GOBA 9 thru the Hocking Hills
JOIN in the fun! Share a terrific week vacationing with 3,000 people from all
over America on the largest week-long bicycle tour in the east! Each day your
50-mile bicycle route will visit some of Ohio's most exciting tourist destinations
while taking in the beauty of its countryside. Along the way, you'll enjoy the
arms-wide hospitality of Ohio's towns, make new friends, and delight in the good
food, exciting entertainment, and camping under the June stars that makes
GOBA a special experience. It is what vacations should be and seldom are; a week of
challenge, accomplishment, and joy.
WHERE will we go, what will we see in 1997? It's the most beautiful part of Ohio.
It's lightly populated, with lots of great roads, many snaking down valleys, avoiding the
big hills. (In fact, with the valley roads and some short-day options, the route will be less
difficult than several past GOBAS.) And no place in Ohio has shown more enthusiasm for
our visit. It's Southeastern Ohio, the least-known jewel in Ohio's crown, and the
destination for GOBA 9.
Saturday, June 14th: Lancaster.
Sunday, June 15th: Lancaster to Circleville. 35 rolling or 50 rolling to hilly miles. Be certain to look for the Hocking County
GOBA literature being distributed at the Circleville GOBA campground Sunday evening.
Monday, June 16th: Circleville to Logan, 48 flat to rolling miles. Start the morning with a stop at Logan's Elm State Memorial,
site of one of the most moving moments in the clash between settlers and Native Americans. Laurelville, "the Western gate", to the
Hocking Hills is host for Monday's official lunch stop. The VFW will provide a cafeteria style buffet where you can eat in air
conditioned comfort or relax on the banks of Salt Creek. Other places for lunch include a cookout sponsored by the Little League
at the ball park and a picnic style lunch by the Mound Crossing 4H Club in the town circle. Lunch will also be available at the Laurel
Hills Church, the Church of God, the Old Town Diner, the Village Cafe and Giovanni's Pizza. The Laurelville Volunteer Fire
Department will direct traffic and the Hocking County Tourism Association will have information available on the front porch of the
Laurelville Fruit Farm's log cabin. The lunch stop in Laurelville is prelude to a ride down one of Ohio's best cycling roads, Big Pine
Valley.
You'll certainly want to save time for a hike into Conkle's Hollow, perhaps the loveliest spot in the state, and maybe even stop for a
horseback ride at the nearby livery. Once in Logan, we'll go canoeing on the Hocking River before the downtown festivities begin,
featuring a criterium as part of the Ohio Cup race series.
Logan will welcome riders with a downtown Bike Fest, diner and a nice place to campout. A chicken BBQ and salad bar diners will
be available at the campgrounds. Also a Mexican dinner, turkey and noodles dinner or spigiotte dinner with be server at the Senior
Citizens Center, St. John's Church and St. Mathew Church respectively. Bike Fest Festivities will begin at 5pm and include a wide
variety of planned events, including a VFW Post 6854 bingo tent, kid's tent, three point shoot-out basketball tournament, cruise-in
anad free musical entertainment all up and down Main and Hunter Streets. Local artists and craftsmen will also be showing and
selling their wares throughout the day in Worthington Park and during the evening along Main Street. There will be plenty of food
and fun for all.
 Special GOBA buses will be on hand to transport guests around town. Click on the map
for a larger (259k) printable map of Logan to locate the campgrounds, food, showers,
entertainment and recreation locations. |
Tuesday, June 17th: Loqan to Athens; 20 rolling, 35 rolling to hilly, or 50 rolling to hilly miles. Before leaving Logan riders
will have Chris Cakes and/or a full country breakfast to choose from for breakfast. A real set of choices today! Some riders, by
advance registration, may choose to pay to ride the Hocking Valley Railroad to Nelsonville and proceed from there on a 20-mile
ride to Athens. The intermediate route follows the valley south toward Plymouth, while the full 50 route winds through breathtaking
valleys to Lake Hope State Park. There we can take a swim at the marvelous beach, visit the old Zaleski iron furnace, and enjoy one
of Ohio's best-kept secrets. The end of the day's ride will enter Athens on the newly completed bicycle path, a flat respite in this
hilly area. Evening is no time to rest, though. Some riders will register (additional cost) to take a bus trip to Chillicothe to see
Tecumseh!, a stirring outdoor drama about Ohio's settlement conflicts. Others will enjoy Appalachian-style entertainment at the
fairgrounds and a deserved night's sleep.
( Leaving the Hocking Hills )
Wednesday, June 18th: Athens; 0, 30, 50, or 100 hilly miles.
Thursday, June l9th: Athens to Rio Grande; 50 miles, rolling with a couple of hills.
Friday, June 20th: Rio Grande to McArthur, 40 flat to rolling to hilly, 50 rolling to hilly miles. Be certain to look for the
Laurelville Pages at the McArthur GOBA campground Friday evening.
Saturday, June 21st: McArthur to Lancaster: rolling to hilly, 49-miles. Once again plan on stopping in Laurelville for the
finest in country cookin'. The VFW will provide a cafeteria style buffet where you can eat in air conditioned comfort or relax on the
banks of Salt Creek. Other places for lunch include a cookout sponsored by the Little League at the ball park, a picnic style lunch
by the Mound Crossing 4H Club in the town "circle". Lunch will also be available at the Laurel Hills Church, the Old Town Diner,
the Village Cafe and Giovanni's Pizza. The Laurelville Volunteer Fire Department will direct traffic and the Hocking County Tourism
Association will have information available on the front porch of the Laurelville Fruit Farm's log cabin. Leaving Laurelville you will
exit Hocking County's "Western gate". We hope your trip will be a most enjoyable one and you will return to our warm country
hospitality once again.
The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure
P.O. Box 14384
Columbus, OH 43214
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