AM). Then we will loop our way through Middlefield Amish country to lunch at Coffee Corners in Burton. They have great homemade soups and sandwiches, along with some amazing bakery and coffee.
See you at Bob’s in Macedonia this Wednesday at 9 AM for breakfast, and ride departure at 10 AM.
BEGIN 2025 Riding Season ^^
END of 2024 Riding Season vv
ADV Ride, November 13, 2024 by Ed Desimone
Here is info on a ride Ed Desimone is planning…
If you want to ride Wednesday on an ADV route, meet Ed Desimone at the Loves in Burbank (I71 & Rt 83 south side) at 0900 and be ready to ride at 0930. He will be riding between Glenmont and Danville. The day should be comfortable in the mid to upper 50s, and the dust minimal due to the recent rains. All skill levels are welcome to come. Lunch will be sandwiches at Don Leos in Danville or pack your own. Rain or shine!
Wally for Ed D.
We ended the riding season last week, Oct 30, 2024 on a high note, with the annual scooter ride led by Mike Sikora. The weather was ideal, the fall colors were brilliant, and the roads were fantastic – lightly traveled (good for scooters) and scenic. Thanks, Mike.
Our annual “riding season” ended with the month of October, which means that we won’t be sending out a weekly email with a planned route. However, we will continue to meet every Wednesday morning throughout the fall and winter for breakfast and socializing. Although there will be no planned rides, people who are interested in riding can come up with a destination and head off. Planned rides will resume next year beginning in May.
Thanks to all for participating this year – special thanks to Bill Penney, Paul Mitchell, Roe Graham, Rich Frantz and Mike Sikora for leading rides. We had rain to contend with early in the season, and then some hot weather in the middle of summer, but late summer and fall weather was spectacular. All in all, it was a good year. I have really enjoyed being part of the group, and look forward to next year…
Wallace Gingerich
Scooter Ride, Oct 30, 2024 Canal Street Diner in Bolivar
Wally arranged a perfect day for scootin’ so I thought I better check out the road conditions. The usual Scooter Ride route was chock full of surprises as I rode through the brilliant fall colors to enter the Cuyahoga Vallery National Park. The red and white barricade in Peninsula announced that Riverview Road was closed and it looked out of place against the backdrop of greens and golds. I discovered that the ugly orange detour signs took us almost in to Richfield and decided to try to find a better and shorter way. The reroute will take us down Olde 8 to 303 to drop in to Peninsula. With this little problem out of the way we can return to the Original Scooter Route for a quick break and refuel at route 21 and Eastern Road.
Lunch will be at Sublime BBQ in Bolivar but this year’s ride will not be stopping at Just Ice Cream in Brewster (it’s closed for the season!)
The fastest way back home will be north on 77. The entrance ramps on route 93 were closed on Monday so there is no easy access to Route 21.
I will not have a GPS on the ride so we just might face a few additional changes.
See you at Bob’s at 9 for breakfast and we’ll begin riding at 10. Mikey Leads!
P.S. Big bikes are welcome but please be careful around the little guys!
Wednesday Ride, Oct 23 – Harmony, PA
The weather for Wednesday looks to be spectacular, and Bill Penney will lead the ride to one of his favorite lunch spots, the Log Cabin Inn in Harmony, PA. The route takes SR 14 and 45 to Lisbon where it turns east on SR 154 and into PA where the riding gets really good. In PA it’s 168 and 588 to Harmony, and US 19 north to the Log Cabin Inn (arrival around 12:45).
The rest stop will be the Circle K south of Salem where SR 45 makes a right turn heading south on S. Lincoln Ave (arrival about 11 AM).
As usual, breakfast at 9 AM at Bobs in Macedonia. Ride leaves at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, October 16, ’24 – Jefferson Diner
It will be cool with a slight chance of light rain (15% chance, no accumulation), so it seems like a good day to do a shorter ride. We haven’t been to the Jefferson Diner in a while, so that will be our destination. Our rest stop will be the Gulf station on US 422 in Parkman (16250 Main Market Rd), arriving there at 11 AM. We should be at the Jefferson Diner soon after noon.
This will be a “rain or shine” ride. See you Then!
Wednesday Ride, Oct 9 – Route 164
We must not finish the riding season without riding Route 164, probably the best riding road within an hour of Bob’s. Sweeper after sweeper with gentle elevation changes, spectacular ridge top views, top notch asphalt, and little to no traffic. Route 164 runs from Columbiana to Leesville, running through Lisbon, Salineville, and Amsterdam on the way.
We will take I-77 down to Canton to get SR 43 to Waynesburg where we will take a rest stop at McDonald’s (8720 Waynesburg Dr SE), arriving at 11 AM. Then it’s due south for 15 miles to Leesville and the start of SR 164. We will ride the best 50 miles of SR 164, from Leesville east and north to Lisbon where we will have lunch. You can get your lunch at Subway on the square (or bring your own) and we will eat in the park next to the courthouse. We should get to Lisbon around 1 PM.
Come with a full tank of gas – this route is 120 miles from Bob’s with no gas stop.
See you at Bob’s at 9 on Wednesday for breakfast, ride departure at 10 AM sharp.
Sunny skies and 67 degrees are predicted for Wednesday – this should be a great fall ride!
Wednesday Ride, Oct 2 – Grand River Wine Tour to Ferrante’s Restaurant
Grape harvest should be in full swing by now, so we will pay a visit to the Grand River region this Wednesday. A short jaunt north on I-271 will take us to the Harvard Ave exit and east to Chagrin River Road. Most or all of the River Road has been resurfaced so it will be a lovely ride through this magnificent valley, north past the rural estates of Waite Hill, circling north of Kirtland to our rest stop at the Holden Arboretum (arriving shortly after 11 AM). From there we will take Vrooman Road north across I-90 to River Road, cross the Grand River, and make a brief stop at Paine Falls Park, at the door to the Grand River wine country. We’ll make a loop through the country taking in the aroma of the ripened grapes, and end our ride at the Debonee Vineyards Restaurant, a favorite spot for us.
See you at Bob’s for breakfast at 9 AM, and ride departure at 10 AM. There is no gas stop on this ride, so please come with a full tank.
See you Wednesday!
Wednesday Ride, Sept 25 – Deerfield, Circle Restaurant
This week’s ride will take us east through Mantua to Garrettsville where we will take a rest stop at the McDonald’s on Rt 82 (8027 State St), arriving around 11 AM. Then we will continue east taking small roads, some of them a bit rough from patching, and follow Eagle Creek to where it joins the Mahoning River on the western edge of Warren. From there we turn south through Newton Falls and around Lake Milton to Deerfield and the Circle Restaurant, arriving soon after 12 noon. We pass by the Circle Restaurant on Rte 14 on many of our rides, but it is worth a stop — good food, reasonably priced, served promptly. They have a huge fish sandwich, big breakfasts, etc.,
See you tomorrow at Bob’s at 9 AM for breakfast, and ride departure at 10 AM.
