ohio state parks Archives - Cruisin with the Colemans

Ohio Camino Day 6

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

Loveland, Ohio, what a pretty little trail town with your quant shops, delicious restaurants, ample bathrooms, and plenty of rest benches. We love you so much we slept in, stuck around for an early lunch, Uber’d to our original lunch stop, and walked the remaining 7 of our 15 miles.

The weather overnight was ugly with heavy rain and winds. I didn’t sleep the best because I kept imagining us walking in that crud. We are having fun this week but we would have more fun if we had less wind. Honestly, even the cold isn’t bad but the wind, oh the the wind.

I teach my Interpersonal Communication students that perfectionism doesn’t exist in this world and I follow by example. We have no desire to push our bodies beyond repair just to be perfect. If we had more time, more flexibility, we would absolutely skip the Uber, just walk a half-day today and the rest of it tomorrow. But we don’t have more time, lodging feels scarce, and this is the reality.

The walking today was gorgeous. The trees were more green, the scenery shifted more often, and the signage about the trails we walked on were plentiful. Today we walked on the Little Miami Scenic Trail, Buckeye Trail, American Discovery Trail, North Country Trail, Sea to Sea Trail, Ohio to Erie Trail, the Underground Railroad Cycling Trail, then we also crossed into the Great Parks of Hamilton County. I love trail signs. I love pausing to read the information and I love the meaning behind each message.

Signs from the trails were traversed on today

Below are 3 more signs we saw from the trail with a description of each one including the future plans for the Little Miami Scenic Trail thanks to Ohio Riverway.org. I know we will walk this path again and we are excited to see it grow.

Left to right (1) The blue hashes you may have seen before but never realized what they were. This sign, in particular, represents the Buckeye Trail and tells the hiker to make a right. (2) A bit of history on the Little Miami Railroad. (3) The most exciting sign that outlines the future of the trails in this area!

Tomorrow is our last day of walking. I have mixed feelings because my body needs more training but I am over the cold, windy weather. The trip got a bit more pricey than we planned so I am glad it’s wrapping up for our wallets sake. Work is going to get intense over the next 7 weeks with Brian’s musical in 3 weeks and wrapping up the school year for both of us. Time between now and our trip is going to fly by. I’m thankful for this week.

As of today we leave for the Via Francigena in 57 days. Mentally, we are ready. Physically, well nobody is ever ready for pushing your body that hard for that long, but we will press on and have a blast. We have a few changes to make regarding our gear which we’ll talk about on our final YouTube video for this adventure.

Today’s totals: 7 miles walked, 8 miles in an Uber. Accommodation: The Mariemont Inn, a stunning place to stay (see today’s YouTube video for a tour). We had a $40 Air B&B but they had to cancel on us so today’s budget was blown on this hotel alone. I’ll leave it there, again.

Ohio Camino Day 5

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

I really don’t want to tell you about our choices today but I am not going to worry about what you think. Our goal was 14.7 miles. We knew today was going to be tough for a couple of reasons.

First, as always, I am having foot issues again. UGH I am beyond irritated that I still have problems and my podiatrist will hear about it next week. This time it’s swelling on the foot I injured on our 2017 Camino and blisters on a couple of toes. Don’t get me started on shoes, I have tried them all and enough said on this issue. Next, it’s the 5th day in a row of massive training miles. We are exhausted. We thought a little bump this morning with our friend dropping us off 2 miles ahead of where we started would help, and it did, but that motivation didn’t last long.

By the time we got to our lunch stop after 7 miles of walking, we called it quits. I have no regrets. I took a nap, enjoyed wine, we walked a mile to dinner and a mile back. We walked 9 miles today. And, as a bonus, we had gorgeous weather to sit out and enjoy.

The Sycamore trees have been stunning all along & today the buttercups guided our way

Tomorrow will be our longest day yet at 15 miles. I am ok with calling an Uber. Having an escape plan makes everything a bit easier as we talk about in today’s YouTube video. I am excited about our lodging tomorrow but that’s for tomorrow’s blog post.

Today I will leave you with these photos from our dinner. We ate at a fabulous Italian restaurant with an impressive gluten free menu. It was as close to true Italian as we’re going to it. If you’re in Loveland, Ohio, gluten free or not, to to Rodi Italian Restaurant. Look at the photos and you’ll understand.

A dinner to fuel the soul from Italy.
Now, that’s motivation!

Today’s totals: 9 miles walked, 2 without backpacks; 2 miles in a car thanks to our friend, Lance, and 5 miles in an Uber, thanks to Lavon. Money spent: Too much with an Air B&B, two meals, and wine. I’m going to leave it there.

Ohio Camino Day 4

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

I’m no longer having bad thoughts about Meteorologists or Mother Nature. I am embracing Wim Hof and his cold theories. Think about this – after a game athletes take ice baths. We’ve received a good ice bath every day of this trip thus far. Hallelujah! 🤨🤷🏻‍♀️

I am channeling Elsa as I sing, “the cold never bothered me away.” I am dreaming of the Great St. Bernard Pass in Switzerland, thinking about how we’re ready for that cold too! Today was a steady incline – all-flipping-long yet we only gained 689 feet of elevation. I hated all 689 feet of it so basically I’m screwed.

