Car Camping with your Bicycle in North Central Ohio with easy access to the Richland B & O Bike Trail, The Kokosing Gap Trail and The Holmes County Trail with Map

Traveling to a bicycling destination with your bike and your car is great way to get started bicycle touring. You can get a feel for long distance riding without the full blown challenges of touring. With your car nearby you can relax and really experience the joy of bicycle riding and staying overnight.

Putting your bike on your car is great way to get started bicycle touring. You can try out long distance riding and an overnight stay. Here we are pulling into our campsite at the Butler KOA. Yes those are fat tire bikes--way back in 2007.

Putting your bike on your car is great way to get started bicycle touring. You can try out long distance riding and an overnight stay. Here we are pulling into our campsite at the Butler KOA. Yes those are fat tire bikes--way back in 2007.

Same campsite, same desinations, old truck with new road bikes tucked in the back with all the gear. Car camping is much better with a truck--you can bring all your good stuff.

2008, same campsite, same destinations, old truck with new road bikes tucked in the back with all the gear. Car camping is much better with a truck--you can bring all your good stuff.

One of our favorite places for car camping with a bicycle is in north central Ohio where you have easy access to the Richland B & O Bike Trail, The Kokosing Gap Trail and The Holmes County Trail.

Map of the Richland B & O Bike Trail, The Kokosing Gap Trail and The Holmes County Trail.

It has been a few years since Guy and I have ridden the B & O Trail but it continues to be one of our favorite trails of all time. It is  a rail trail built on the former Baltimore & Ohio Railway route. It is a fantastically beautiful trail that travels through farm fields, cow pastures, woods and quaint towns. It has spectacular iron bridges and other remnants of the Baltimore & Ohio Railway which happens to be Guy’s favorite railroad. When he was a kid he modeled the Baltimore & Ohio Railway in HO scale. We still have some of the hand-painted cars, engines and hand-made buildings.
We have many fond memories of the B & O trail from when we first starting riding together and exploring the possibilities of bicycle touring and bicycle camping. When we celebrated out 10th wedding anniversary we went on a 10-day-long car camping, bicycle riding, outdoor living hiatus. We drove our tiny car loaded down with camping gear and with our bikes strapped on the back with a borrowed bike rack. I guess our old truck was out of commission because I remember this being a bit of a challenge as it was our first experience at car camping with an actual car. It is much better with a truck!
We stayed at the Butler KOA which is a great place with lots of bonuses. We have stayed there many many times. Our plan was to camp there for a few days then wander off to another great spot. We were happy, so we just stayed once we realized we were in driving distance to some of the best bicycle trails in Ohio.

The Butler KOA has lots of bonuses and really nice wooded sites. With a vehicle it is easy to drive from the KOA to some of the best bicycle trails in Ohio.

The Butler KOA has lots of bonuses and really nice wooded sites. With a vehicle it is easy to drive from the KOA to some of the best bicycle trails in Ohio.

The campground is located near The Mohican State Memorial Forest and there is easy access to many tourist destinations such as canoeing on the Mohican River and exploring Amish country and, of course, our favorite, the bike trails!
It is an easy drive to reach trail heads for the Richland B & O Bike Trail, The Kokosing Gap Trail and the Holmes County Trail. Back then the hills looked foreboding and impossible to connect the trails by bike. It is many years and many miles later, and we have ridden the Ohio to Erie Trail so I suspect we may have a different opinion of the hills and narrow back roads if we visited there again.

The terrain in north central Ohio is rolling hills to hilly and most roads are narrow. There can also be a traffic jam around some of the more popular Amish towns. Yes, this photo was snapped from inside a car!

The terrain in north central Ohio is rolling hills to hilly and most roads are narrow. There can also be a traffic jam around some of the more popular Amish towns. Yes, this photo was snapped from inside a car!