We will try out a new route and destination this week, the Silver Shores Restaurant at Conneaut Lake, PA. Although it seems like a long way away, it is only a 2 hour ride, which means we should arrive there a little after 12 noon — more about that later. We will take our usual route east of Bob’s — Twinsburg, Old Mill, Mennonite Road — to the Gulf station in Parkman (16250 Main Market Rd) on US 422, arriving around 11 AM. From there it’s straight east on SR 88 and SR 5 which take us up to Kinsman, and then its smaller country roads in Pennsylvania south of Pymatuning Reservoir and then north to Conneaut Lake. The restaurant has a nice deck overlooking Conneaut Lake, the largest natural glacier lake in Pennsylvania. I haven’t eaten at the restaurant, but it has a long history on the lake and gets good reviews.
The last several weeks we have had late departures on our rides. I hate to be a stickler on departure time, but late departures create problems for us down the line. We usually have several people joining us at the rest stops, and it’s a waste of their time for us to be so late. Late departures also make us late for lunch – last week it was 1:30 when we got to the restaurant. And then, of course, late departures means we are later getting home.
So, I’m asking that we get back to our usual pattern of departing at 10 AM. If you are late to breakfast, like many of us (including me) were last week, we need to make sure we get our orders in in time to eat. And, please come with a full tank of gas so the group doesn’t have to wait on you to fill up. Our rest stops always include toilet facilities, but not always fuel.
See you at Bob’s – breakfast at 9, ride departure at 10.
Wally
Wednesday Ride, September 11 – Mohican Loop to Shreve
Wednesday looks to be another spectacular early-fall riding day. We haven’t ridden Wally Road Scenic Byway (named after a railroad, not me ) for a few years, so that will be our “destination” this week. The ODOT description of Wally Road gives a colorful description of the road and it’s background…
The scenic beauty of the forested hilltops, deep ravines, wetlands and rich soil bottom lands of the Mohican and Walhonding valleys was restricted to a few river travelers and remote villages before the Toledo, Walhonding Valley and Ohio Railroad (the “Wally”) opened a 45-mile connecting route from Coshocton to Loudonville in 1892. This route was considered one of the most scenic train rides in Ohio. The railroad ceased operations in 1942, but part of the route lives on as the Wally Road byway.
We will take I-271 and I-71 to the Pilot Travel Center in Burbank at the Intersection of Rte 83 and I-71 (10048 Avon Lake Rd) for our rest stop, arriving around 10:45 AM. From there we will head south on Overton Road which follows Killbuck Creek down to US 30, the Historic Lincoln Highway, just west of Wooster. A couple of miles west and we drop south to take county road 175 through the Lake Fork Mohican River bottom, which teems with wetlands wildlife. After a 2nd rest stop at the BP in Loudenville we will head south onto Wally Road, which winding our way about 5 miles along the Mohican River south to SR 514. Then we will head back north on SR 514 to Das Dutch Essenhaus in Shreve, arriving a little before 1 PM..
See you at Bob’s Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfast. Ride departs promptly at 10 AM.
Wally Gingerich
Wednesday Ride, September 4 – Adena to La Pizza Bar and Grill
This will be a new route for us, heading down to Adena, a little town with brick streets, and proud residents. Adena, and the restaurant, were recommended to me by another rider whom I met at a pull-off when I was riding in the area several months ago. Adena is about 10 miles SE of Cadiz, and about 10 miles from the Ohio River, halfway between Steubenville and Wheeling, WV. We’ll take I-77 down to Canton and then 43 and 171 to Carrollton for our rest stop at the Wendy’s ( 519 Canton Rd NW), arriving around 11:15. The riding gets better after Carrollton — 9 and 646 over toward Steubenville, then 152 and county roads on to Adena. I hadn’t ridden in this area before my new friend mentioned it, but it turns out the roads in the area, especially the county roads which will take us into Adena, are really “out of the way” fun, with interesting sights along the way. La Pizza has a large covered outdoor deck, which should be very comfortable on Wednesday, if the weather forecast holds up, and it should.
The usual:
9 AM – Meet at Bob Evans in Macedonia for breakfast
10 AM – Ride departs from Bob’s
See you Wednesday! Wally
Wednesday Ride, August 28 – Conneaut, Smoke on the Water
Wednesday looks to be a warm day – a good day to ride along Lake Erie and maybe catch a cool breeze. So we will head up to Conneaut, to Smoke on the Water which replaces Breakwall BBQ. Smoke on the Water has shellfish and BBQ – you order at the counter and they bring your food to your table. This restaurant is right on the beach with lots of seating outside and a nice view of the harbor.
We will ride I-271 and I-90 up to Vrooman Road where we will get off onto SR 84, a lovely ridge road that once formed the Lake Erie shoreline, which is now several miles to the north. Our rest stop will be the Circle K on the south side of Geneva at the intersection of SR 84 and SR 534 (1150 S Broadway, Geneva), arriving there around 11 AM. From there we will head up to Geneva-on-the-Lake to “drag main” and then continue east on SR 531 along the lake to Conneaut, arriving there soon after noon.
See you at Bob’s for breakfast at 9 AM; ride departs promptly at 10.
Wednesday Ride, August 21 – Peoli to Tateman’s Restaurant, Stillwater
Looks to be another spectacular riding day, and I have a new route set up with lunch at “brand new,” well new for us, eating spot – Tateman’s Restaurant (5 miles south of Dennison SR 800). I personally sampled the cherry pie yesterday and found it to be one of the best I’ve had recently – flakey crust, loaded with tart cherries, topped with 2 scoops of ice cream, all for $4.00! Homemade by Esther, who is the cook, server, dish washer, and chief conversationalist. While enjoying my pie, Esther scooped up a big portion of ground beef from a cake pan in the fridge and plopped it on the grill to become someone’s hamburger. YUM!
Back on track…. The route takes us I-77 down to New Philadelphia to our rest stop at the Circle K at the SR 416 exit on US 250 on the south side of New Philadelphia (arrival around 11 AM.). From there we head south through Port Washington for a stop at Cy Young’s gravesite in Peoli, before continuing south to Salt Fork Wild Life Area and then west to Birmingham (an old BMW LT sitting by the road). Then it’s back north on Peoli Road, paved but not in great shape, through a Swartzendruber Amish settlement and past a farm with a new barn erected within the past month (I saw them dig the foundation a few weeks ago). Back up at Peoli we get on SR 258, a great stretch of fresh asphalt with plenty of hills and curves with limited sight distances, and head east and north to Tateman’s Restaurant at Stillwater. We should get there around 1 pm. And the ride isn’t over yet! Just north of Stillwater on SR 800 we will turn west onto the Moravian Trail, a section I hadn’t known existed, to ride into Uhrichsville to US 250 and back home. This area south of New Philly through Gnadenhutten and Port Washington, down to Peoli and the Salt Fork State Park area is surprisingly rugged and sparsely populated. Not many paved roads in the area, but what there are are reasonably good. SR 258 is a real gem – I think you’ll enjoy it.
Hope to see you tomorrow at Bob’s Macedonia at 9 for breakfast, and ride departure at 10.
