Ohio Archives - Cruisin with the Colemans

Upcoming Presentations!

Posted on January 29, 2025 by CruisinColemans

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[et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]Want to connect with us and hear about our adventures? Here is where you will find us this Spring 2025:

February 15, 2025, at the Dayton RV Show located at the Dayton Convention Center in Dayton, Ohio. At 9 a.m., we will talk about “From Florida to Maine: The Blunders and Beaches along a 2,000-mile RV Roadtrip.” At 1 p.m., we will talk about “Part-Time, Full-Time, Anytime RVers: Tips for Planning your Next Adventure!”

February 27, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. at Base Camp Outdoors Co., to talk about “Hidden Gems Around Dayton, Ohio,” where we will discuss Dayton as the Gem City because there are so many treasures to explore! The Colemans have been exploring and hiking Dayton’s trails for over 10 years. Join us to learn about their favorite trails and biggest surprises, and maybe you will discover a new hidden gem to check out.

March 20, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. at Base Camp Outdoors Co., to talk about “Navigating Dayton’s Five Rivers MetroParks Hiking Trails,” where we will discuss how, like most people, we walked our neighborhood to lose weight and be more active. When we got bored of their neighborhood, we bravely ventured to our local MetroParks. With no experience in trail navigation and zero hiking gear, we started hiking short trails in jeans and sneakers. The Colemans have hiked every mile of the MetroParks trail system multiple times. This Hiking 101 seminar will encourage you to hit the trail with what you have and begin your adventure. Further, we will give you a few gear tips to level up your hiking game.

Mark April 17th and May 15th on your calendar; we will be back at Base Camp Outdoors Co. with more topics!

If you have questions, email us at cruisinwiththecolemans@gmail.com
Of course, always follow our socials!
Happy adventuring!
Michelle[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
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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 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 1

Posted on March 26, 2022 by Cruisin Michelle

It’s cold, snowing, and the wind attempted to knock us off our feet most of the day. Fortunately on this bike trail we were a bit protected from the wind because the reality of how windy it actually was illustrated at every street crossing. 😩

Have I set the scene? We’re ridiculous, but we’re even more ridiculously motivated to get a week of backpacking under our belt. We haven’t been on a long backpacking trip since the summer of 2019 because of my necessary foot surgeries and then, well everyone knows what happened in March 2020.

The goal: To walk from Springfield, OH (north of Dayton) to Covington, KY on the Little Miami River Trail. Throughout the week, we are staying with fellow hikers, friends, an albergue-style home, and two hotels (because a good Camino always needs a splurge). It will be 90 miles over 7 days of walking, averaging just under 13 miles a day.

Today was supposed to be an easy 8.5 mile flat trail walk and Mother Nature tried to challenge us but alas we pressed on. Tonight we’re staying in an Air B&B in Yellow Springs at the Corry Street Retreat. It’s adorable and definitely feels like a Camino accommodation with 3 rooms, 3 detached bathrooms, and a common area with a full kitchen.

Corry Street Retreat from Air B&B in Yellow Springs, Ohio

It’s going to be a great week. We’ll have more cold, another dash of wind, sunshine, and even a 74 degree day. But we’re together and our only goals are walking, washing our clothes, and eating. If you want more, here’s a video from day 1 and day 2 on the trail: click here.

Total for today: 8.5 miles; $213 with $137 for food and $76 for our accommodations.

🌺 Happy 1st day of Spring Break! 🌸