If you’ve been following along with the blog, you may have noticed a little ‘sneak peak’ into our future adventures!
We are going on adventures in our own backyard!!!
Now I don’t mean ‘literally’ in our own backyard, considering the fact that we have an apartment and no yard to care for 😂
I mean our home state – OHIO!
Growing up in Ohio, I never thought of it as an adventurous place; but living in Ohio this time, Jeremy by my side, has felt like one adventure after the other.
This summer has been full of exploring local waterfalls, hiking, mountain biking, and white water rafting!🚵🏼♂️
But our latest adventure, is probably our most fun AND EVENTFUL adventure of the summer.
Over Labor Day weekend, we biked the Ohio to Erie Trail – a network of paved and gravel bike paths, only interrupted by 30 miles of road biking, that spans 326 Miles.
You begin the ride by dunking your back tire in the Ohio River right in downtown Cincinnati. You finish by dunking your front tire in Lake Erie after navigating Cleveland.
It’s a journey we planned shortly after our return from New Zealand, in hopes it would help ease the post-trail blues.🥾
Now it’s here, and it’s time for an adventure in a state I’ve so long looked at as adventure-less. Let me give you a teaser… at every turn this trip proves my previous assumptions about Ohio wrong.
September 2, 2026 (Day 1)
I open the car door in downtown Cincinnati and inhale the strong smell of Ohio’s newest legal leaf-drug. It’s 10 PM in downtown. There are sounds of a nearby concert raging on and people are still up and walking about the city on a Wednesday evening. I’m immediately grateful to be with Jeremy and my brother Austin.
Being from the country, the city often feels overwhelming to me and I’m exceptionally grateful for their presence as we begin our 326 mile journey together.
As Jeremy is working to pump up the tires, I meticulously work to tighten and secure every ounce of our gear. Water bottles, tent, snacks, our one pair of spare clothes, medical kit, a few toiletry items, our Zenbivy sleep system, bike repair tools and a few other items we deemed as “essential” for our trip. All of a sudden there is a loud ‘pop’. Before I know it Jeremy and Austin are on the ground looking for something.
Jeremy informs me that the valve core of the tube on his tire just blew out and is now sitting somewhere in the parking lot. Launched at around 100 PSI from the tube, our odds of finding it are low- but his tire is useless without it!
We looked and looked, but soon concluded there was no hope.
A busted tire before we ever even leave the lot! “Great, I hope this isn’t a precursor to the rest of our trip.”
Luckily Jeremy comes with the title “bike mechanic”. He never leaves home without spare parts and the tools to change them. A few moments after we gave up our hunt for the missing valve, a new tube was in Jeremy’s tire and we were set to ride!
At 11 PM we dunked our back tires into the Ohio River and began an awe-inspiring ride through the city lights. It was really beautiful – even to someone who doesn’t love cities!
My spirit’s soared as we took in the fresh air of the night (no longer polluted by the smell of Devil’s lettuce).
Just as we reached the outskirts of town Jeremy nearly tipped his bike as we navigated a railroad track. I called out to him to ask him if he was alright and just like that… just like in the movies, my body met the hard pavement.
Oh boy… here we go.
No harm was done and no blood was drawn. I brushed it off and kept riding with a hurt pride.
We had an 18 mile ride to our first campsite. Not even 5 miles in, Jeremy discovered his spare tube had a leak. Luckily it was a slow one and we limped the bike along, stopping every 5 miles to pump it back up.
Finally around 1 AM, we rolled into camp. Wired from our night ride, we decided to swim in the river we were camping by. As we were swimming a beautiful, huge buck wondered right into the middle of the river some 50 feet from us. We stopped to take in his nearness in the moonlight, awe-struck by his presence so close to a major city.
Sleep came on our tired and weary bodies around 2 AM. We had had an eventful start and were grateful for the comfort of the tent and our Zenbivy.
