Motorcycles To Portsmouth

Portsmouth can be gotten to in under 2-1/2 hours from our house in Carlisle, Ohio, but we never make it that quick. Not that I don't take the opportunity to open the throttle up from time to time, but there are frequent stops and great stretches to gently roll through the scene and ogle. Additionally, I try never to go from point A to point B and turn the same route back home.

It's my goal not to travel the same stretch of road on any part of the trip. Sometimes I'm so determined about this that I turn left out of the driveway, just so I can turn right back into it when the trip is finished.

In most cases the ride is just under 300 miles round trip and can make for a relaxing day on the bike (Apache Rose). The traffic

Apache Rose

gets thin as you travel east past I-71 and only picks up in the smaller cities along the way. But, it's never too heavy. To thin out the traffic even more, I'll show rural by-passes around some of the smaller cities.

Anyway you choose to ride to Portsmouth, you'll find the trip to be spectacular.

This trip ,we'll be taking State Route 73 east the entire way to Portsmouth. We can pick up 73 in Franklin, less than 3 miles from the house . The traffic through Franklin and Springboro can be heavy at times, and now that the new Wal-Mart is up near I-75, your alertness better be on high.

Once through Springboro, the road begins to gently roll as you near the Waynesville/Caesar Creek Area.

Waynesville is situated at the intersection of State Routes 73 and 42, along the scenic Little Miami River. Waynesville is known for 2 things; Antiques and sauerkraut.

Waynesville is said to be the 'Antique Capital Of The Midwest' because of the 26 Antique shops in the village of 3000 residents.

Every year the village hosts The Sauerkraut Festival, which is held the 2nd full weekend in October and draws nearly 250,000 visitors.

Nearby Caesar Creek is an Ohio State Park whose centerpiece is a 2830 acre lake that was created when the Army Corps Of Engineers culminated a 7 year dam building project in 1978.

New Burlington

Ironically, the project was for flood control, and to complete it, the town of New Burlington was flooded and rests at the bottom of the lake.

After we climb out of the lake region the road evens out and remains flat until we get through the farmlands of Clinton county.

The county seat is Wilmington, home of Wilmington College, a dieing DHL hub, and some of the best homemade ice cream around.

Wilmington College's area of studies are strongestW

Wilmington College

in Agriculture and Education. The main campus sits on 65 acres, has 21 buildings and enjoys an enrollment of 1100 plus students. The campus was the site of the Cincinnati Bengals' training camp until 1997 when the team moved the site to Georgetown Kentucky.

Currently, there is a major effort to stop DHL (a parcel service) from closing its hub at Wilmington Airport. In a proposed joint venture with UPS to handle all North American shipments, DHL has announced that 6100 jobs may be cut from the hub.

Gibson's Goodies, a homemade ice cream shop has been around since the 1940's and still makes ice cream by the recipes developed by the original owner. Additionally, Wilmington is embroiled in a banana split controversy. The town claims the first split was made there in 1907, while LaTrobe Pa. says it was the birthplace of the treat in 1904.

Most trips to Portsmouth these days, I bypass Wilmington, if for nothing else, my waistline. That is some darn good ice cream.

Anyway, it makes for a much more scenic trip if we take Ohio 380 south to Route 3 where we cross onto Clarksville Road. Clarksville Road takes us into Clarksville of all places. We pick up 350 and head east until it dead ends into 73 between Wilmington and Hillsboro.

Passing through Wilmington and eastward for the next 15 miles, we see acres and acres of corn rush past as if they were late for harvest. Then the landscape begins to gently wrinkle and the black ribbon we dance on hugs tight.

Shortly before we reach the outskirts of Hillsboro , the western edge of the Foothills To The Appalachians can be seen off to the east. We will flirt and tease with these hills ridges and valleys from here on in.

Built in 1807 to serve as the county seat of Highland county, the settlement grew quickly as an agriculture center. Flour and lumber became its claim to fame. During the mid 1800's the only 2 rail lines in the region tumbled through Hillsboro.
But, as the decades wore on, urban centers located in less remote areas became the desirable sites to do business.

Today, Hillsboro sports roughly 7000 inhabitants, with an economy that is largely fueled by the nearby Ohio State Park; Rocky Fork.

Rocky Fork became a state park in 1950 with the dam's completion in 1953. The 2080 acre lake is a favorite by anglers and boaters alike. No limits on horsepower allows for great water sports as well as the lake's population of bass and muskies.

Continuing along State Route 73 through and out of Hillsboro, the turns get less sweeping and the ups and downs of the black sea come more frequent.

Twenty-five miles east and south, just past a Brush Creek crossing, an entrance appears to the left. It is the gateway to the ancient past. A past where the Adena Indians lived amongst the conifers and mighty oaks that grow thick in these 'mini- mountains'.

