LITTLE MIAMI RIVER VALLEY
Apr. 13 2010

The Little Miami River is a waterway in southwestern Ohio that empties into the Ohio River just south of Lunken Airport in Cincinnati. The course of the river had to be changed slightly to build Bunkin' Lunken. The valley is rife with Roads Scholaring exhibits. So, to celebrate getting fired from work on the morning of this Peace Bike outing, I deigned to peep 'em all!






Northeast on Cincinnati's Wilmer Avenue, which runs along the north edge of Lunken Airport. When I saw the clever billboard at left, I kept thinking of the old "Snickers satisfies you" ad campaign.




Northeast on Wooster Road - the former US 50.




The end of Galbraith Road! This is west on Galbraith from the Little Miami Scenic Trail, near Galbraith's east end. However, Galbraith becomes Kugler Mill Road through Indian Hill, before resuming as Galbraith.




The Little Miami Scenic Trail goes north over the Little Miami River into Clermont County. It's impressive to see a "SOCIALISM IS NOT COMMUNISM" sticker in suburban Cincinnati, isn't it? The 76-mile trail occupies the path of a former rail line. The last trains ran in 1962, and the line was officially abandoned in 1974. Most of the trail is within a very narrow state park that snakes through several counties. Hamilton County was supposed to extend the trail to downtown Cincinnati years ago, but budgeting concerns have prevented this. The county had money in its budget for 2 new stadiums (when the old stadium was just fine) and prosecuting an art museum over the Mapplethorpe exhibit, but it doesn't have enough to finish a bike trail.




From the bridge in the previous photo, this is a view of the OH 126 (Glendale-Milford Road) bridge.




Another view of the OH 126 span.




Looking the other way on the Little Miami.




The Little Miami Scenic Trail near unincorporated Miamiville.




West on OH 126, which uses Center Street in Miamiville.




You want old? This rusted rail crossing sign is on 2nd Street in Miamiville where it crosses the trail. The trains stopped running in 1962, but this sign has to be much, much older.




"BIG RU"!!! This is continuing on the trail near Miamiville.




The trail continues 10 minutes out of Miamiville.




The trail goes under the I-275 bridge. This bridge is not a double decker - despite the illusion created by this photo. This is near Branch Hill - an unincorporated hamlet known for the infamous Branch Hill-Guinea Road.




Now we're in Loveland - a town known for wasting taxpayer dollars by passing an ordinance demanding Bill Clinton's impeachment. This is looking down Broadway Street. Loveland was also known as a center of the Prohibition movement, and it banned alcohol years before national Prohibition.




I didn't expect to find one of these in 2010, but I did. This is the signature Ohio stop sign style from the 1970s. It's characterized by a lanky font. This is on the Little Miami Scenic Trail near Broadway in Loveland.




I'm guessing this is southwest on the rail line going out of Loveland. The bridge would be over the Little Miami River. The road crossing would be Riverside Avenue or Kemper Road.




Looking down the Little Miami from the Loveland Avenue bridge. The bridge in the distance is presumably the one from the previous photo. The river marks the line between Hamilton and Clermont counties. Loveland itself rests in 3 counties: Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren.




East on the Loveland Avenue bridge into downtown Loveland.




The bike trail again. It's one thing to find one 1970s-style Ohio stop sign, but I didn't think I'd see 2 within sight of each other. The one in the background is the one seen in a different photo above.




A video going south on the trail south of Loveland. The road paralleling the trail on the left from about 3:50 to 6:30 is Branch Hill-Loveland Road.




Going back under the I-275 bridge.




Continuing just within the I-275 loop.




Still on the trail, 9 minutes south of I-275.




Finally, the trail nears its end. This would have to be near Avoca Park near the south end of the path.

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