The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Rivers and Natural Bridges of KY & OH

October 12th to October 21st

Ride Director: Greg Corwin
Report by: Charles Feerick

The premise of this trip was the opportunity to experience some of the most striking countryside imaginable, including pastoral river scenic byways, thickly wooded forests showcased in peak autumn colors, and unique natural geological formations such as gorges and rock bridges.  If that wasn’t enough, there was the promise of guided tours of the Cincinnati Heritage Brewery District and the historic Blue Licks Revolutionary War battlefield, as well as hiking and canoeing in various stunningly beautiful state parks.  And perhaps most importantly, the chance to get to spend time and share experiences with both old and new BAC friends.

In a nutshell, our remarkable trip leader Greg Corwin delivered on all of this and so much more … well, except for the autumn colors; apparently the trees never got the memo that by now their leaves were supposed to be decked out in dazzling shades of yellows, oranges, and reds.  Slackers …  

The ride kicked-off with a meet-and-greet social at the Holiday Inn Express in Newport, KY, which sits opposite Cincinnati on the south bank of the Ohio River.  The 27 participants included several long-time BAC members, such as current BAC Chair Karen Hass and her husband Ed, BAC board member Carol Anderson and her husband Bob, and Ronald Guidotti who stated that this was his 84th BAC ride. Wow! 

Greg’s introduction focused on safety in riding, and he asked each participant to share one safety related learning.  Greg also gave each participant a Road ID bracelet which contained their name as well as the name and phone number of their emergency contact.  I am pleased to say that our ride was accident free. 

Saturday’s 25-mile ride was a “local” jaunt.  We started out riding west along the south shore of the Ohio River, crossed the river via ferry boat, and then came back via a ride through Cincinnati’s west end.  A highlight of the ride was stopping at Union Terminal.  Built in the early 1930’s, this massive terminal was designed to serve as the transfer point for seven railroads, those being the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, the Norfolk and Western Railway, the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the Southern Railway.   The Terminal fell into disuse in the early 1970’s and was largely deconstructed, but the stunning Art Deco style concourse has been preserved and is currently undergoing a major renovation.  This is definitely worth a visit for a blast to the past!

That evening, after experiencing all of the sights and smells of the Findlay Market, we gathered at the Rhinegeist Brewery in the heart of the historic Over-the-Rhine brewery district. At the turn of the 19th century, Over-the-Rhine was home to nearly 45,000 inhabitants—most of them of German descent—and 38 breweries. Prohibition in the 1920’s would deal a fatal blow to this vibrant district, but the last ten years or so have seen a renaissance in the vitality of this district which is now again home to some darn good beer.  A catered dinner of some of Kentucky’s best fried chicken was provided by The Eagle.  Their all natural chicken was served with their house made hot honey and I’ll admit it had a bit of a kick.  I make a point of this because, well, I think fried chicken was on the menu every night during our trip.  When in Rome… Several people commented that The Eagle’s fried chicken was the best fried chicken of the trip.

Day 2 was a 44 mile ride along the Ohio River, ending at the beautiful and rather eclectic town of Augusta.  The day began with mist and drizzle, and got worse.  By the time we arrived in Augusta we were all soaked to the bone … well, at least those of us that had crappy rain gear. Note to self: invest in quality insulated rain gear, including covers to keep the shoes dry.  The weather did not dampen our spirits, and we had a rocking good time that evening in the Augusta Pub.

The rain continued throughout the next day.  One of our group (Becky Hettinger) was not feeling well and therefore had driven her SUV to Augusta.  Given the weather conditions, in lieu of a soaking 47 mile ride to Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park, Greg and Becky graciously offered to shuttle people to our next destination.  Most of us took them up on their offer.  However, there were a few intrepid, hardy souls who would not give in to temptation but rather did the ride as advertised.  These riders were Bob Ludecke, Sue Perin, Al Beckmann, Art Lindeman, Karen Hass, Richard Patnoe, Jim Bennett, and Carol and Bob Anderson.  Helmets off to these cycle warriors!

Day 4 was a day off from riding, and thankfully the rain had finally stopped and the sun was beginning to show its fickle face.  Some went for a morning hike while others went canoeing on Lake Carnico.  In the afternoon we were treated to a wonderful guided tour of the Blue Licks Battlefield, the site of one of the last battles of the Revolutionary War.  The battle took place in August 1782, following the siege of nearby Bryan Station by British soldiers aided by Wyandots, Shawnee, and Delaware Indians.  Col. Daniel Boone was a participant in this battle, and it was there that he lost his 23-year-old son Israel.  In addition to the battlefield, there is a very informative museum on site which details the natural history of the area.   The site is important as a repository of many fossils from the Pleistocene Epoch including wooly mammoths, and a few of these bones and tusks are on display at the museum.        