The strategy is to stay central, near the southern end of the B & O Trail to make it easy to drive to The Kokosing Gap Trail and The Holmes County Trail. Besides the Butler KOA there is also camping at Mohican State Memorial Forest and about a dozen other campgrounds in the area that cater to canoeist in the Loudonville area. There is a really nice Lodge at the Mohican State Memorial Forest and hotels near Interstate 71 if that is more your style. The River Trail Crossing campground is adjacent to The Richland B & O Bike Trail between Bellville and Butler. We have never stayed there but it looks like a great place for a RV or a simple place to land after riding the trail.
The Richland B & O Bike Trail is  paved for 18 miles and connects Mansfield, Lexington, Bellville and Butler, in North Central Ohio near Interstate 71 at exits 165 for Butler and 169 for Mansfield.
The B & O Bike Trail is pleasant and easy going and the little towns pop up just when you need a break or something to eat. There is a bicycle shop in Lexington and a giant Walmart and other retail-o-rama where the trail crosses under I-71.

The Richland B & O  is a great bike trail and they have a great logo! Nice train-bike, rail-trail connection.

The Richland B & O is a great bike trail and they have a great logo! Nice train-bike, rail-trail connection.

Here is Guy hanging out with some cows along the The Richland B & O Trail back in 2008 when he was still riding his Raleigh Route 66 flat bar road bike. I love this picture because it looks like there is no fence! Just a Guy, his bike, and some cows! Moo!

Here is Guy hanging out with some cows along the The Richland B & O Trail back in 2008 when he was still riding his Raleigh Route 66 flat bar road bike. I love this picture because it looks like there is no fence! Just a Guy, his bike, and some cows! Moo!

There is Mail Pouch Tobacco Barn at the southern terminus of the Richland B & O trail head in Butler, Ohio.

There is Mail Pouch Tobacco Barn at the southern terminus of the Richland B & O trail head in Butler, Ohio.

One of the iron bridges along the Richland B & O Trail. That’s Carol back in 2007 and she is riding a Raleigh comfort bike!

One of the iron bridges along the Richland B & O Trail. That’s Carol back in 2007 and she is riding her Raleigh comfort bike!

The Kokosing Gap Trail is a paved 14-mile rail trail that connects Mount Vernon, Gambier, Howard and Danville. It is perfect. The Kokosing Gap Trail has iron bridges and other artifacts of the Pennsylvania Railroad especially in Gambier where there is a rest stop with an engine, a caboose and more. We have been told that there is a great barbecue place in Howard. You will know you are in Howard when you go under a fabulous arched bridge. There is a tiny road north of the arch that takes you up to the town.

When you see the arched bridge on The Kokosing Gap Trail you are just below Howard. Rumor has it there is great barbeque here. Yes, that is Guy in the photo!

When you see the arched bridge on The Kokosing Gap Trail you are just below Howard. Rumor has it there is great barbeque here. Yes, that is Guy in the photo!

 

There is a lot to see along The Kokosing Gap Trail especially the trains in Gambier.

There is a lot to see along The Kokosing Gap Trail especially the trains in Gambier.

The Holmes County Trail is really unique as it sits in the heart of Amish country and the trail is shared with Amish buggies. One side is for bikes and the other is for horses and it flips back and forth in places. It is a little tricky and passing is different than other trails but just remember that bikes always yield to horses and any other trail users. The Holmes County Trail is paved for 15 miles and connects Fredericksburg, Holmesville, Millersburg and Killbuck. Lems Pizza in Frederiskburg has great food and ice cream. There is a baseball field with a picnic shelter and restrooms just around the corner behind the school. There are signs in Holmesville showing the way to restaurants. There is a restaurant in The Millersburg Hotel and many fast food options at the famous “Amish Walmart” right along the trail south of Millersburg. Just beyond the end of the trail in Killbuck there is a tiny restaurant on Main Street with yummy food and ice cream.

Here is Carol riding the “new” Holmes County Trail in 2005. Yes, that is a Raleigh comfort bike!

Here is Carol riding the “new” Holmes County Trail in 2005.

The Holmes County Trail used to have a dramatically different pavement type for horses and bikes. This photo from 2005 has an Amish buggy approaching in the distance.

The Holmes County Trail used to have a dramatically different pavement type for horses and bikes. This photo from 2005 has an Amish buggy approaching in the distance.

The Holmes County Trail has added more ashphalt over the years. This photo from 2012 has an Amish buggy ahead of Carol approaching Millersburg from the south.