September 3, 2026 (Day 2)
Our alarm sounded at 7 AM. Way too early for how late we got to bed last night (or rather how early this morning).
Our mission today- find a bike shop and see if we can repair Jeremy’s tire. Upon investigation, we found out there was a bike shop about 10 miles away right along the bike path! So after a strawberries and cream granola bar, we set out on our quest.
This weekend is HOT 🥵. 90 + degrees to be exact! We found the bike shop and a small cafe for breakfast. Right after I ate breakfast my stomach started to hurt.
I rested my stomach while Jeremy got 2 new tires and new tubes put on his bike (plus a new spare for later!).
In the meantime my stomach pain worsened to the point it was almost unbearable. Austin and I walked to the bike shop form the cafe. By the time we got there I lost my breakfast and all things strawberry and cream were gone from my system.
We waited an hour to see if my state would improve. It did not. I couldn’t keep anything down and kept throwing up. Eventually when there was nothing left to come up I began dry heaving.🤮
So we made a hard decision. Austin was to stay with me and keep me sane, while Jeremy biked back to the car (about 30 miles with a headwind).
This is not how I imagined day 2 would look. I laid flat on my back, feet elevated in the bike shop. The employees were extremely kind and kept bringing me anything they could think of that would help.
A few hours later we were driving toward the campsite we had planned to bike to that day. 40 miles of scenic trail – missed. But at the end of the day, my heart was filled with such gratitude. How wonderful it is to have those in your life care so deeply for you? How wonderful it is to feel the kindness of strangers in the middle of your need!
Our campsite was in Xenia, OH so we spent the evening visiting my sister who recently started college at Dayton University. We filled her in on all our adventures thus far. What a ride!!!
All I could think about as I shut my eyes to sleep that night is, “I hope I feel better tomorrow morning”.
With the sunrise would come our first ever century ride.
September 4, 2026 (Day 3)
The subtle morning hues woke me around 6 AM. We were eager to get started before the sun rose and brought the scorching heat with it.
Today we plan to ride about 100 miles from Xenia to the outskirts of Mount Vernon.
As we started off our ride we waved goodbye to my brother, Austin, who was only joining us for part of the journey and had agreed to take our car back home.
About 20 miles in we stopped for breakfast at All in Flavor Cafe and Sweets. Turns out it’s the local biker’s hangout and we fit right in with the crowd. Breakfast was just what my body needed! My stomach was feeling much better and my strength was back from yesterday. I could keep food down again!!!
We treated ourselves to a chocolate chip cookie with our coffee (and ordered one to go for later)!
As we peddled off towards Columbus our spirits were soaring. It was the full, happy feeling you get from experiencing an amazing meal and a good cup of coffee in a cute local cafe.
Shortly after lunch time we peddled through downtown Columbus. Until now we had been averaging almost 20 miles per hour. But our progress slowed to a crawl as we navigated the busy streets of the city.
In light of wanting to make camp before night fall, and the fact that we still had a cookie to munch on🍪, we opted to skip lunch and eat an early dinner close to our campsite.
As we were riding through downtown Columbus, a weird ‘swoosh – swoosh’ sound came from my back tire. I thought something was stuck in my wheel, until I realized that my leg was doused in tire sealant and Jeremy remarked a doubtful “that isn’t something stuck in your tire…”. I looked down as I came to a stop…
My tire is flat. Not again…
I pulled out my phone to research the nearest bike shop. My bike has tubeless tires so it can be hard to find a shop that maintenances them.
As I’m looking up our options, the mosquitos descended on us and began swarming our whole bodies.
Here we had a decision. Get eaten alive or keep riding on a flat tire. So along the trail we rode, my flat tire lagging.
Jeremy commented that the tire wasn’t loosing air anymore. We decided it couldn’t hurt to try pumping it up again. Tubeless tire sealant for the win!!! The tire had self-sealed itself and my tire was back in tip top riding shape- no maintenance required!!!