Like every other society, the Adena left a footprint that is unique. They existed from 1000 B.C. to about 1 A.D. and are known as 'The Mound Builders' due to the burial mounds they built.

Perhaps the most famous of these mounds is Serpent Mound. The pre-historic effigy is 1330 feet long and 3 feet high, and sits on a plateau overlooking the Brush Creek valley. The serpent uncoils in the direction of the summer solstice sunrise.

There is speculation that this mound was not a burial mound , because of several typical conical burial mounds in the area, but rather a tribute to the constellation we call The Little Dipper.

Rolling through Locust Grove and across U.S. 33 the road carves into the side of the foothills. Shale walls that tower over the route

were too tempting when I was kid. My father grew up in this neck of the woods and we would visit my grandmother 2-3 weekends a month. More than once did we boys talk him into stopping so we could climb the shale.

The once proud road is worn and shows some neglect as it winds through Rarden, Ottway and Henley. Thirty miles of winding, rising, dipping, then a sharp downward right hand curve brings the bike down on the floor of the Ohio River Valley. Nowhere on this journey is the road more featureless than the last 5 miles into Portsmouth.

Raceway Park

If you're not careful, you'll end up crossing over into Kentucky instead of bearing left, past Portsmouth Raceway Park and into the western fringes of town.

Portsmouth was originally laid out by Henry Massie and named after his home town of Portsmouth Virginia. The town quickly grew because of movement along the Ohio towards the edge of the western frontier.

By the 1880's the town was on a continual boom. Businesses that supported the railroads, brick companies, and mills were plentiful.

While the county, Scioto, which it served as the seat, continued to be dependent on an agricultural economy, Portsmouth was becoming an industrial powerhouse. Shoelaces, Shoes, Steel Mills and more brought great Prosperity to this town.

Football was huge as well. Several semipro teams were formed in the 1920's, including the Portsmouth Shoe-Steels, coached by the legendary Jim Thorpe. The Shoe-Steels became The Portsmouth Spartans, one of the original NFL teams.

The Great Depression coupled with the Flood Of 1937 brought the city to its knees. The Ohio River Crested at twenty feet above flood level, leaving 35,000 homeless and destroying 60% of all the residences in the city.

The city rebuilt itself as its economy was fueled

by World War II. The momentum of the war machine carried the new found prosperity into the 1970's. In 1956, a uranium enrichment plant opened in nearby Piketon, providing many jobs. The Ohio Stove company doubled its production in 1964. Also, in 1973, the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility was completed, bringing more job opportunities to the residents of Scioto County.

I always joke that half my family is watching the other half there

Despite the rebuilding, the city has suffered a major reduction in population over the last 50 years, 36,000 in 1950 to 22,000 in 2000.

Today, the the city hosts Shawnee State College and a Floodwall masterpiece simply known as the Murals.

Shoelaces. Yup, Shoelaces. For over 100 years now, the Mitchellace Co. has been spitting out shoe laces from the north bank of the Ohio. It seems that shoelaces provide the ties from the past to the present for this river town.

In the late 1800's other shoelaces manufacturers and shoe companies helped keep the economy strong in Portsmouth, and now, the one that remains is the world's provider of shoelaces, Mitchellace.

Shortly after the city was plotted, steel was being produced there. An abundant source of iron ore and virgin forest combined with the 2 major rivers (The Ohio and The Scioto) provided the scenario in which Portsmouth became a steel making giant.

After over a century of amazing prosperity the

final mill closed its operations in 1980. The Detroit Steel Mill employed 5,000 at its height of glory in 1950. But, foreign production brought the mill's final curtain down.

During The American Civil War, the only batlles fought on Ohio soil were those conducted by the confederate general John Hunt Morgan. His daring raid traversed 3 states in July 1863. His raid wnet north of Portsmouth as he was looking for escape from harassing federal troops.

The influence is still visible today. I know of at least three schools in that region named Morgan, and they all have Raiders as their mascot. Maybe its me, but I also recall quite a few boys. named Morgan from that area.

Portsmouth today is known as a college town and a tourist center. Shawnee State University is located just off the downtown area, and the tourist attraction are the amazing floodwall murals.

Shawnee Stae U.

Ohio's newest state funded university, Shawnee State, came to life in 1986. It rests on 52 acres and had an enrollment of 3800 in the 2006-2007 acedemic year. The school is known for its Education and Occupational Therapy programs.

As for the murals, well I once explained how cool they were to some co-workers who immediately trekked to Portsmouth. On their return they exclaimed that I did the murals no justice in my enthusiastic descriptions.

Robert Dafford, a muralist for over 35 years now, started on the flood wall paintings in 1993, to date he and his staff have covered the entire wall facing Front Street, some 60 murals in all. He is painting other walls in town as well as many flood walls and buildings along a 1000 mile stretch of the Ohio river.