The Holmes County Trail has added more asphalt over the years. This photo from the northbound portion Carol and Guy's 2012 round trip bicycle tour of the Ohio to Erie Trail has an Amish buggy ahead of Carol just out of Millersburg.

 

On the The Holmes County Trail one side is for bikes and the other is for horses. It can feel a little confusing and passing is different than other trails. Just remember that bikes always yield to horses and any other trail users. When in doubt, just stop and step off.

On the The Holmes County Trail one side is for bikes and the other is for horses. It can feel a little confusing and passing is different than other trails. Just remember that bikes always yield to horses and any other trail users. When in doubt, just stop and step off.

 

Nice signage in Holmesville on The Holmes County Trail showing the way to restaurants and other services in town.

Nice signage in Holmesville on The Holmes County Trail showing the way to restaurants and other services in town.

Plenty of parking for horses, buggies, bikes and regular vehicles at the famous “Amish Walmart” just south of Millersburgh on The Holmes County Trail.

Plenty of parking for horses, buggies, bikes and regular vehicles at the famous “Amish Walmart” just south of Millersburg on The Holmes County Trail.

If these three trails are not enough for you it is not too much further to the east where you can access the southern end of The Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail out of Bolivar or Navarre. The Mohican Valley Trail connects Danville and Brinkhaven and The Bridge of Dreams but the trail is not paved and is best suited for a mountain bike or horse. To the south of Mt. Vernon you can access the newly paved portions of the Heart of Ohio Trail.
So pack your bags, load up your bike and hit the road, then hit the trail. Its great way to experience being away from it all with your bike and your sleeping bag.

Did I mention how happy we were? Can’t fake that smile! Happiness is a bike, a blue sky and a great trail!

Did I mention how happy we were? Can’t fake that smile! Happiness is a bike, a blue sky and a great trail!

 

 

 

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The B&O Bike Trail in Richland County is getting Resurfaced

We love fresh asphalt!

Nearly half of the 24 mile Richland county B & O Bike Trail will be repaved over the next month. And this was already one of the nicest trails in the state!
Starting Monday, the five-mile section from Ohio 13 in Bellville to Butler will be resurfaced according to Chief Deputy Richland County Engineer Adam Gove.
When they’ve finished that section, they will then pave the five-mile section from Bellville to Lexington. The section from Lexington to North Lake Park was resurfaced two years ago.

Now we need to get Hamilton county to repave some parts the Little Miami Bike Trail!

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Bicycle Registration Services

Here’s some cool info I found in my daily internet ramblings today. These are a few online bicycle registration services. Most of them are free or really cheap. A few of them include stickers to help identify your bike should it ever get stolen. Most of them work by registering your bike’s serial number.
The serial number for your bike is probably located underneath the bottom bracket. That’s the part of the frame where the pedal crank arms attach to the bike. If it’s not there, try looking on the chain stays, the seat tube or even the head tube. It seems pretty common, though, that most manufacturers use the bottom bracket location. It’s also a good idea to keep a copy of your serial number with all of your other important papers, numbers, passwords, etc. If you bought your bike new, it’s probably on the receipt.
These sites aren’t guarantees, but they might help!

1. the National Bike Registry– cost money, includes sticker

2. Bike Registry.com– free. stickers are an additional 99 cents. can also include a photo registartion

3. the Stolen Bicycle Registry– free. only for searching for your bike after it is stolen. one man on a mission

4. Bike Shepard– looks to be free. works in conjunction with Kryptonite bike locks QR barcode

Remember, always keep one of three things on your bike; your lock, your eyes or your butt!

As always, if anybody out there has anything more to add or correct, email us! I suppose insurance is a possibility too, but I haven’t looked into that yet…

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DIY Bicycle Rack Pads

Ever put your bike on your bike rack and it got scratched? How about putting two bikes on your rack and trying to keep them secure without rubbing against each other?
My solution was to make some custom DIY rack pads out of scrap carpet pieces and some velcro strips. I first decided where the padding was needed. That helped determine the general size and shape. The piece in the picture was designed to go between two bikes, attached to the seat stay to keep them from rubbing. The carpet piece is folded over on itself to make it double sided and is hot glued together. Before I glued it, I cut the slits and threaded the velcro strips through that secure the pad to the bike’s frame.
Remember, you’ll probably want to make them a little over-sized to take into account some shifting, slipping or adjustment.