Tateman’s Restaurant
Wednesday Ride, August 14 – Baltic, EAST Main Kitchen
This week’s ride takes us to another one of our favorite lunch spots – the West Main Kitchen in Baltic. They offer generous portions of healthy, home cooked food, tastefully served. The route to Baltic will be familiar to you if you’ve ridden with us previously: I-271, I-77 and SR 21 to Doylestown, then small roads south to the Marathon in Dalton (west side of the road) at the intersection of SR 94 and US 30 (arrival around 11 AM). From there we will take out of the way roads through Amish country. Some are only one lane in places and take us right through several Amish farmsteads. South of Wilmot we will ride Cement Bridge Road which offers stunning views of this beautiful country.
(CAUTION at intersection of CEMENT BRIDGE RD and LOWER TRAIL RD, Very tricky intersection and left turn onto LOWER TRAIL RD.)
Lunch will be at the West Main Kitchen in Baltic (arriving around 1 PM).
The weather is looking great for Wednesday – hope to see you at Bob’s Macedonia for breakfast at 9 AM, ride departure at 10.
Wednesday Ride, August 7, 2024 – Gambier, Kenyon Deli
I created a new route for our Wednesday rides after my granddaughter, Claire, took Elaine and me to visit Kenyon College this spring. Unfortunately for us, she decided not to go to Kenyon this fall, but I fell in love with the roads and beautiful scenery in the area. The college is located in the Village of Gambier, about 5 miles east of Mt. Vernon, and 50 miles NE of Columbus. Founded 200 years ago, Kenyon is the oldest private institution of higher education in Ohio, sitting on a hill overlooking the Kokosing River in a very rural part of the state. When I mapped out this route I was struck by how remote and unspoiled the area is, with lots of hills and curves, and almost no traffic.
We will take SR 21 and 585 to Wooster and a rest stop at the Marathon station (1337 Blachleyville Rd) on SR 3, about a mile south of US 250 (arriving around 11 AM). From there we will continue south on SR 226 and 514 through Shreve to Nashville. Continuing on a mix of state and county roads we will head south to Glenmont, east toward Killbuck, and loop back south and west zig-zag our way to Newcastle where we will pick up SR 229 to Gambier, arriving around 1 PM.
Our lunch spot will be the Gambier Deli, in the middle of campus, where made-to-order sandwiches and salads, and drinks of all kinds are available. The weather is looking great for Wednesday so we should be able to sit outside and take in the campus scene while we eat. Feel free to bring your own lunch if you’d like.
Bobs Macedonia at 9 for breakfast, ride departs at 10 AM sharp.
Wednesday Ride, July 31, 2024 – Ashland, Lyn-Way Restaurant
Well… if it isn’t rain it’s heat and humidity. But it’s July, after all, so who’s complaining?
So I’ve cooked up (pun intended) a shortened version of our ride through the Lodi Amish Country to Lyn-Way in Ashland for this week. If we’re lucky we’ll see a group of Amish farmers thrashing oats using an old fashioned thrashing machine powered by a “diesel” that they move around from farm to farm. My dad and his brothers used to do it this way in Iowa, but they switched to combines before I was old enough to help. We make a brief stop at the County Line Produce Auction to look around a bit as they take in produce for the 2 PM auction. This is a wholesale auction of produce grown in the immediate area, most of it by the Amish farmers. Then it’s on through more Amish country to Ashland and Lyn-Way – one of our very best lunch spots.
Our route Wednesday will take I-271 and I-71 to the Pilot Travel Center at the US-224 exit (8924 Lake Road, Seville) for our pit stop, arriving there soon after 10:30. We should get to Lyn-Way at noon or soon thereafter, depending on how long it takes us to cool off at our stops….
See you 9 AM Wednesday at Bobs in Macedonia for breakfast. Ride departs at 10. Wally
Wednesday Ride, July 24, 2024 – Wellington, Dog Tracks Diner
Rich Frantz is going to be leading the ride this Wednesday to the Dog Tracks Diner in Wellington (10 miles south of Oberlin).at roads This will be an easy ride through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, west through Bath, and zig-zagging along on little roads that only Rich knows about Rest stop at The Pilot Travel Center at the Burbank exit of I-71 and SR 83 (arriving around 11:30). From there Rich will take us on west and north on more little-known country roads ending up in Wellington for lunch at the Dog Tracks Diner (arriving around 12:30). There is one short stretch of hard pack gravel road, almost like a paved road.
The weather gods have been on a rampage on Wednesdays, and there may be some rain again this Wednesday, but then again they be tired and give us a rain-free day. We’ll have to see…
Breakfast at Bob’s in Macedonia at 9, ride departure at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, July 17 – Ashtabula ( was Adena to La Pizza)
Changing our destination for today to Ashtabula, to avoid the rain. Route and rest stop will be ad lib.
Ignore all below…
Well, I’m just getting up and running from a computer crash last weekend. I still don’t have my Basecamp database restored, but I snatched this route from an email, so I think we are good for tomorrow.
This is a new route for us, ending up in Adena, a tiny little town about 10 miles SE of Cadiz. The residents are friendly and big boosters of their town with the brick streets. La Pizza is a pub with decent food, and a very nice covered deck out back.
We’ll take I-77 down to Canton and then 43 and 171 to Carrollton to the Circle K (264 W Main) for our rest stop, arriving around 11:15. Then the riding gets really nice – small, lightly travelled roads with just the right amount of hills and curves, and plenty of scenic views. We’ll ride 43, 9, and 646 to over near Steubenville, then 152 south and several nice county roads (23 and 10) to arrive at La Pizza in Adena a little before 1 PM.
It’s going to be nice weather, for a change, upper 70’s and cloudy – very comfortable for riding.
See you at Bobs for breakfast at 9 AM Wed ride departs at 10.
Saturday, July 13 club ride from Bob Evans, Brunswick.
Kurt will be leading the ride. We will be departing Bob Evans on 303 in Brunswick at 10:00 AM (arrive earlier for breakfast) and head down to Mohican country near Loudonville. I’m still a Base Camp novice so here are the old-school directions: 303w to 252s to 18w to 301s to 162w to 58s to 89s (detours to 224e to 42s to 89s) to 30w to 60s. Rest stop at the Marathon station on 60s. 60s to 3s to 205 (Danville/Jelloway rd.)s/e to 514 (Nashville rd.)n/e to Greer, turn L on to Wally rd., Wally rd. back to rte.3n. There may be some very light gravel on the back roads by Wally road but street bikes shouldn’t have any issues on it. Lunch at the Golden Arches on rte.3 in Loudonville at around 1-1:30. I’ll be riding 60n to get home and there are some fun, twisty roads by my house if anyone is interested. I expect to be home around 4-4:30ish. I’m about 8 minutes away from the turnpike or rte.2, Baumhart road exit.
Mr. Cooper put a GPS file together for the route: “the file can be found under the GPS page in the About+Misc menu. The file name is June 22 Tracks, and includes tracks, routes and pit stop location”. Kurt
I hope you can make it, I’ll be fun.
Wednesday Ride, July 10 – Mosquito Lake Loop to Mesopotamia
Betsy is predicting thunderstorms all day Wednesday as Hurricane Beryl passes through our neck of the woods, but you never know, we may get a break and be able to avoid the storms. So I’m suggesting we ride our route around Mosquito Lake to the End of the Commons General Store in Mesopotamia for lunch. This is an out and back route so we can cut it short if we choose. I’m attaching the full route, but we will probably make some changes along the way. Our planned rest stop is the BP in Champion on SR 305 – we should be there around 11:15.
