April vs May

[Catrin]

Thanks for all of the good ideas and advice! I always take a spring and late summer/early fall vacation, so I have lots of options. For my spring bike vacation this year I won't go too far afield since I am so new - though I do want to visit the rail trail system centered in Yellow Springs/Xenia Ohio. I have visited there and it looks like a great place. I figure a couple of days in that area, and then spending the rest of it locally exploring country roads

My bike's engine isn't ready for Brown County yet - though hopefully that will have changed by September. I went hiking this weekend at Brown County State Park and found myself looking at the hills and ridge inside the park rather differently than in the past When I can cycle through the Park - then I will know that I can take my bike home to East Tennessee

[indysteel]

Thanks for all of the good ideas and advice! I always take a spring and late summer/early fall vacation, so I have lots of options. For my spring bike vacation this year I won't go too far afield since I am so new - though I do want to visit the rail trail system centered in Yellow Springs/Xenia Ohio. I have visited there and it looks like a great place. I figure a couple of days in that area, and then spending the rest of it locally exploring country roads

My bike's engine isn't ready for Brown County yet - though hopefully that will have changed by September. I went hiking this weekend at Brown County State Park and found myself looking at the hills and ridge inside the park rather differently than in the past When I can cycle through the Park - then I will know that I can take my bike home to East Tennessee

I'm pretty sure that CIBA offers a "grand touring" ride in Xenia every year. Grand touring rides are a bit different from the regular weekend rides. The routes are not marked or SAGed. You more or less follow the ride leader (who goes at a casual social pace) or the provided map. They stop at local places to food and drink. They're fun, although like I said earlier, I prefer to ride at my own pace, so when my husband and I do them, we usually just follow the map and meet up with the group at the planned stops. There's one in Madison that we'd like to do this year. There several out of Columbus that are some of our favorite rides of the year.

Granted, it depends on the road, but having ridden in both Eastern Tennessee and Brown County SP, I have to say that the Park is far harder. I prefer long sustained climbs to the steep stuff down in Brown County.

[Kathi]

Do not ride the main entrance road (dual covered bridges) in the park to the lodge. It is narrow, windy, lots of traffic on the uphill. TRIRI organizers shuttle riders up to the lodge for meals. Downhill is probably ok? The recommended route is the Horse Camp entrance.

If you can ride the hills outside the park you probably don't need to ride in the park. More traffic and not as challenging.

[indysteel]

Do not ride the main entrance road (dual covered bridges) in the park to the lodge. It is narrow, windy, lots of traffic on the uphill. TRIRI organizers shuttle riders up to the lodge for meals. Downhill is probably ok? The recommended route is the Horse Camp entrance.

If you can ride the hills outside the park you probably don't need to ride in the park. More traffic and not as challenging.

There are challenging hills both inside and outside the park. Granted, you can avoid the worst of them if you know your way around, but well, the hills are part of the preverse "fun" of riding in Brown County. I've let out primal screams on some of those hills, but what a sense of accomplishment when you reach the top!