DIY Bike rack pad

DIY bike rack pad

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My DIY Pickup Truck Bicycle Racks

I’ve yet to find an affordable method that I like for transporting Road Bicycles in the back of a pickup truck. I don’t want to remove the front wheel or permanently attach something to the bed and I certainly don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars. Here’s what I came up with:
We bought these silly cheap rear-stay bicycle stands a while ago for roughly $20 apiece. We wanted them to stand our bikes on while stored in our house and for light maintenance and easy chain cleaning. We got ours at Harbor Freight and they are very similar to these that I found on Amazon: Bike Stands
They are very easy to assemble and are extremely lightweight. They are also adjustable, which is important.
The idea is very simple; put the stands in the back of the truck, put the bikes on the stands, tie the bikes down.

Pickup Truck Bike Stand

Here's a good shot of how I secure my Trek 520 in the back of my pickup truck. Note that my new and improved preferred method is to put the stand on the inside of the bike, not how it is shown here on the outside.

Now, here’s the part that you tuned in for-  what I learned about loading the bikes this way from experience.
I have tried loading the bikes forward and backward and with the rear tires against the cab (backwards) seemed to work the best for my particular bed style with the tie downs in the floor at the front of the bed. I also found that the bikes were more stable with the stands to the inside of the bikes, counteracting the outside pull of the bungee cord. Another thing I found was that it worked much better with the stand adjusted lower so that the back tire touches. Both of these adjustments add more lateral stability. Speaking of, that is the most difficult thing to achieve, lateral stability. In other words, keeping the bikes upright when going around a corner. You will need to experiment with your particular tie-down method. I usually test my ever-changing/evolving method by giving the truck a good side-to-side shake after I’ve tied the bikes down.
I usually tie the bikes down at the rear from the rack to the bed tie-down in the floor and the secure the bikes tightly between each other, again using the rear racks. At the front I do roughly the same thing using the front racks. Sometimes I bungee through the front rims.

bikes in truck

View of bikes tied down front and back and between each other. Again, this is my old method with the stands on the outside.

If you don’t have racks, you can bungee to the frame. You’ll want to be careful about scratches though. You may need to create some position specific pads. I’ve created pads in the past using scrap pieces of carpet, cut to fit the position. They were held in place with velcro strips that I ran through slits that I cut in the carpet, kinda like a belt loop. (link to carpet pad post)
(NOTE: Keep in mind that these stands hold your bike by the frame and may indeed cause some scuffing)

bikes in pickup

Here is a pic with the stands on the inside with the bikes loaded forward

Notice there is no good way to securely lock your bike to prevent theft. We sometimes run a cable lock through the two bikes to prevent the Crime of Opportunity and I have messed with the idea of a cable run through the bed tie-down. No matter what, it’s still just a cable. We always try to practice the 1-of-3 rule; Always keep one of three items on your bike, your butt, your eyes or your lock.

Here is another interesting style of stand that I have never seen before: New Floor Stand. The only problem I see is that it looks like it’s for more of a fat-tire bike. The best Ebay search term I have used was “bicycle floor stand.” (Ebay is the first place I go to for ANYTHING)

WARNING! Be very careful when loading a skinny-tire road style bike into a rack that holds it by the wheel! If the bike tips over for any reason, including lateral shift, you can easily end up with a catastrophically bent rim. Especially when loaded. This goes also for stationary bike stands like at a park or bike shop. We’d rather lean our bikes against something in any of these situations. Don’t me ask how we learned this 😉
I am constantly trying to improve this method and have also been toying with the idea of building a DIY rack specific to my needs, maybe even out of wood. I have Google searched a lot, to see what others may have DIYed, but again, most of them seem geared to fat-tired bikes. If anyone out there has their own ideas/plans/schemes they are willing to share, please email us!!