So hang loose – let’s see how the weather looks on Wednesday and maybe we can get a ride in.
See you Wednesday at Bob’s in Macedonia — 9 AM for breakfast; ride departs at 10 AM.
Wally G
Wenesday Ride July 3 to Sandusky Shoreline Park
A big thank you to Roe and Mike for leading the rides the past several weeks.
Let’s hope the weather will be a little more cooperative for the next while.
It looks to be warm on Wednesday so I thought it would be a good time to ride over to Sandusky to have lunch in Shoreline Park next to the lake.
We will ride through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and on west to our rest stop at the Marathon on SR 301 on the north side of Lagrange (arrival around 11:15). From there we’ll ride over to the Vermillion State Park area and on west on small roads parallelling of SR 2 to Shoreline Park, arriving around 1 PM. The park has nice covered picnic tables. Bring your own lunch, pick up something at the Lagrange Marathon, or you can buy a sandwich at Grinders, next to the picnic area.
The forecast calls for a chance of showers in the afternoon, so come prepared should some pop up.
We will depart Bob’s at 10 AM – come at 9 AM for breakfast.
Wally G
SATURDAY June 29, Ride to Lima Flat Track Races from Bob Evans Brunswick
Hi Everybody,
Looks like I will try again…
Well, we’ll see about the weather on Wednesday 6/26. I have a route that Bill Penney and I checked out and Sebastian and I rode. Mike Sikora has asked for a repeat. It’s a nice loop through lots of Metroparks roads up to Chagrin River Rd., then some backroads to Kirtland. Lunch at Tavern Six. If it looks good weather wise I will lead. If there is heavy rain and thunderstorms likely, then anyone who wants to ride on their own is welcome to, without me. See you at Bob Evans, breakfast/coffee at 9:00, wheels rolling at 10:00.
Roe Graham
Wednesday Ride, June 19, NOT.Too Hot
Keeping an eye on the weather for this week it is obvious that Wednesday is going to be seriously hot and humid and not suitable for a group ride so I have decided to cancel rather than risk anyone’s health.
I will attempt to fit the Zelionople ride into the Summer schedule at a later date.
See you at Bob’s for breakfast.
Bill Penney
Wednesday Ride, June 12 to Roscoe Village
So Uncle Wally is gone again so I took a look in the archives and found a ride that we have not done in quite a while so let’s head to Roscoe Village and check out the Warehouse!
We’ll take our usual route through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and head to Wooster. Route 302 and Madoon Ave exit on the flats on the bypass will take us to a Quik Stop gas station at the top of the hill for our rest stop. We’ll head out the back of the station to pick up route 83 for the winding and rolling route to Roscoe Village just outside of Coshocton.
The weather forecast is calling for sunshine and temps in the 80s so maybe we can hang out on the patio for lunch.
See you at Bob’s in Macedonia at 9 for breakfast and be ready with a full tank so we can start out at 10!
Mike Sikora will Lead again!
Saturday June 8th ride to Millersburg
Duncan leads this ride
It’s THAT time again! On Saturday June 8th our intrepid riders will depart from Bob Evan’s Brunswick and tour the rural Amish region to Millersburg, Ohio. Departure will be at 10:00, with a pitstop at the Bellstores Marathon (13172 Lincoln Way, Massilon OH) at about 11:15. Lunch will be at Bag’s Sports Pub at around 12:30. Please plan to join us for one of my favorite all-time rides!
Wednesday Ride, June 5 to Kirtland (maybe)
Well, the weather is iffy on Wednesday 6/5. I have a route that Bill Penney and I checked out today. It’s a nice loop through lots of Metroparks roads up to Chagrin River Rd., then some backroads to Kirtland. Lunch at Tavern Six. If it looks good weather wise I will lead. If there is heavy rain and thunderstorms likely, then anyone who wants to ride on their own is welcome to, without me. See you at Bob Evans, breakfast/coffee at 9:00, wheels rolling at 10:00.
Roe Graham
Wednesday Ride, May 29 – Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Well, contrary to my “forecast,” it did rain last Wednesday – REALLY rained – on the ride to our rest stop at Love’s on I-76. But we made it. Some of the group had enough faith in my forecast that they decided not to put on their rain gear and by the time we got to Love’s they were soaked and shakin’. Unfortunately, the forecast for this Wednesday looks like more of the same, predicting steady rain in the morning and showers in the afternoon.
When the forecast looks rainy, the question comes up, will there be a ride or not? It’s the ride leader’s decision, and usually the decision usually isn’t made until the day of the ride, sometimes not until we walk outside after breakfast and look up at the sky. Such is the unpredictability of weather and rider interest. If you have questions about the ride, contact your ride leader. My policy: when I’m the ride leader I come ready to ride, whether the weather looks iffy or not, and I ride if others want to ride. Other ride leaders may do it differently.
This Wednesday we will be riding a modified version of the Mosquito Lake Loop. It takes Pioneer Road east to Garrettsville, and then SR 305 to the BP service station at Champion (SR 45) for our rest stop (11:15 AM). Then we continue on 305 around the south end of Mosquito Lake State Park to the PA state line, and angle north on Orangeville Kinsman Road along the east side of Pymatuning Creek to Kinsman. From there we head back across Mosquito Lake to the End of the Commons General Store in Mesopotamia for lunch (1 PM). We can easily shorten this ride if the conditions become too unpleasant.
Meet at Bob’s in Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfast, and ride departure promptly at 10 AM.
See you there…. rain or shine! Wally!
Wednesday Ride, May 22 – East Palestine
we’ll be riding over to East Palestine, site of the train derailment a little over a year ago. The cleanup is mostly completed by now but the EPA is still cleaning the sediment in Sulphur Run Creek, which runs parallel to the site of the derailment, before they will allow natural water to flow through once again.
Our route will take us on SR 14 to Ravenna, then through West Branch State Park to the big new Love’s Truck Stop on I-76 at SR 225 for our rest stop (11 AM). From there we angle SE taking small roads between Salem and Leetonia to Salem Township, and then east through New Waterford to East Palestine. After a circle around the area of the derailment we’ll have lunch at the Original Roadhouse (close to 1 PM) where several of us had lunch with Governor DeWine last spring when he was inspecting the area.
After lunch I may take SR 170 south a few miles to Negley and pick up SR 154 west to Lisbon – some nice curves and elevation changes. If the weather is cooperating (no lightning or downpours) I’ll continue west on SR 172 to SR 44 and north to Ravenna.
See you tomorrow! Bob’s Macedonia at 9 for breakfast, ride departure at 10 AM.
Wednesday, May 15 – Ashtabula Covered Bridges (some gravel)
This week we head up to the NE corner of Ashtabula County to tour the covered bridges that are accessible only via gravel roads – it shouldn’t be very dusty given the recent rains. We will take I-271 and I-90 up to TA Truck Stop at the SR 193 exit on I-90 for our rest stop (arriving 11 AM). From there it is mostly gravel roads as we wind our way along rural roads south of Conneaut across 8 covered bridges crossing Conneaut Creek and the Ashtabula River. Lunch will be at the Crow’s Nest, a down home Italian eatery popular with locals (arriving 12:45).
