Day 54 - Harrison to Cincinnati OH

Tuesday April 16, End of Day Total Miles: 3282

Much warmer today -- 60s and 70s.

I started the morning a great chat with Kathy and Judy who are part of a church group from Nevada visiting Harrison.

When I got on the road I was happy to ride a wide shoulder as well as see a sign reminding motorists to share the road -- bicycles are vehicles that can use the road too.

I passed by Harrison High School on the way out of town.

Happily the roads were pretty empty.

And I was able to ride some country roads.

With sweeping vistas of the surrounding land (after a bit of climbing of course).

Went by the Dew Drop Inn.

Also passed a soccer complex with about a dozen soccer fields. Just a few pictured here.

Entered Miami Township.

Yet more plastic bottle trash, this one from Costco. :-(

A bit of eroding bank is endangering this road.

But the scenery is relaxing.

Entering Cincinnati proper I encountered a buffered and physically separated bike lane.

The bike lane became a bike path next to the sidewalk for a span to allow easier car parking.

Later it had some green paint.

A bicyclist crossed my path riding from sidewalk to sidewalk.

I passed city hall.

This is Lisa at a Cincinnati Harvard Club event with a copy of her latest book.

Marcy Taylor included me, her friend Caron, and some others as guests for this event. The Cincinnati Harvard Club is celebrating its 150th anniversary. They also acknowledged my ride across the US to attend my 35th college reunion as well as raising awareness about Oceans, Plastic, Climate Change, and Kids. 

Dr. Christopher Phillips, a historian and speaker at this event, discussed the politics and social situation in and around Cincinnati just after the Civil War -- it was a complex, multi-faceted, and difficult situation.

At that time the Democrats were firmly on the side of white rule while the Republicans supported emancipation and equal rights for blacks. Interesting that this flipped to today's new reality.

Afterwards I rode across the Purple People Bridge -- fantastic!

Jennifer and Hollis's family from West Virginia want to help sea turtles and keep the oceans clean for their kids!

The Newport Aquarium.

A view of the Purple People Bridge from the Aquarium.

Chad was helping chaperone his kid and others from a school that was visiting the aquarium. He is a geologist that handles water treatment for coal companies.

Paul and Jolene from the state of Washington...

... carry their own reusable bowls like me! They are very environmentally aware and concerned about the future of our world.

An interesting bell across from where...

...one of the key battles of the War of 1812 happened.

Then I visited the Buenger Boys and Girls Club in Newport Kentucky to give a talk.

The kids were fantastic and had lots of great questions.

Back on the Purple People Bridge (isn't that a great name?) I biked back to Cincinnati.

They had a panel for locks of love on the bridge.

And this time I took a photo of my bike crossing the Kentucky/Ohio state line.

Some have commented that I did most of my road photos did not have many cars. Well, here is a selfie of me taking the lane in heavy commute traffic in Cincinnati on a highway with no shoulder.

I also passed another huge soccer complex with a dozen fields and lots of players.

Further along, I passed several hundred cars stuck in rush hour traffic. Glad there was a good shoulder here.

Then I was on more residential roads.

And entered a beautiful neighborhood to meet my cousin Teri and her husband Jim for my overnight.