June 9, 2025
11:00 AM
We are packed and driving out of the campground heading for Bridgeport, Ohio. This is where I connect with my route to Zanesville. I load my gear onto my bike and start my Wahoo to guide me along the route. The screen pops out the unit. WTF! How many issues will we need to address on this tour? The Wahoo is only three years old. I dig into my supplies for the clear tape we were given to fix the taillight that had fallen off the camper. We tape the screen in place, I swear a bit more and start heading west. Nancy and Moe drive off to Dillion State Park in Zanesville.
I have a mountain, Dixon Hill, to get up and over. It’s a mile long climb and I push the bike with sixty pounds of gear to the summit.
11:45 PM
I stop at a store in the town of Neffs for a pint of ice cream and ice tea. I eat the Strawberry ice cream and drink one of the bottles of tea. I filled a water bottle with the other and continue riding toward my campground, Barkcamp State park. Along the way I pass through Loomis, Ohio.
3:10 PM
I ride into the campground and find my site. Thunder is in the distance, I set up my tent and cover the bike. I fill my bottles and three liter bladder. I start my stove and boil water for cooking my dehydrated meal. As I wait ten minutes for the meal prep, rain begins. Next to my site is a cabin with a porch, it’s vacant, I sit on the porch and eat dinner. I can finally relax.