I haven’t been on these roads for nearly 2 years – we didn’t ride this route last year – so there could be some closures, but what the heck, this is an adventure! And it could be rainy on Wednesday, which will only add to the fun – if it’s a gully washer we’ll stay home and save this ride for another day.
See you at Bobs in Macedonia at 9 AM for breakfas; ride departure at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride 08 May 24 to Carrollton
The weather looks fine for riding on Wednesday – it may be cloudy but a high up around 80.
Let’s go to Carrollton to check out either the Deli on the Square or maybe have a picnic at the Carroll County Airport –
I’ve got the route attached so we can discuss dining preferences on Wednesday morning.
Show up at Bob’s with a full tank of gas and be ready to head out at 10. Meet us there at 9 if you would like to enjoy
breakfast and sometimes stimulating conversation!
Mike Sikora
Wednesday Ride, May 1 – Velvet Ice Cream in Utica
The weather for Wednesday is looking absolutely perfect – 77 degrees and partly cloudy – and Mr. Penney is going to lead the ride down to Velvet Ice Cream in Utica for the season opening of Ye Olde Mill ice cream parlor and restaurant, a group favorite. Word on the street is Mr. Sikora is back in the area and will be joining us – we are crossing our fingers that he won’t get another flat tire, but bring your gloves and patch kit just in case. The rest stop will be the Marathon on Route 3 a mile south of US 30, on the south side of Wooster – arriving around 11 AM. This is a bit of a jaunt – arrival at Velvet Ice Cream will be around 1 PM.
Ride departs Bobs in Macedonia promptly at 10 AM. As usual, come early for breakfast and stimulating conversation, and a cheery welcome from our new friend Rose.
Saturday Apr 27th club ride for Lunch at Winking Lizard in Peninsula
On Saturday April 27th our second Saturday Ride will depart from Bob Evan’s Macedonia at 10am. Neal Weingart will lead a 2 hour tour of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park finishing with lunch at The Winking Lizard in Peninsula. For gps lovers, the route is downloadable from the club website (from the ‘About+Misc page) under the title ‘Targa Nealio route’. The weather looks favorable with high temps of 71 degrees; PERFECT riding weather! So Saith COOP
Wednesday Ride, April 24 – Deerfield for Humongous Fish Sandwich
Wednesday’s Ride is going to be on the cool side so I’ve planned a short – 2 hours – ride east on Mennonite Road to the McDonald’s in Garrettsville for our rest stop (11 AM), and then on east through the Eagle Creek valley to the edge of Warren, south on small roads (of course!) to Newton Falls, and then on south through the Mahoning River valley to Lake Milton and the Circle Restaurant in Deerfield (around noon). The Circle Restaurant has generous portions of their food, but the fish sandwich is over the top!
Breakfast at Bob’s in Macdeonia at 9 AM (earlier for the ultra faithful), and ride departure at 10 AM. Please come with a full tank of gas as McDonald’s doesn’t sell ‘push water’.
Wednesday Ride, April 17, 2024 – Ashland via Overton Road
It’s looking rainy for this Wednesday, but I’ve planned a ride just in case it turns out to be decent weather. The plan is to take Valley Parkway west (including Meadows Drive, suggested by Rich Frantz) and State Road south to I-271 and I-71 our rest stop (about 11 AM) at Love’s at Burbank (I-71 and SR 94). From there it is south on Overton Road to the Old Lincoln Highway and west to Ashland and Lyn-Way, one of our favorite lunch spots. Sometimes there is a wait, but it’s always worth it.
We depart Bob’s in Macedonia (SR 8 and I-271) promptly at 10 AM. Come early for breakfast.
Keeping my fingers crossed for decent weather…..
Wally
Saturday April 13th, 2024 from Bob Evan’s Macedonia at 10am to The Barn Restaurant (thebarnrest.com), Smithville
It’s that time again! The riding season officially kicks off on Saturday April 13th from Bob Evan’s Macedonia at 10am. This will be a nominally 2 hour ride through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park then working our way West on Bath Rd. We’ll avoid Wadsworth on the West side, go through Chippewa Twp to Sugar Creek Twp then back roads South of Rt 30 arcing North to The Barn Restaurant Northwest of Wooster. Lunch will be from the buffet or from the menu; and their salad bar is ‘world class’. In early April weather is always a factor, and a shorter alternative exists should it be necessary. The “pit-stop” will be in Rittman OH at the Stop-n-Go at 10E Sunset Drive. The ride leader and navigator will be Mark Belli, so please be attentive at his pre-ride briefing and don’t forget to sign the waiver. Gas up before you arrive at Bob’s, and give your bike a thorough safety check prior to our first ride. For those gps people, both track and route are available on the gps page of the website (under About+Misc). The ride files are titled Bob’s Macedonia to The Barn route/track. We look forward to seeing you there!
The Barn Restaurant (thebarnrest.com) is located at 877 West Main Street Smithville OH, 44677
Their phone number is 330-669-2555. I expect we’ll arrive at 12:00.
Wednesday Ride, Oct 25, 2023 – Brush Creek to Bergholz Diner
Tomorrow looks to be a nice day for late fall – 70 degrees, but cloudy. I’m thinking our route down around the Brush Creek Wilderness Area will give us an opportunity to take advantage of the fall colors, beautiful reds and yellows, that are still out there. We will take SR 14 to Salem, and 9 and 644 to Salineville for our rest stop at the Marathon station, arriving there around 11:30 AM. Then we pick up County Road 55 just south of Salineville and make a loop east to Hammondsville, south and back west along the rim of the Brush Creek canyon to Township Road 218, a great little canopied downhill road, then south around Jefferson Lake State Park and take several more small forest roads to Amsterdam. From there it’s only 5 or 6 miles north to Bergholz and the Bergholz Cafe, a small family run enterprise. If you order pancakes at the Cafe I suggest ordering only one…
I’ve got a special little route planned for riding back to Cleveland. I’m going to take SR 524 and small roads to Minerva then SR 183 north to Rte 14. Route 524 is only 19.89 miles long and is the shortest state highway in Ohio.
See you tomorrow at Bobs in Macedonia. Breakfast at 9, ride departs at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, Oct 18, 2023 to Deli on the Square
I think fall is usually a great time to explore back roads to check out the beauty in the changing colors on the sides of the roadways.
So this week we will check out Routes 14 and 9 as we wind our way to the Deli on the Square in Carrollton. We did find a few small areas of construction on the pre-ride Sunday and the trees were just beginning to change. Hopefully a couple days of fall weather will help brighten up our journey.
See you at Bob’s at 9 for breakfast and we should be wheels up at 10.