I know it’s all about mindset and I’m trying. Today was rough at 14.4 miles of the same view all day. My joy consisted of this “waterfall” below and a clean port-a-potty (sorry no photos). The restaurant we wanted to eat at was closed, the benches were few and far between, we laid down in muddy grass out of exhaustion, and we walked in silence focusing on putting one foot in front of another.

My waterfall and the rest of todays view

The day started and ended much better than the middle part for which we won’t speak of again. I will add that Brian has been instructed upon my passing to donate a bench in this section engraved, “because everyone needs to take a load off.”

A huge thanks to our hosts tonight. For the third night in a row people have opened their homes to us and we are thankful beyond words. Tonight our friends know us well. I’ll leave that right here.

Todays total mileage: 14.4 miles. Total spent: $16 for Starbucks this morning mostly so we could watch Lily the dog enjoy a “pup cup” and to say thanks to Mary for hosting us last night. $120 to buy a our hosts, Amber & Lance and their kids, dinner (including a selfish pitcher of margaritas). $30 at Kroger for a couple necessities.

Ohio Camino Day 3

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

Glorious day 3, oh how glorious you are for getting us back on track. We slept like babies, awoke with a renewed spirit, our legs were miraculously healed overnight, and as a bonus, the sun was shining.

In 3 days we have covered over 30 miles, with almost half of that mileage being today. We walked from Xenia to Corwin on the Little Miami Scenic Trail. It was a long one today coming in at 14.4 miles. But, honestly, it was easy overall. Our spirits were up, the views improved, and we have great company tonight with fellow Dayton Hiker friends, Mary & Mike.

Don’t get me wrong, our legs aches, I have Compeed (like mole skin but better) on a few hot spots on my feet, and we need to go to bed soon in order to do this all again. But today was great and even better as we continue to be with kind people who are able to put us up for the night. We wanted a pilgrim experience and we’re getting it. Yay!

There were flowers on the trail, a few great pit stops, we wandered by a lake, and had a fabulous lunch at Slim’s in Spring Valley.

A pit stop in Spring Valley and Brian taking video of flowers on the trail

This trail is officially an Ohio State Park, but the cool part is that some of it overlaps with the Buckeye Trail, the North Country Trail, and the American Discovery Trail. Ohio is a great trail state with more hiking, walking, and biking opportunities than many realize. The signage on the trail is great, you won’t get lost if you know what you’re looking for along the way. If you want to practice for a big trip like us or you just like long distance hiking, Ohio is the state to be in!

Today’s mileage: 14.4 miles. The cost came in at only $26.54 for lunch. We are beyond blessed that Mary made us a delicious dinner and has already mentioned coffee cake for breakfast. I will have sugar plum dreams in anticipation!

Ohio Camino Day 2

Posted on March 27, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

The sun teased us a few times today but the cold air never gave us a break. I hate trusting a forecast only to be disappointed by it.

The 2nd day of walking is always harder. Momentum doesn’t come as easy as the first days adrenaline rush. The aches and pains start to kick in. The “what were we thinking when we planned something like this in an Ohio Spring” thoughts flow in and out of our minds all day.

Then there are the lack of views or distractions for the mind to toss around. Today we completed the stretch between Yellow Springs and Xenia on the Little Miami Scenic Bike Trail. It’s an easy walk, thank goodness, but don’t walk it for the views. Haha

We know how to hike in cold weather. We actually love hiking in the cold. We actually lead a hiking challenge over the winter months. This weeks challenge with the cold is two-fold. First, the forecast didn’t say it was going to be this cold. Have I mentioned that? Grrr…. Second, the wind was not supposed to be this intense. I’m trying not to complain, we are blessed to be able to do this, it’s just hard to be cold. Maybe the last two years have made us weak. Haha

Views from the Little Miami Trail from Yellow Springs to Xenia

Tonight we are lucky enough to have free lodging. Our host is a fellow member of our Dayton Hikers group. The generosity of others makes this feel even more like a Camino and that is the best feeling ever.

Our two stops for today: Nick’s Restaurant and the Xenia Station

For as many years as we have walked/biked this trail, we’ve never stopped at Nick’s Restaurant on the north side of Xenia. It’s right on the trail and in the summer their outdoor patio taunts us. Today we stopped and they did not disappoint our empty stomachs. Try the spin dip!

Tonight, we shared hiking stories with our host. We piddled away at documenting memories to the blog and YouTube. The YouTube video (linked below) includes a segment on our gear. My backpack is a Gregory Jade 38L, Brian’s is an Osprey 48L. We share with you what we carry in our packs so look for that video on our YouTube channel .

The goal of this adventure is to be more prepared for our walk on the Via Francigena. I know we are already one step closer to that goal as we’ve learned so much already. Who knows where the next 6 days will take us but we excited to share with you.

Focusing on one day at a day, I know this: We need to stretch – a lot – before we go to sleep. Tomorrow we will rise again. We will pray for more sunshine and less wind. We pray you enjoy following along. Please lift some love up for us, we appreciate it.

Totals for today: 9.54 miles; $118.38 for meals, lodging is free. 🙌🏼