Following dinner at the Resort we were treated to an incredible jam session of about a dozen blue grass musicians who had gathered from around the state.  I don’t believe Greg arranged this (LOL) but it made for a very enjoyable evening.  At the end of the session we all stood while the musicians closed with “My Old Kentucky Home.”   

On Day 5 we said goodbye to Blue Licks and headed further south to Morehead.  It was a cool but sunny day, and the ride of 53 miles took us through some beautiful country.  The hills were challenging but manageable.  During the ride we passed many cows, cattle, horses, a few donkeys, and at least one alpaca.  Oh, and lots of (typically unleashed) dogs.  Seems to be a Kentucky thing. Most of the dogs were just curious and excited to see the riders, but a few of them made things interesting by giving chase to the cyclists.  That evening Greg treated us to some smooth Kentucky bourbon (Woodford Reserve) and BBQ from Pops, a smokehouse of renowned local acclaim.  Both were very good J

As we began our last day of significant mileage, we were greeted with a face-slapping 35 deg. F.  Before us lay a stretch of 54 miles and nearly 4000 ft of climbing, so the chilly temperatures proved beneficial.  Our destination was Hemlock Lodge in the Natural Bridge State Resort Park, which is located in the Red River Gorge.  This was perhaps the most beautiful – and challenging – leg of the adventure.  In addition to several long climbs, the route took us through a pitch black one-lane tunnel carved through a mountain.  Note to self: take off sunglasses before entering dark tunnels. 

Everyone delighted in the beauty of the Lodge, which is nestled in the heavily wooded mountainside.  According to Greg you can’t come to this area without eating pizza from Miguel’s.  For over 30 years, Miguel has been serving pizza to rock climbers who come from around the world to challenge themselves on the walls of the gorge.  Looking behind Miguel’s yellow, ramshackle building one will see dozens of small but colorful tents dotting the field adjacent to an imposing rock wall.  Miguel allows people to camp on his land for free, provided of course that they buy a pizza … no hardship there!  It took some smooth negotiating on Greg’s part, but he was able to convince the staff at the Lodge to allow us to cater in pizza, 16 of them to be exact.  Hey, we had just ridden 50 miles, ok!?         

The following day was warm and sunny, and we had a choice of hiking in the mountains or a stunning 30 mile ride around the rim of the gorge (and once again through the tunnel of doom).  The greatest attribute and namesake of the area is the “Natural Bridge”.  This magnificent arch, which is 65 feet tall and 78 feet long, is one of the most famous natural sandstone arches in Kentucky.  To get to the arch required hiking up some rather steep and rocky trails that were adorned with an amazing diversity of plants, most notably rhododendrons and mountain laurels. In the late afternoon we all rode the “Skylift” to the top of the mountain, where Greg used his drone (yes, he had permission) to film our group which had gathered on top of the Bridge. You can view some of this footage on Greg’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/gregcorwin).

The last day of the trip was upon us, and we had to get back to Cincinnati without riding 200 miles.  To accomplish this Greg had reserved a full-size passenger bus to haul us all back.  It took some work but we were able to stack our bikes on top of one another in the cargo bays of the bus.  Greg had purchased a stack of moving blankets to protect the bikes ... I’m not sure what he plans to do with these now but he certainly has a lifetime supply of them. 

We arrived back in town with enough time to take one last jaunt through the city.  Greg had laid out a route that took us through the lovely Eden Park district.  The Park overlooks the Ohio River and affords a magnificent view of the city and northern Kentucky.  Some of us had time to visit the Krohn’s Conservatory and the Cincinnati Museum of Art which are located in the Park.

Our final group meal was held at the famous Hofbräuhaus, the first authentic Hofbräuhaus in America, modeled after the legendary 400 year-old Hofbräuhaus in Munich, Germany.  The food was outstanding as was the beer which is made onsite and served in 1L mugs.  It was a wonderful evening and a fabulous conclusion to a magnificent week.

Our sincerest thanks again to Greg and his charming wife Samantha for all of their efforts in making this ride a truly unforgettable experience.  We can’t wait for the next one!