Mike
Wednesday Ride, Oct 11 – Sandusky, Shoreline Park
Wednesday’s ride will follow a route we have used previously, but with a new destination – Shoreline Park in Sandusky. We will ride through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to Bath, west to Abbyville Road and north through Grafton to our rest stop at the Marathon on SR 301 on the northside of Lagrange. We should arrive there around 11:15 AM. From Lagrange it’s west a few miles to County Line Road and north to Vermillion River Park, then west on Darrow Road to SR 2 at Huron and on to Sandusky and Shoreline Park. It will be close to 1 PM by the time we get to the Park.
This is a “pack your lunch” ride for eating in the park. Or you can pick up something at the Lagrange Marathon, buy a sub (pricey) at Great Lakes Grinders in the park.
Departure from Bob’s in Macedonia at 10 AM. Breakfast at 9 AM.
This will NOT be the last organized ride of the season because we have two more Wednesdays. We will continue to meet at Bob’s every Wednesday of the year (except Christmas), and will often ride to lunch depending on the weather and inclinations of those present, but won’t be sending out the weekly emails with routes attached.
See you Wednesday….
Wednesday Ride, Oct. 4 – Grand River Wine Tour
The grape harvest should be underway by now in the Grand River Valley wine growing region, and with the weather forecast for Wednesday warm and sunny it should be a good day to tour the valley and have lunch at the Ferrante Vineyards restaurant. We will ride I-271 north a few miles to the Harvard Avenue exit, then take County Line Road all the way up to Chardon Road (US 6) where we will take small winding roads through the “high rent district” of Waite Hill and Kirtland to the Holden Arboretum for our rest stop. We should arrive there around 11:15 – if you plan to meet us there tell the gate attendant that you want to only use the restroom and they will let you enter. After a few more secondary roads we will take SR 585 north and South River Road west through the Grand River wine region, and if it’s not too windy we should be able to breath in the sweet scent of ripe concord grapes. This route has some cool hills and curves I think you’ll enjoy. We’ll cross the river and come back west on SR 307 to have lunch at the Ferrante Winery on SR 307 around 12:30 PM. It should be a nice day to eat out on their covered patio or one of their gazebos.
Departure from Bobs in Macedonia at 10 AM sharp. Come at 9 AM for breakfast.
P.S. This route has some nice big hills and curves I think you’ll enjoy.
Wednesday Ride, September 27, 2023 – East Main Kitchen in Baltic
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Destination is Baltic, and the East Main Kitchen, another of our favorite lunch spots.
The route will take you through the Cuyahoga Valley to SR 93 south of Akron, all the way down to Baltic.
There is no GPS file for this ride – Sir William will be sure to keep everyone together.
As usual, meet at Bobs in Macedonia – 9 AM for breakfast, and 10 AM ride departure.
Wednesday Ride, Sept 20, Mohican State Park
Most of you have probably heard by now that our dear friend and Wednesday Ride mate, Steve Clarke, died in a motorcycle accident last Friday while riding with club members at the RA Rally in West Virginia. A deer jumped in front of him, pushing him into the lane of oncoming traffic where he was struck by an oncoming car and died instantly. Steve’s passing leaves a big hole in our club, and especially in our Wednesday Ride group. He was always such an enthusiastic participant, adding to the fun and excitement of our adventures, ready for any kind of ride.
Since he lived way over on the west side Steve didn’t always make it to our Wednesday breakfasts, but when he did it was a treat – everyone was glad to see him. Sometimes he would meet us at the rest stop when our rides were more in his area and ride with us to lunch. So I thought it would be nice to do a ride this Wednesday that Steve would show up for, waiting at the rest stop with that great big smile on his face, all ready to go. Mohican State Park has been one of our favorites, and this week we’ll do it in memory of Steve.
I’ve made a few changes this time. We will take I-271 and I-71 down to Love’s Travel Center at the SR 83 exit on I-71 a few miles south of Lodi. We should arrive there soon after 10:30. From there we will take Overton Road down to Wooster, and instead of riding west on the Old Lincoln Highway we will take small roads along a fork of the Mohican river to Loudenville, our second rest stop. Following our usual tour through Mohican State Park we will drop south to SR 514 and pick up Wally Road (yea, that’s right!) which follows the Mohican river back up to Loudenville for lunch at the Black Fork Bistro.
A couple of things… once we get off the interstate the roads will be small. They are all paved, but there are some sections of patched asphalt making for a few bumps along the way. It is totally rideable on any bike, but if you prefer smooth blacktop and wide shoulders this may not be to your liking. And this will be a longish ride, probably getting to the restaurant around 1 PM. But the weather will be glorious, and Steve will be along with us in spirit, so it should be a memorable ride.
Ride departs Bob Evans in Macedonia at 10 AM sharp. Come at 9 AM for breakfast and conversation — I’m sure many will want to share their memories of Steve.
Hope to see you Wednesday! Wally Gingerich
Saturday Ride Sep 16, 2023 to Carrollton, Ohio
Going back country roads to Carrollton, Ohio.
Latter parts of this track yet to be ridden. Rt183. Discovery arranged by Uncle Garmin.
Lunch at Carrollton County Airport. Gets high trip advisor ratings. Country motor biking, country airplanes.
(OR There is also Que Pasa Mexican restaurant in Carrolton. Nice place, large helpings. Mexican murals on everything)
Slightly different route than you have ridden before.
The weather forecast for Wednesday is partly cloudy (no rain), so I locked it in. Guaranteed…
With temps in the 60s it will be a good day to ride SR 164, one of the best roads within reasonable riding distance of Bobs in Macedonia. We’ll spend 45 minutes on I-77 to Canton and where we will pick up SR 41 to Waynesburg. Our rest stop will be the McDonalds in Waynesburg – we should arrive there a few minutes before 11 AM. From Waynesburg we’ll head south on SR 542, a lightly traveled curvy road that skirts the east end of Atwood Lake and then takes SR 212 to Leesville. At Leesville shortly we pick up SR 164, one of the premium roads in this part of Ohio with great sweepers along ridge tops all the way east to Amsterdam. From there we drop south to SR 646, another great curvy road and head back west to Scio for lunch with Joann at the B&F Dairy Bar, arriving around 1 PM.
I had wanted to have lunch at The Restaurant in the old hotel but they are closed on Wednesdays and Lexi, the owner, recommended the B&F Dairy Bar – she said Joann taught her everything she knows. And Lexi knows a lot – her fish on Fridays is out of this world but get there before she sells out. The B&F Dairy Bar has a large menu of sandwiches and sides along with ice cream, and provides outdoor seating. It should be fun!
Wednesday Ride Sept 6th. From Bob Evans to Jolly Rogers in Port Clinton
Hey everybody
I’m taking Gretchen to Jolly Rogers Port Clinton for her pre birthday ride Wednesday. Please join us. Bob Evans Macedonia To Rocky River along the lake. It will be a hot one Wednesday but maybe a bit cooler by the lake. Then to Vermillion and stop at speedway before we hop on Rt 2 to Marblehead and Port Clinton. Kick stands up at 10:00 am, come early 9:00 am for breakfast at Bob Evans Macedonia.
It’s that time of the year again! Get out your PC150s, your Yamaha Vinos and dust them off for a shorter ride on mainly secondary roads.