Kathleen Battle...world renown opera star

Earl Thomas Conley...Country Music star

Branch Rickey...The man who brought Jackie Robinson to Brooklyn

AND.....

My favorite things to do or places to go in Portsmouth would include a coupla rides (of course), some cold beer, and a great party.

Twenty-five miles east will put you right in the

Wayne National Forest

middle of Wayne National Forest, the only national forest in Ohio. It's a nice ride into the foothills once you leave Eastbound U.S. 52 and head up Ohio 552 to 93. Go south to Ellison-Paddle Creek Road where a left hand turn will put you on the shores of Lake Vesuvius.

If you go east on 52 until you come to route 125,

Shawnee Park

you can turn right and find Shawnee State Park. The lodge offers a spectacular view of the forested river valley from its dining room. This trip is about 15 miles one way.

The Brewery

My choice for lunch is The Brewery, a micro-brew pub that has been in business since 1843. If you are there at the right time, the veggies are garden fresh, right from the owners garden. I suggest the Redbird Ale for any meal.

And, right across the street from The Brewery is

Pat's

one of the greatest 'dives' of all time, Party Pat's. As it turns out, Pat's is where my dad and his brothers would come out of the hills to go and drink in the late 1940's and early 1950's.

And the big party is The River Days Festival held every Labor Day Weekend. The party lasts four days a good reason to make this an overnighter) and culminates with one of the biggest car shows I've ever seen. The fireworks over the river on Sunday night are fantastic, as well as the entertainment. This year the main draw was The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Leon Russell, Dr. Hook, The Buckinghams and many more have performed at the festival.

After visiting the murals or a weekend at the party, its time to roll home.

As I mentioned way, way, way above, I rarely take

the same route home that I went to get somewhere, so I usually like the ride along U.S. 52 west. The ribbon skirts the banks of the Ohio or runs along the edge of the flood plains where the hills that make the valley come to rest.

The scenic trip is sprinkled with makeshift marinas, riverbank campsites and roadside vegetable stands. Earning a living in this part of the state is tough.

Finally, after a 50 mile trek, we roll into Ripley Ohio.

Ripley was born out of the land granted to an Amercican Revoultionary War soldier, Colonel James Poage.

Once he arrived from his home in Virginia, he freed

Rankin House

his slaves and named his new town after an officer in the War Of 1812.

Because the settlement was in a 'free' state and was located just across from the 'slave' state of Kentucky, Ripley became an early stop along the Underground Railroad. Abolitionist John Rankin lived on a hill overlooking the town and the river. He would signal escaped slaves by hanging a lantern on a flagpole.

For the last 20 years Ripley has been the home of the Ohio Tobacco Festival, which celebrates tobacco farming in Ohio.

The Gang At Ripley

My reason for stopping in Ripley is the beer. The riverfront district is one of those few biker friendly areas you find on the map, and Snappers is the best.

A very clean and warmly decorated bar that sports 3 separate bar areas, two of which are outside with beautiful views of the Ohio River and Kentucky across the way.

If you want food with your brew and view, the staff at Snappers are glad to get you a phone and a menu from a local eatery that will deliver to the bar.

Leaving Ripley, we say good-bye to the Ohio by taking U.S. 68 to the interior of the state.

The highway is a definite climb out of the valley and doesn't level out until we just about reach the Georgetown Area. Georgetown is where the childhood home of Ulysses Grant is.

Once at the top, the ride becomes more uneventful as we pass more of Ohio's vast farmlands and small towns such as Mt. Orab, Fayeteville, and Westboro.

At Cuba, we pick up 350 west and head towards Lebanon. But, along the way we will stop for a break at Cowan Lake State Park.

Cowan Lake's 700 acres were formed in 1950 when a

dam was constructed across Cowan Creek. Unlike other lakes along our path, Cowan has a 10 hp. limit on boat motors and offers a splendid venue for sailboats. Every weekend during the summer there is a regatta, which can be watched from the 1000 foot beach or one of the scenic picnic areas along the shore.

Once we leave the lake and get back onto Ohio 350 we will ride through on more river valley on the journey back home.

Down into the valley and past yet another settlement site of early mound builders, the Fort

Ancient People. The Fort Ancients were believed to be the first truel Native American Farmers. Those before them had gardens and domesticated animals, but the Fort Ancients actually relied on an agriculturally based economy.

The highway dead ends into Ohio 123 which we take west through Lebanon. Lebanon is the county seat of Warren County and is rich in early American History.

Most Notably is The Golden Lamb, Ohio's oldest Inn. Opened in 1803, the Inn has served 12 U.S. Presidents and countless other well known folks.

Being only 15 miles from home, the trip winds down along 123 through Franklin, across the new bridge and into Carlisle.

Home is always a great place to end up, and a great place to start.