Day 41, September 4: North Coast Inland Trail (pix added 9/7)

Fremont, OH to Elyria, OH https://goo.gl/8Gao32 (for the second time, I forgot to start my Cyclemeter iPhone app in the morning, so this link points to a Google map of the route)
Trip distance: 68.2 miles
Total trip distance: 2395.6 miles
Average speed: 12.6 mph
Maximum speed: 28.9 mph

Riding time: 5:24
Weather: at 9:35 when I began the temperature was 71° and the dew point was 70°. Temperatures varied from the high 70s to 80s, depending on the presence of sun or clouds. The dew points were in the low 70s. Moving on a bike helps beat the heat, but it was definitely uncomfortable when I stopped. The wind blew anywhere from 0-10 mph and shifted from a direct headwind in the first hour or two to a crosswind.
Terrain: The uphill and downhill feet are listed in the Google route profile below, although Google numbers tend to be much lower than the ones measured with the Cyclemeter app. The route was not quite as flat as the day before, because it crossed several river valleys.

The route ran across northern Ohio, roughly parallel and to the south of I 80/I 90, as seen below, although you can get a more detailed look by clicking this link. I started and finished my ride on the North Coast Inland Trail (NCIT)--an 11-mile segment east of Fremont and a 14-mile segment from Kipton through Oberlin to Elyria. The NCIT is a typical rail trail, flat and straight. This part of Ohio is relatively densely populated, so the land uses along the trail are not just agricultural.

Nasty weather the night before knocked some trees into the North Coast Inland Trail. Glad this weather didn't strike while I was riding. 

Another downed tree on the North Coast Inland Trail causes cyclists to portage their bikes.

The huge Whirlpool plant in Clyde, Ohio is visible from the rail trail. It is the largest washing machine factory in the world and employs about 3,400 people.

Aerial view showing the bike trail and the Whirlpool plant. The small white circle near the center of the photo is the water tower shown in the previous picture.

This part of Ohio is in the heart of North America's manufacturing belt, but corn and soybeans are grown here too.

Channel provides seedsmanship.

It is near the end of the growing season, so this soybean field is going yellow. The photo also shows the flatness of the lake plain.

My kind of street. This street sign is in Oberlin, a college town.

Oberlin College is known for music. Two students sitting on the staircase practice on their horns.

A cumulonimbus cloud towers over Oberlin. These clouds are associated with atmospheric instability and rain storms. This was the time of day when weather forecasters said there was a 50% of rain. Some rain did come to the area, but by that time I was in my motel in Elyria.