We’ll head across the scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park to head west through Bath and on to Medina Line Road to Silver Creek Park. Summit Metroparks has converted all traffic through Silver Creek to a one way traffic pattern so the entrance is now further down . We will proceed through the park for our rest stop at the Circle K on Eastern Road just west of Route 21. The route is changed again on Eastern Road due to road construction so the detour will take Taylor Road south to Vanderhoff and then on to our usual path on Cleveland Massilon Road to Canal Fulton where we pick up Route 93 to Beach City where join Route 212 to our lunch Stop at Sublime BBQ in Bolivar.
The updated route avoids most of the well travelled highways and tries to focus on back roads with speed limits of 45 or lower. We pass quite a few gas stations so there should not be a problem with the smaller tanks on the little ones. The scenery is great and this should be a fun casual ride – even for the big bikes.
All bikes are welcome so show up at Bob’s in Macedonia for breakfast at 9 and be ready to ride at 10. Mike
Wednesday Ride 23Aug23 to Utica and Ye Olde Mill at Velvet Ice cream
This Wednesday’s forecast is calling for partly cloudy with a high of 83 – a perfect day for a ride to Velvet Ice cream!
We’ll start out at 10 with the route heading through Cuyahoga Valley National Park and then on to Wooster for our rest stop at the BellStores at the intersection of 3 and 95. From here we proceed south on 3 and then shortly pick up route 226 towards Shreve. The trip continues through Shreve on to 514 for hilly and rolling country sides on our way to Utica and Ye Olde Mill at Velvet Ice cream. I’m not sure what’s on the food men but the ice cream is great!
See you at Bob’s for breakfast at 9 and we’ll be on the road at 10.
P.S. Next week it’s Scooter Ride! Get the little ones out, dust them off and fill the tanks up for our back-road tour to Bolivar!
Wednesday Ride, August 16 – Guilford Lake, Mark’s Landing
We haven’t been to Mark’s Landing for more than a year! Last time, as I recall, the fish sandwiches were big and yummy, although service was a little slow. But the view overlooking the Lake is very nice, and there is outdoor seating if we want. To get to Mark’s we will ride through West Branch State Park, take a rest stop at Love’s on SR 255 at I-76 (arrival: 11 AM), cross Lake Milton and then angle SE toward Canfield before dropping south to Guilford Lake about 6 miles west of Lisbon. We should arrive at Guilford Lake around 12:30. Mark’s Landing is on SR 172, which makes a nice route home going due west to Canton. I haven’t been on some of these roads for a while, so we may need to detour but that is never a problem – always an adventure.
See you at Bobs for breakfast at 9, ride departs at 10.
Wed Ride, August 9 – Warsaw to Shokey’s Country Kitchen
‘ll be out of town again this Wednesday, but Ed Desimone has planned an adventure for you – a ride down to Warsaw for lunch “out in the sticks” at Shokey’s Country Kitchen, about 3 miles south of Warsaw. Shokey and his companion run the place – cooking out of what looks like a school bus and serving in a dirt floor “dining room” attached to the bus. The food is good, and the conversation with Shokey even better! Ed will be taking mostly state highways down to Warsaw, but knowing Ed I can’t guarantee there won’t be a little gravel, maybe in the sticks near Shokey’s.
The rest stop will be the Marathon on U.S. 250 in Mt. Eaton with arrival around 11:15.
Bob’s at 9 for breakfast. Ride departs at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, August 2, to Dog Tracks Diner in Wellington
Rich Frantz is going to be leading the ride this Wednesday, and he has a great one planned! Rich knows the roads in the environs around Medina and he has put a route together that includes a lot of curves and even some decent hills, including stretches on little roads that most of us have never ridden. It’s going to be fun.
The route takes River Road and Bath Twp Road over to the “west side” and then follows small roads (all in good shape) in a zig-zag to Pilot Travel Center at Burbank (I-71 and SR 83) for the rest stop, arriving there around 11:15 AM. Then it’s on west through West Salem and Homerville, and north past Findley State Park to Wellington. Wellington is 20 miles west of Medina on SR 18, so it won’t be a long ride back home.
Have Fun! I’ll be in Seattle so I’ll miss this ride, but I’ll ride it another day.
Bob’s at 9 for breakfast. Ride departs at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, July 26 – Conneaut, Breakwall BBQ
Tomorrow looks to be a warm and sunny day – perfect for a ride up along Lake Erie to Conneaut for lunch at Breakwall BBQ on the beach. We will take I-271 and I-90 north to Vrooman Road where we’ll exit north to SR 84, South Ridge Road, and head east to Geneva. South Ridge Road follows a ridge that was the shoreline of Lake Erie a few thousand years ago. Our rest stop will be the Circle K at SR 84 and 534, just south of Geneva. From there we head north a few miles to Geneva-on-the-Lake, always a fun place to “drag main,” especially in the tourist season. I don’t expect there will be many Harleys hanging out mid-day tomorrow. We’ll stay on Lake Road, SR 531, all the way through Ashtabula Harbor and on to Conneaut beach. There are nice lake views along Lake Drive and maybe we’ll pick up some cool lake breeze. Breakwall BBQ is right on the beach in Conneaut, offering good food with inside and outside seating. They are a BBQ joint, but also have a good Walleye sandwich.
Breakfast at Bob’s Macedonia at 9 AM. Ride departs at 10 AM.
Wednesday Ride, July 19 – Mosquito Lake Loop to Mesopotamia General Store
Our destination this Wednesday will be the End of the Commons General Store in Mesopotamia. We will take Pioneer Trail Road east from Aurora to Garrettsville, then SR 305 to Cortland, stopping on the way at the BP station at SR 45 and 305 for our rest stop (arriving around 11 AM). From there we loop around the southern end of Mosquito Lake and then head NE to Kinsman before coming back around to cross Mosquito Lake and end up at Mesopotamia. Bring your lunch or buy something at the End of the Commons General Store.
There are several Mormon historical sights along the Pioneer Trail Road dating back to the 1830s when the Mormons had settled in Kirtland.
This is one of our shorter rides, arriving at Mesopotamia on SR 87, 5 miles east of Middlefield, by 12:30.
Departure from Bob’s at 10 AM. Breakfast at 9.
Wednesday Ride, July 12 – Mosquito Lake Loop to Mesopotamia General Store
Our destination this Wednesday will be the End of the Commons General Store in Mesopotamia. We will take Pioneer Trail Road east from Aurora to Garrettsville, then SR 305 to Cortland, stopping on the way at the BP station at SR 45 and 305 for our rest stop (arriving around 11 AM). From there we loop around the southern end of Mosquito Lake and then head NE to Kinsman before coming back around to cross Mosquito Lake and end up at Mesopotamia. Bring your lunch or buy something at the End of the Commons General Store.
There are several Mormon historical sights along the Pioneer Trail Road dating back to the 1830s when the Mormons had settled in Kirtland.
This is one of our shorter rides, arriving at Mesopotamia on SR 87, 5 miles east of Middlefield, by 12:30.
Departure from Bob’s at 10 AM. Breakfast at 9.
