Home on the trail

I love the Little Miami Scenic Trail. For those of you not from the Greater Cincinnati area, it's a bike trail that weaves up the eastern side of Cincinnati, then on to Lebanon (Ohio, obviously) and Xenia. From there, you can pretty much find your way to Lake Erie. Pretty great, right? Yes it is, and for me especially.

One of the things I love most about the Little Miami is the number of fun cyclist friendly businesses right off the trail. I really enjoy hopping on my bike in Milford, riding the 9.5 miles to Loveland, stopping for a breakfast sandwich and heading back. Actually, the downtown Loveland stop on the bike trail could be my version of utopia, which is really shaking my formerly firm philosophy about where I will and will not live.

The philosophy now: live in a more urban area, close to downtown where I work to minimize my commute time. Also, by living in a more urban area, I'm more likely to have a home with character (and I do) and have many more activities in close proximity (which I also do).

I don't live in the heart of the city by any means, but I definitely have the perks of living close-in. My neighborhood in Covington is only a couple miles from the riverfront and all the great festivals and things to do that come with it. But there's one thing I don't have... the bike trail.

I want to ride from my house to the bike trail. I want to ride my bike to the canoe rental place and spend a leisurely afternoon on the river. I want to go on breakfast rides and get a coffee and sit, relax and read my newspaper before going back. I REALLY want this! But to achieve this, I'll have to be much farther from downtown and the riverfront. What to do?

I'm not moving anywhere anytime soon. But when the time comes to move again, it's going to be a very very interesting decision. As I get a bit older, my idea of a great Saturday shifts from spending the evening at the Levee to spending the day on the trail. I guess that's a pretty good sign--but knowing me, I'm likely to change my mind.