Day Four Journal for Wednesday July 15, 2009

Norwalk to Ashland with a stop in Greenwich

dAy FoUr… that’s an appropriate way to indicate the kind of day the riders had today – a real up and down day.

 

We began the day with the Norwalk Rotary Club, after a nice sleepover with our host families. We were provided a nutritious breakfast at the Fisher Titus Regional Medical Center. President Wayne Babcanec presented the tour a donation check he said was raised weekly through donations at meetings – a great way to do it. Wayne was also quick to say how active the local hospital – Fisher Titus – has been in donating equipment and materials over many years on a consistent basis.

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Bike Tour for MESA Discussion Forum   

Norwalk to Ashland with a stop in Greenwich
Day Ride Coordinators
    Steve Beal  and  Dick Stein - Norwalk Rotary Club
                                
Breakfast, Ride Preparation and Sign In From: 
   Fisher Titus Memorial Hospital, 272 Benedict Ave., Norwalk  MAP
   Wayne Babcanec - Club President

Lunch Stop Hosted By: Greenwich and Willard Rotary Clubs
    Reservoir Park, 30 E. Main St. Greenwich    MAP
    Robert (Bob) Buskey - Accommodations 
  
All evening activities hosted by the Ashland Rotary Club at: 
    The Country Club of Ashland, 1333 Center St.   MAP
    Dennis Ragle - Accommodations
    
Route maps can be downloaded from this link.
     Route Maps for the Tour Day Four

Get Ready to Ride
How to Prepare for the MESA Bike Tour

What Exciting Events are Being Planned for Day Four?

Wednesday, July 15 – Norwalk – Greenwich – Ashland – 49 miles. As we leave the flatness of northwest Ohio, moving southerly we find a few hills and more as we approach Ashland today. First our trek takes us to just north of Willard, where we pick up Past District Governor Jim Smith. Jim and a friend will be riding with us on our first leg – to Greenwich. In Greenwich we’ll enjoy a picnic with the local club then head out south.

 

There are many ways to enter Ashland and nearly all of them involve major highways. Our preference is to avoid big roads with lots of traffic so we enter from the west side on a county road… but only after conquering one of the highest hills in the area. The Ashland Rotary will meet us at the local country club, also the location of our evening get-together with the club.

 

Throughout the week, our overnight stays are with local Rotarians and their families. This has always been one of the most enjoyable aspects of the tour as new friendships are forged between members from different parts of the state. In Ashland, we will be treated to a new wrinkle in this friendship: breakfast with a family! That may not sound like something so special but consider that all week we eat a lot of restaurant-style meals, and home cooking – even if it’s cold cereal, sounds refreshingly wonderful.