Z Mystery Drive

Sunday, Sept 13th

 

Greetings, ZBimmers!

 

I know you marked September 13 on your calendar for the Mystery Drive.  Now is the time to reveal almost all the details.  Andy and Cheryl Kawecki have planned a grand adventure for your driving pleasure - touring the renowned Ohio twisties, seeing some unique sights along the way and, of course, eating.  This drive has something for everyone!  Here’s how Andy and Cheryl describe the day:

 

The September 13th Mystery Drive is no longer a mystery!  If you like rural countryside, twisty roads, old barns and covered bridges, you're going to love this 230-mile drive.

 

The No-Longer-A-Mystery Drive begins promptly at 9:30 AM, departing from the famous ZBimmer morning rally point behind Einstein Bagels in North Canton (Portage Street, Exit 111 and I-77).  The first leg of our driving adventure begins with a short section of I-77 to route 43 and then heads southward into the city of Carrollton.  Keep a watch out for the first of many barns like the Sleepy Hollow Barn and a Ohio Bicentennial Barn between Malvern and Carrollton.  Once through Carrollton, we continue south to the town of Amsterdam where we turn and run the lower section of route 164.  This 15-mile section is definitely twisty with many elevation changes and is sure to please.  Next we pass by the Leesville Lake area and follow route 212 to a leisurely cruise on the scenic route 39 into New Philadelphia and lunch at the Hot Rod City Restaurant around 12:00 pm.

 

After lunch, it’s route 250/800 south, picking up a section of Ohio’s Tappan-Moravian Trail Scenic Byway.  South of Uhrichsville, this section of byway runs southeast and visits the small town of Deersville on the underside of Tappan Lake.  It then runs down around the southern tip of the lake to route 250 and onto route 646 where the road, from the towns of New Rumley to Germano, is called by some motorcyclists as “one of the best sections of pavement in Ohio”.  We pass through the birth town of General George Custer but won’t have time to stop. This twisty, scenic road continues until we turn north onto route 152.  Before we get to our Jefferson State Park pit stop, we detour off 152 onto Cr 56 where we pass under the Hindman covered bridge and pass by another one of the many Ohio’s infamous Mail Pouch Barns.

 

After leaving the Jefferson pit stop, we continue north on route 43 where we pickup route 164, again in Amsterdam, for its northern leg.  This upper section of 164 is also an exciting driving road with many twists and turns, passing through more than a few small towns before delivering us into Lisbon.  Here the pace slows and we start heading back west, route 30, then the scenic route 172 where we unwind from all the twisties while cruising back to Canton, I-77 and dinner at Papa Bears Italian Restaurant around 5:30-6:00 pm.

 

If you plan to drive with us, RSVP by email at ackwik@wowway.com.  The head count will allow us to tell the lunch crew how many Z’s will be invading their city and to confirm numbers for the private room reserved for dinner.

 

Here's the standard boilerplate for the No-Longer-A-Mystery Drive.  Please join us for the entire trip or just the part that's convenient for you.  Bring along all the Zs that you can find.  Dress appropriately for the temperature because we drive regardless of weather.  Don't forget sunscreen and sun glasses if it's bright.  Have a full tank of gas to start the drive.  Bring your Talkabouts tuned to channel 7,5.  Be sure the camera has batteries or film.  Remember your tank of gas donation for Make A Wish.  Contributions now total $17,460!  Do visit zbimmers.org for information and history of our adventures.

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the 13th and driving a few more miles together!  Now the only part of the drive that’s still a mystery is … who will show up to drive!  And as Andy and Cheryl say “ Sure hope you can attend.” 

 

Andy, Cheryl and Cindy