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Why I don’t like Bike Lanes

From the outside, bike lanes sound like a good idea, a really good idea. There’s a lot of bicycle traffic on some roads these days, so why not give them their own lane?
I’ll tell you why.
Number one, bike lanes are dangerous. They are dangerous because cars must cross the bike lane to make a right turn. When I am riding my bike in a regular traffic lane, I can “take the lane” and the car has to occupy the same lane, behind me, and wait until it reaches the corner after me to make its turn. When I’m in a bike lane, the car driver thinks he can just quickly pass me and make his turn in front of me. Bam!
Number two, bike lanes are dirty, especially the lanes that are against the curb. Municipalities seem to think all they need to do is to put down some paint and put up some signs and the bikes will come! What they don’t seem to understand is that bike lanes need maintenance even more than the regular traffic lanes. All of the heavy vehicles, cars trucks, buses, push all manner of debris towards the curb, and bicycle tires are more susceptible to damage than car tires. There are plenty of times when I ride outside of a bike lane just for this reason. Adding insult to injury, motorists then get angry with me because I am “supposed to be in the bike lane!”
Oh, and please don’t add paint to a shoulder and call it a bike lane. That’s the worst.
Number three, bike lanes are narrow. Not a lot of room to avoid the previously mentioned debris. Another problem with narrow bike lanes is avoiding car doors. If someone opens a car door in front of you, you have two choices; get doored or risk pulling out of your bike lane to go around. A standard width vehicle lane allows plenty of room to safely and legally avoid the car door.
The best solution is to put up signs telling motorists that bikes are present and to share the road. Franklin Avenue in Lakewood Ohio is a good example. There are signs posted and when they repaved it, they added a center turning lane. It used to be two lanes each way, but now it’s one each way with the center turning lane. Nice, smooth and lanes wide enough to pass us easily, especially with the center lane.

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Congratulations Jim! You rode the Ohio to Erie Trail!

Jim got a stuck with some bad weather on his final day riding The Ohio to Erie Trail. He rode from London to near Cincinnati on Saturday, his fifth day. He departed from Lake Erie in Cleveland on Tuesday. Jim lives in southern Ohio and has ridden The Little Miami Scenic Trail many times. His mission was to learn how to navigate the Ohio to Erie Trail so he can lead a group on the trail next year. Well done Jim!

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Day Four for Jim and he is on a roll

On day four Jim rode his bicycle from Sunbury, north of Columbus, to London, on the south side of Columbus. Nice peddling Jim! This means he successfully navigated Westerville and Alum Creek, Schrock Road, The Olentangy Trail, The Scioto River Trail, the 8 long miles on Broad Street / RT 40, Galloway Road, The Camp Chase Trail, and Roberts Pass all in one day. (insert whistling sound here)

Jim spent the night at the fabulous Alexandra’s Bed and Breakfast. This is good because we hope is enjoying breakfast on the giant back porch and watching it rain, rain, rain. Urgh. Looks like it won’t clear out until this afternoon and Jim has some peddling to do to make it to Cincinnati today. Its all paved bike trail but rain riding is not the greatest. Maybe the rain will wash all the road grime of his Trek 520. Go Jim go!

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Day three for Jim on the Ohio to Erie trail and he is eating mud!

Ha Ha! Jim is eating mud pie safely tucked in at a friends house in Sunbury. We have no answers to the burning questions about his route. We will have to wait to learn how he got there and the adventures of the trail. Tomorrow he will cross the great city of Columbus navigating the trails, the roads, the ups and downs and detours and crossing the river to this side to that side and and back and so on. Luckily he has a guide to show him the way! For the rest of you, Guy and I are still diligently working on our trail guide for the Ohio to Erie Trail through Columbus. We hope to post it soon! Another group of cyclist from FMCPT (Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails) depart from Cincinnati on Tuesday with plans to arrive by bicycle in Cleveland by Saturday.

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Bob, Randell and Kate Ohio to Erie Update

Here’s a cool pic that Bob sent us from day two of their three day tour of the Ohio to Erie Trail. This is just east of London. Bob promises more pictures and a full recap of their adventure soon. They are getting together tonight to put it all together.

KateRandellBob

Riding in formation: (front to back) Bob, Randell and Kate

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