One of my goals this summer was to ride the entire Hockhocking Adena Bike Path from Athens to Nelsonville. I figured it would take several weeks before I attempted it, but during my ride yesterday I felt great when I hit The Plains and I just kept going. Before I knew it, I was cruising through the campus of Hocking College and on to Nelsonville, where I did a victory lap around the Square (depressing to see the destruction the fire caused there) and then back to Athens.
It was 37 miles round trip and took me about 3 hours, including a half-hour of time when I stopped to eat an apple, drink water and rest. Now I can start working on trying to do the ride in 2 hours round trip …
One thing is for certain: The bikeway is amazing. I had to cross roads only a few times during the ride, and pedaling beside the Hocking River is wonderful. There are several stretches where the path goes through beautiful, shaded woods, and there are several Porta Potties along the way for bathroom breaks. I did have to divert around the section from Stimson Avenue to Richland because they’re redoing that stretch of bike path, which was much needed.
And here’s a photo I shot of the mural at the Rocky Boots store in Nelsonville. Just to prove I made it …