Finally our luck seemed to be changing!
After Columbus we rode through a beautiful section of trail winding through the forrest along a river surrounded by wild flowers. Perfection 🌼
That evening about 12 miles from camp, we stopped for a big juicy burger. But not just any burger. These burgers are 3/4 lb each!!!
The waitress, very kind and well-meaning, tried to convince us that we could share a burger and thus save some money. We respectfully turned down her, happy to spend our money on two HUGE burgers the size of our faces.
Giddily, like little kids, we giggled in the booth talking about how far we made it that day! In just a few miles we will both have just completed our first 100 mile (century) ride!!!
Before eating that burger, 12 miles felt like child’s play. Easy. Doable in my sleep.
After eating that burger, 12 miles felt like it may have been Mount Everest, a summit I was not mentally prepared to climb.
But as hard as it was to get moving, I knew it would be well worth it! We had a campsite at the Liberty Barn waiting for us!
The Liberty Barn is a farm just out of Mount Vernon that offers hot showers, homemade ice cream, and a spot in the field to bikers! Paradise to these tired legs! So deep within me, I found the energy to keep going.
The anticipation grew as we neared the 100 mile mark.
As we hit the milestone of our first century ride we both broke out in squeals, hooting, hollering, and high-fiving.
The celebration was on with some homemade ice cream and a hot shower! The achievement felt amazing!
I can’t believe we just biked 100 miles.
That night we drifted to sleep under the stars. Proud of how far we had come, dreaming of the journey ahead. I thanked my body for everything it gave today. Sometimes (ok… probably most times!) the things in life that are worth doing are not easy.
September 5, 2026 (Day 4)
I woke up, startled, thrashing around in the sleeping bag. Jeremy reached out and held me, telling me multiple times “It’s ok!” before I calmed down. It was 3 AM, and the loudest thunder crack I think I’ve ever heard just bolted out of sky. It had sounded like it was heading straight towards us.
A thunderstorm. Normally it puts me right to sleep when I’m snuggled up in my cozy bed enjoying the safety of four sturdy walls. But in the tent, it jolted me to attention, knowing that if a nearby tree fell, we were toast.
Luckily we were positioned in the valley and far from any trees that were likely to be struck, yet to fall asleep in the middle of a raging storm while sleeping in a tent requires turning off your mind to the “what if’s” and trusting your gutt senses.
A few minutes later we both drifted off to sleep peacefully under a cracking sky, too tired to stay awake and be afraid of the storm.
We didn’t wake again until 8 AM, and when we did you would not have been able to tell there had been a storm raging! Birds were chirping, the sun was beginning to pop out, and all was right with the world!
We cooked breakfast over our camp stove and leisurely dismantled our tent. Around 10 AM we set out on our daily mission. Today we would be riding through Holmes County – Amish Country! Our home is located about 12 minutes from the bike path. It’s crazy to think we’ve made it this far!
You could tell the moment we hit Amish Country. The rain from the night before was rushing all over the trail, mixing with horse ‘droppings’ and splashing all over our bags (and ourselves) as our tires rode over the wet pavement. (This made for a poopy experience 😫)
We met my brother and his girlfriend for lunch at one of our favorite local spots.
I think one of the biggest mistakes I consistently made on this trip was eating. When you’re in the middle of a long ride, eating a full meal is about the worst thing you can do for yourself. Your body simply doesn’t have the energy to keep propelling you forward, while digesting the 1,500 calories you just ate! You’re much better off eating small snacks and waiting for a big meal until the end.
Nevertheless, hind-sight is 20-20, and that afternoon I found myself crying as I painfully peddled my bike up the hills between Fredericksburg and Apple Creek, Ohio. Long, slow hills.
My body was aching from the day before, but perhaps the worst thing was knowing that I had rode about 50 miles and I still had 30 to go. My body was screaming “stop!”, but through tears I just kept peddling.