Wednesday Ride, July 5, 2023, Log Cabin Inn, Harmony, PA
Bill Penney will be leading the ride this Wednesday to one of his favorite lunch spots, the Log Cabin Inn in Harmony, PA. We will take SR 14 and 45 to Lisbon where we’ll pick up SR 154 and the riding gets really good. In PA we’ll take SR 168 and 588 to New Harmony, and north on US 19 to the Log Cabin Inn.
This is a longish ride, about 2.5 hours riding time, so we should arrive at the Log Cabin Inn a little before 1 PM. Rest stop is the Circle K south of Salem where SR 45 makes a right turn heading south on S. Lincoln Ave.
Breakfast at 9 AM at Bobs in Macedonia. Ride leaves at 10 AM. See you Wednesday!
Wednesday Ride, June 28 Old Port Washington Rd
This is a good time to ride the Old Port Washington Road since we’ve had some rain and it shouldn’t be so dusty. If you’re not familiar with the Old Port Washington Road, click on the link above and check it out. In a nutshell, it is a trip back in time riding through the backcountry of Amish settlements from Millersburg to Baltic, and on to Port Washington. About half of the road is paved and half is well maintained gravel and dirt roads. I’m including two routes, one which takes the original road and one which takes PAVED roads alternative to the gravel sections.
We’ll leave Bob’s in Macedonia at our regular time, 10 AM sharp, and ride I-271 and I-71 down to Burbank, and then take 83 south to Millersburg. Our rest stop will be the BP in Wooster where 83 and 250 split about a mile south of US 30. If west side riders want to join us en route, please meet us at the Wooster BP rest stop – we should arrive there right at 11 AM. Please DO NOT attempt to meet us at the start of the Old Port Road in Millersburg as there is no place to wait to join the ride.
There are no restaurants in Port Washington, so we’ll have lunch at the park in town. It is a nice stop with shade trees and, if we’re lucky, the rest rooms will be unlocked! Bring your lunch or pick up something at the Wooster BP.
I haven’t ridden this road since last year so there could be some detours, but that will only add to the “adventure.” You don’t need an adventure bike to ride this road – if you’re comfortable on gravel an RT or GT will do just fine.
I’m also including tracks of the Old Port Road itself if you’d like to load those into your GPS to make sure you are on the correct roads in case your GPS messes with the route.
Hope to see you Wednesday – this is always a great ride!
PS. The GPS files have been given to Wed Regulars, not the route we rode last year.
Contact Wally for the files if you want them wallyging@gmail.com
Wednesday Ride, June 21 to Wooden Wheel in Quaker City
The Ride is one of Wally’s favorites-the Wooden Wheel in Quaker City. I scouted the route last week and the twisties of the Tappan-Moravian Trail Scenic Byway are in great shape. In fact, the last 12 miles from Antrim to Quaker City are newly repaved (no edge lines yet).
The routing takes us south to the US 77 turn-off to Highway 250 and the rest stop at the Marathon (RH side) in Uhrichsville. From there we travel OH 250, 800 & 513 through the villages of Deersville, Londonderry, Freeport, Atrim and our lunch destination at Quaker City’s Wooden Wheel Amish restaurant.
Come early to Bob’s! Breakfast orders are taken at 9 AM and we ride at 10 after a short briefing.
Wednesday Ride, June 14 to Jolly Rogers in Port Clinton, OH
Bob Evans Macedonia to Jolly Rogers Port Clinton is Wednesday June 14. leaving Bob Evans at 10:00am. Come early at 9:00am for breakfast. The route is posted in GPX files on the BMW club site. We will take rt 303 and back roads until we pick up Rt2 off Tiffin rd. There is a shell gas stop off rt 113 at Loraine rd. Then continue back on rt 113 west. We should get to Jolly Rogers around 1:00. C U Then.
Wednesday Ride, June 7 – to Brush Creek
We will be heading down to the Brush Creek Wildlife Area southeast of Salineville for our ride this Wednesday, and then south skirting Jefferson Lake State Park before heading north west to Carroll County Airport for lunch. Our rest stop will be the Marathon station in Salineville – we should arrive there around 11:15, and we will get to the airport around 1 PM.
Brush Creek is a rugged and relatively undeveloped area. We will ride mainly county and township roads from Salineville on, but they are in nice shape and rideable by any kind of bike. Lots of curves and elevation changes, and an unusually charming canopied road (Township 218) down off the south rim of Brush Creek “canyon.” Another delightful small road (Township 219) will take us through a heavily forested area along the south boundary of Jefferson Lake State Park. This is one of my favorite rides.
Several of you expressed interest in riding to East Palestine, site of the Norfolk and Southern derailment 3.5 months ago, and that is where we will be headed this Wednesday. The derailment zone runs from the eastern part of East Palestine to the Pennsylvania border, about a quarter mile in length. Clean-up of the south track has been completed and it is in operation in both directions. The north track has been removed and the contaminated soil underneath it is being excavated and replaced with clean dirt. The road alongside the derailment zone is being used to haul the contaminated material away and is closed to normal traffic but we can look down the tracks and see some of the activity when we cross over them in the eastern side of East Palestine.
So that is the destination, but we’ll take an interesting route to get there. From Bob’s we will head east through West Branch State Park and on to our rest stop at Love’s Travel Stop at SR 225 and I-76, arriving there a bit before 11 AM. From there we will be taking small roads south through the lowland area between Salem and Columbiana and then head east cross country to East Palestine. We’ll take a brief look at the clean-up zone as we cross the tracks in East Palestine, and then make our way to The Original Roadhouse for lunch where Bill Penney and I met the governor a few weeks ago when he was having lunch with local officials to discuss clean-up efforts. We should get to the Roadhouse between 12:30 and 1:00 PM.
The weather is looking good – sunny and cool. It should be a great day for doing a little exploring and enjoying Ohio’s lush countryside in the spring.
Departure from Bob Evans in Macedonia promptly at 10 AM. Come early for breakfast.
Wally
Saturday Ride East May 20th
Ride for Pie at Mary Yoders in Middlefield!
Saturday’s ride will take us through the Chagrin Valley with some potential detours due to road construction on the southern end of Chagrin River Road but, YOU ARE NEVER LOST ON A MOTORCYCLE!!
A rest stop will be at the Holden Arboretum and then routing through northern Geauga County roads through Hartsgrove, Mesopotamia and finally Mary Yoder’s Amish Kitchen in Middlefield!
As Wally has often says, “Very light rain/showers are in the forecast, but it won’t be a washout. Promise. “
Paul Mitchell
BMWMOC Vice-President
The file “Chagrin River to Mary Yoders.gpx” has been uploaded to GPS files on our website ABOUT+misc
Wednesday Ride 17 May 23
Looks like we have another great day to ride coming up so I thought we would head to Loudonville and visit the Black Fork Bistro.
Our route will head behind Bob Evans to wind through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and then on to routes 77 and 21 to pickup route 585 for our quick stop at Ports Petroleum on route 3 just outside of Wooster. From there we will take a different route as we travel down 95 to pick up route 39 in Perrysville.
Show up at Bob Evans at 9 for breakfast and be outside at 10 for a brief meeting before we head out.
), we should get to the airport right at noon.
) for a few years, so that will be our “destination” this week. The ODOT description of Wally Road gives a colorful description of the road and it’s background…
