Towpath Bike/ Train Ride

Come join club members Saturday, Oct. 10 on the Cuyahoga Valley Towpath, where we will bike and then ride back to our cars on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. The cost is $3 one ride for cyclists, a real deal as tickets for their theme events are pricey. We will meet at 10:30 a.m. where the national park's portion of the towpath begins at Rockside and Canal Roads. Rockside is an exit on 77 south just south of 480. There is a parking lot on the south side of Rockside just west of Canal Road. There are other lots nearby if it is full.

The train's schedule can be found at http://www.cvsr.com/bike-aboard Around lunchtime, we will likely pass Peninsula where the Winkling Lizard restaurant is on a couple miles south is the Szalay's farm market, which according to its website serves lunch on weekends.

The towpath is limestone and there are very few hills. There are restrooms every few miles from what I can recall and all the attractions and amenities should be open as this is a popular time down there. The approximate distance from Rockside to Peninsula train stop is 13 miles.

We can get the train anywhere we like going north, there are several stops, most of which are a few miles from each other. It stops at Peninsula around 3:30 p.m., but we could get on somewhere else depending on the time and distance everyone wants to ride. The train gets back to the Rockside area just after 4 p.m.
To RSVP or for questions, please email Allison Wood at Publicity officer or call
216-789-7135.

Event Recap

On Saturday, Oct. 10, I, along with several others, took a ride down the Cuyahoga Valley Towpath in beautiful, sunny weather that wasn’t too hot or too cold and then took the train back. We started at the Rockside Road stop just before 11 a.m., meeting Jan Neumann several miles down near the Brecksville train stop. We then rode down the path past where crews were setting up for the Towpath Marathon the next day and made a pit stop at Peninsula.

Due to the crowds, we didn’t stop at usual watering hole Winking Lizard but got a table at Fisher’s, which has a great patio and good burgers. After some revelry and brews, we went the last few miles down to the Indigo Lake train stop and waited to board. Unfortunately, our break took a bit too long to stop at Szalay’s farm stand, which had kettle corn and was in their fall season full swing. We got a photo here, and were joined by the park ranger in the back. The trip was about 18 miles in all from Rockside.

For only $3, bike riders have the chance to ride the train one way back to their cars. This is a really good deal to check out the train as most of their events are really pricey. On the way back, we met a nice guy in the Coast Guard who serves on the ice-cutter boat Neah Bay, which was extremely interesting and helped pass the time. We told him about the club, but he said he’s out most of the winter and wasn’t sure if he could come. Duty calls I suppose. We got back to our cars just before 5.

Due to the minimal organization necessary, I think this could become an annual tradition for me or someone else to lead. The train also runs on Sundays through Nov. 1 as well if that is a better day for folks.