“One stroke at a time” I kept telling myself.
By the time we reached Apple Creek, I was starting to get over the worst of the pain and emotion, sinking into a mind space of “just keep going”. This is what happens when you try something that pushes you. You have to mentally come to a state where you don’t think you have what it takes- but decide to continue on anyway!
I think a lot can be learned about life through this. If we get so fixed on how far away from our goal we are currently, we may stop and quit altogether and never arrive. But if we can focus on just one step at a time, we will arrive at our destination wholly and altogether elated (though somewhat bruised) because we have come further than we ever dreamed possible!
Just around the time I came to terms with the pain in my body, there was a loud “pop” and Jeremy’s famous “oh boy”.
One of the spokes of Jeremy’s bike decided it was done with these hills and completely snapped, never to be seen again.
We can’t go anywhere.
A broken spoke means that every time you peddle forward your bike tire is off balance and wobbles, pressing up against your brake pad and slowing your momentum.
“We are finished.” I thought. “ok now, just wait a minute- THINK brain, think for me”.
We broke down in the BEST possible spot- right in Apple Creek only 20 minutes from home. Our church small group leaders live 1 minutes from where we broke down. Luckily they were home and a quick phone call later, we were hoisting our bikes on the back of their pickup truck! True angels to the rescue!
After catching up about the past few day’s events- Randy and Rhonda drove us to our cozy apartment. We showered, slept, and rejoiced- sleeping in our own bed! What a treat!
September 6, 2026 (Day 5)
Rested and well-fed, we loaded the bikes up on the car and headed for Massillon. The previous day’s unfortunate events meant we would be skipping 19 miles of trail from Apple Creek to Ernie’s Bike Shop in Massillon, OH, but we just felt grateful that we could even continue on! Ernie’s bike shop worked with us and got Jeremy’s bike fixed up in record time.
Today we are joined by Jeremy’s cousin, Jessie! He drove from Indiana, just to ride with us for the day, then turn back around and drive home tonight. While we rode 40 miles, he would ride 80.
It was so fun to have the company, and we filled him in on all our adventures thus far.
The ride from Massillon to downtown Akron and up into Cuyahoga National Park was so beautiful!
It was by far, my favorite section!
Close to our campsite we enjoyed some Mexican food and said fair-well to Jessie. We peddled to the Christmas tree farm, where we had booked a campsite that evening. They have little wooden structures you can sleep in. The evening was pure magic. The sunset colors danced over the hills. Jeremy built a crackling fire. We watched the stars until sleep found us. Peaceful and content.
September 7, 2026 (Day 6)
Labor Day morning, many people were heading out on boats or doing some other fun activity to celebrate the day off!
Us? We were about 30 miles from finishing our ‘across the state’ biking trip!
We headed to a cute local coffee shop to start our day off right and cruised towards Cleveland.
Making our way up through Cuyahoga National Park was so relaxing. We took our time. Finally on the home stretch, we didn’t want to rush this feeling!
A few short hours later we were waving at my mom and dad who graciously agreed to pick us up at the finish line!
We wheeled our bikes to the shore of Lake Erie and simultaneously dunked our front tires in, signaling the end of our ride. But just dunking a tire in wasn’t enough! In a few moments we found ourselves plunging all the way into the cool water, feeling the sweat wash off our bodies.
Bliss! Pure bliss! We did it!!!
We celebrated by grabbing breakfast with our parents at First Watch on the the way home.
What an adventure it has been!!!
I came to the end of this weekend feeling more alive and refreshed than I have in a long time. The call to adventure and the outdoors… it never stops! Sure, it was hard. Sure, it was uncomfortable. Sure, we had A LOT of flat tires! But it was GOOD.
Thanks so much for reading about our backyard adventure! Stay tuned for more adventures to come!
Hungry for more adventure inspiration? Read about our expedition across the South Island on New Zealand!
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