I was wondering how to get through Columbus. I resorted to Rt. 40 through the section south of the river. It's a green dotted line on the map. East and west of there it's rail trail, but that meanders through town. Ohio has a surprising trail network.
Alan, do you think I need to practice on the C&O? I was planning at least one loaded overnight road trip, possibly to Annapolis (60 miles but could easily be longer). It's 63 miles to the first stop on the towpath. It just seems more romantic and adventurous to start with something somewhat unfamiliar. The wife is game for that, and we've come south before, so that's my plan for now.
I have a modified schedule that adds a day to the second half of the trip, and evens out the distances to an average of 67, with a smaller spread. That puts me in Dayton for the night with an arrival as early as 10 am, if I start early, plenty of daylight to spare, so a visit to the Air Force museum is possible. And if there is time, on the other side of town is the Holy of Holies, the Wright Bros, Cycle Shop. That's what you guys mean by stopping for something interesting, I suppose. And yeah it's better than just blasting through the whole trip. I was trying to minimize the time spent looking at soybean fields.
- Ed