Tornado Alley

The tornados of May 7 left a continuous 2.5 mile stretch of the Little Miami Trail covered in downed trees and debris from Morrow to Strout Rd. “This was the most damage from one storm that we have ever seen on the trail!” said FLMSP volunteer Dirk Morgan, who lives in Morrow. And he wasted no time in getting out there to tackle the cleanup.

“My neighbor Gene Bussel worked behind me with a grappling bucket on his tractor,” said Dirk. “I cut and he moved the logs to the side. Then another FLMSP volunteer arrived and so did Adam Helsley, who owns Four Paws Roofing company. Our 4-man crew worked for 5 hours and finally broke through about 1:00. Couldn’t have done it without them!”

The ODNR crew then arrived—full-time and seasonal staff from Little Miami and Caesar Creek. Thanks to the state crew, FLMSP volunteers, and neighbors, the trail was cleared and open in two days! Thank you to all who worked so hard.

Dirk Morgan sums up: “I’m proud of my neighbors, and proud to be a trail volunteer.” Watch his video of the cleanup in progress.

With a "soft opening" on May 2, the O'Bannon Creek trail bridge is welcoming trail users! Ride your bike up the trail to come and celebrate at the official Ribbon Cutting on Wednesday, May 22. The festivities will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the O’Bannon Creek trail bridge, adjacent to Nisbet Park (223 Railroad Ave., Loveland). State officials will be present, along with a food truck. Enjoy the beautiful landscaping just planted by FLMSP volunteers!

FLMSP volunteers wasted no time in beautifying the area around the newly replaced O’Bannon Creek trail bridge in Loveland. Just before the opening of the bridge, volunteers gathered with shrubs, flowers, and mulch. It had rained the day before, so work was done in the mud; a little more rain fell during the planting, but volunteers looked on the bright side: they didn’t need to water in the plants. Thank you to all who worked on making the bridge area attractive! More photos

You meet a lot of interesting people along the Little Miami Scenic Trail, but this encounter was more interesting than usual.  

by Dwight Elliott

A young man stopped to chat with FLMSP's Far South Maintenance crew near Terrace Park and it was clear he was not from around here. Victor was from Paris, France, and was eager to polish his English-speaking skills. He asked several questions about who we were and what we were doing working on the trail. As we explained the Friends of the Little Miami State Park volunteer organization to him, Victor became very enthusiastic in expressing his thanks for keeping such a beautiful trail maintained. He had been hiking from Xenia and mentioned all the kind people he met on the trail who helped him find places to sleep, eat and shop.

Then the conversation turned to him as we asked about his story... Read More

by Erich Wikum

Several years ago, I was traveling in my car behind an elderly driver who was driving very slowly in the left lane of a four-lane road. I waited patiently until the driver moved into the right lane and I began to accelerate to pass. To my utter surprise, the driver began to make a U turn right in front of me. I slammed on my brakes and my tires squealed as I stopped ever so close to the driver’s side door. I expected to see the driver display a frightened and apologetic expression, but instead, the driver simply completed the U turn without even realizing I was there!

How does this apply to our trail? Read on to find out!

Morrow: The trail will be closed for a few days the third or fourth week of May for asphalt removal and repaving. This is in addition to the closure at the railroad bridge. The short detour via Bishop Park, E. Pike St. sidewalk in front of village administration building, and Front Street, is pictured above (click map for larger image).

Grandin Rd.: The parking area for the trail access near Kings Mills will be closed for final striping for a day or two the week of May 20.

Spring Valley: The U.S. 42 bridge over the Little Miami Scenic Trail, immediately north of the S.R. 725 intersection, is being replaced and widened. The trail remains open, but use much caution in the area due to active construction equipment. 

By Dwight Elliott

Have you seen them? There are seven surviving mileposts from the Pennsylvania Railroad, the predecessor of the Little Miami Trail. Obviously, the scrapper who took up the rails overlooked them and left them behind.

The mileposts are made of cast iron. Each one is eight feet tall even though only four feet of it is above ground. Before speedometers, train crews would determine their speed by measuring their time from one milepost to the next.

There is no correlation between the old mileposts and the mile markers painted on the pavement. The mileposts were numbered from the main line connection in Columbus, Ohio whereas the trail miles are numbered beginning from Xenia, Ohio.

The surviving mileposts are 69, 79, 99, 97, 104, 106, and 108. Can you find them all? If you have a good eye, you might spot milepost 103 in a backyard in Miamiville.

Next time, the mystery of milepost 99.