Who knew that America had a bicycle museum? I was not sure why it is in New Bremen, Ohio, and I was wanting to see the bicycles on display. We did find the history of the bicycle fascinating; as bikers, we discovered a few things about biking we did not know. This is a wonderful museum and a great way to see the story of the bicycle. Did you know about radio bikes from the 1940s or why they had the ridiculous, disproportioned wheels on early bicycles? We did not until after our visit.

I did the kids scavenger hunt game, and it was very engaging for us to discover everything on the list.  I think we were fascinated by the kid bikes, such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, as well as Hop Along Cassidy’s bike.

I appreciated the Schwinn display of banana seat bikes, the “Sting Ray” like I had as a kid. I did not have a “5-speed,” but these bikes look just like the one I had.

We were amazed at the number of bicycle races that occurred and how many times the same individuals won them. We then read about Arthur Zimmerman and his more than 1,000 victories. Sounds like it was a full-time job just winning bicycle races.

The most surprising collection was the military bikes, including the folding bike that parachuted in WWII and the parachutist got on prior to landing. The folding bike was rare, as most were discarded on the field of battle.

New Bremen is home to lock #1 on the Miami & Erie Canal. This was the highest elevation point in the canal that is no longer an active waterway.  After our tour of the bicycle museum, we walked along the canal on the old mule path. The town has created an excellent walking and biking path, for a gravel bike. We always enjoy walking next to the water and a canal is a nice calm waterway.  

After spending the night in New Bremen, we drove over to visit my sister and brother-in-law. It is good to be close enough to stop by and go home in one day. We can always drive up and see them. And we generally do not. The bicycle museum was a good stop on the way to spending the day with my sister.

Other Fun: Training has begun for the Springtime half marathon. I enjoy the running group. Although I do not run fast, getting out is fun and being part of the group is good. It did snow in January and February and then stayed below freezing for several days, which felt like several months. Too much snow and not enough sidewalk means going to the gym and using the treadmill. Not nearly as enjoyable as running outside. We all make sacrifices.

Our first race of the season is the Frozen 10k. It was cold, but it was before the big snow hit the area. The organizers must be happy to have been able to host the event. A day later, most events were shut down, like church, school and roads. I was happy to run with Barry and Ron from my running group. Ron gave me his extra toe warmers for the run. They worked great!

We took an evening and went to see the play “Mrs. Christie.” It was a good night out. One of the questions they had to entertain us early arrivers was to list your comfort reads. The sign indicates that many of us have books that steady us in difficult times. The question is posed: Which story do you return to when you need comfort? I thought it was a good question to share with all of you. I listed an author (David Baldacci); there were other books ranging from Go Dog Go to the Alchemist.

No biking on this adventure. See you on the road.