Tuesday, October 13th, 2020
Massillon, Ohio to Millersburg, Ohio . 42.6m
The Rivers Edge Campsite is sandwiched between the Ohio To Erie Trail and the Tuscarawas River. With thunderstorms passing overhead throughout the evening, we knew that the trail would be wet and slick this morning as we completed the 70 plus mile portion of the Ohio to Erie Towpath and made our way to the Sippo Valley Trail.
Following a portion of the former Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad corridor, the Sippo Valley Trail spans 10 miles between Massillon and Dalton.
Riding through the town of Dalton, we quickly come to the part of this trail that we knew would be more challenging. The next 17 miles would take us down the rural roads in Holmes County and would be a day filled with the beautiful Amish countryside. Holmes County has one of the largest Amish communities in the world. With horse drawn buggies, children playing in schoolyards at recess, laundry hanging out to dry on the clotheslines, farmers bringing in the crops out in the fields where corn stalks and hay were lined up in the sun to dry. It was a sunny day, warm and pleasant and we were either flying down a steep hill or slugging our way up one. I am not embarrassed to say that there were a few times that I dismounted my bike and pushed my bike up…and up again!
We had planned on stopping in Fredericksburg to decide the outcome of the remainder of the day. Not fully knowing how strenuous the rural roads may be we thought it best to stop at a corner cafe to rest up, eat up and look over the map. We decided to continue on towards the Hipp Station in Millersburg for another 10 miles.
Picture above is an abandoned schoolhouse on our route.
Just outside Fredericksburg, we hop onto the Holmes County Trail. This is the only trail designed to accommodate Amish buggies, having a separate buggy lane.
When we reached the Henn Station it was closed. We knew the closest primitive tent sites in the area were at the Turkey Hollow campground which was 2.5 miles away off trail. To get there the owner, Matt, described it as “All up hill on a very steep road”. Matt was helpful in suggesting a hotel down the trail! All of our electronic devices needed complete recharging, I wanted to do some laundry and a good nights sleep were on its way. Thank you Matt!
A lovely day for a ride in the country!
Feeling energized and accomplished,
Yvonne
A Time To Keep™ 