I ventured up north to the Toledo, OH area on Saturday afternoon to visit one of my best friends for the first time in what feels like forever, but was actually "only" 6 months. When you have talked to a dear friend over Facetime and phone for awhile, you realize how much is lacking in those interactions after you have the chance to see them in person. It's just different. No way around it. Add a very young child into the experience and there's just no way to describe the good juju you get from being in the physical presence of their energy. The way things have gone the last year or so, it's almost therapeutic just to see familiar faces, and hear their voices, and so on...
Anyway, I could probably write a whole post about how great it is to see friends again (especially after I was also lucky enough to experience it last weekend), but this is a bike blog, right? By now, you probably know that I won't miss an opportunity to bike in a new place, and before this weekend, I'd never biked in Toledo, despite having visited more times than I can actually count. One way or the other, that was bound to change, and that day was yesterday:
I began and ended at Middlegrounds Metropark. It's pretty close to the downtown Toledo area, which includes a modest bike share system called ToleGO:
I share this info not because I utilized this bike share this weekend, but because it's run off of the same SoBi bikeshare system that I used in New Orleans more than two years ago, and it's my favourite bike share design (so far). The reasons why are pretty simple. It features a solar-powered security system on each bike that connects to a u-lock that can be locked anywhere, so you can lock a bike at locations other than a bikeshare hub:
Again, I didn't use the ToleGO this weekend, but I would definitely give it a shot when I return some day :D
My intended destination was the Craig Bridge that you can see in the background here:
These areas are actually part of a wildlife preservation effort to increase greenery and overall insect life along the riverfront area, which is pretty cool to see in an industrialized urban setting.
I did make it to the bridge after a short 2.5 miles, only to find out that the bike route ends there and the only way across is on a single-wide sidewalk. That didn't sound at all appetizing. Thanks, GoogleMaps. I'll definitely need to propose an update.
However, there was a trail that I had looked into that headed in the opposite direction further into Toledo, and I'd planned to head there after crossing the bridge and returning anyway, so I just headed there a bit ahead of schedule. It's your pretty typical trail, with a little bit more natural scenery as opposed to buildings and cars:
At the western end of the trail, the bike route begins utilizing roadways again, including what may be the shortest two-way protected bike lane I've ever encountered:
That's literally the whole thing. It's one small block in length. It does its job, though, so that's all that matters. Also of note, if you look closely, there's an interesting sign with a cane on it.
I finished up by heading back through downtown, pausing briefly at the Toledo Mudhens' stadium for a photo op:
Anyway, after a nice 9 miles on a beautiful Sunday morning, it was time to head back to Columbus. Toledo is not a huge city by any means, but I definitely could return and explore a little more. Their bike routes are pretty well marked and there seemed to be plenty of them. Some mild exploration in the Glass City was a great way to start Bike Month.
Speaking of that, May is National Bike Month, and though I won't go nearly as in-depth with the blog posts or social media as I did during 30 Days of Biking, I did sign up for the Bike Month Challenge. It's more of an ambiguous challenge, with the goal being to raise awareness of cycling during the post-COVID era. Seems right up my alley, right? Feel free to read more and join me if you are feeling bikey.
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