Harsha Dam Ride

It was the first dry, sunny, and pleasant day we have had in weeks. So I set out on the Elite to the East Fork Lake Region. I had my sights specifically set on exploring the Harsha Dam area of the park in Clermont County.

Jingles was sporting her new "Cheeky Seats" chilipepper seat cover and her new Saddlemen tail pack. She had to strike a pose in the parking lot before we departed.

We set off down Tealtown Road and hit the back roads into Batavia, the county seat. There were a lot of motorcycles out and we cheerily exchanged the "biker wave" as we met out along the way.

At Batavia I hit the United Dairy Farmers for a restroom break and jug of Glacier Cherry Gatorade and Ritz cheese crackers. These were consumed while I took a rest under a shade tree in the local cemetery, one of my favorite spots.

Along the village streets I admired the new promenade.

I eventually made my way onto Route 222, also known as "Riverside Drive" and headed out toward East Fork Lake and the Harsha Dam entrance.

As I turned onto the access road, I came upon Sherry's Lake bait shop, offering a deli, bait, camping, fishing, and groceries.

There was a pretty little fresh spring lake with people enjoying fishing and even a few tents pitched alongside.

Leaving here I wound down onto a flood plain then up a hill and curved to the right as the road became the top of the dam.

They are hard to see, but there were motor boats, pontoon boats, and fishing boats dotting the lake's surface.

I dismounted to get a good view.

After I crossed the top of the dam I came upon the visitor's center and a scenic overlook.

The overlook just looked out over tree tops to the lake way off in the distance, so I did not get a photo and there were people hanging around which made exploration difficult.

So I headed to the visitor's center and I was the only one inside, free to explore the exhibits.

Things found on the forest floor:

Different kinds of fish species:

A taxidermist had evidently been brought in to enhance the exhibit. Seeing this little fox like this bothered me, but I felt he earned a right to be included in the tour:

I left the visitor's center and returned to my scoot, saddled up and headed back across the dam. Here is the view opposite the lake:

Then I rode back out the main entrance past Sherry's Lake and out onto Route 222 toward Batavia.

It was a peaceful few hours of adventure scooting on the back roads around East Fork Lake and Harsha Dam. I covered about 38 miles round trip. The scooter ran quietly and was I was comfortable in the saddle on the ride.

Read more about Harsha Dam here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Fork_State_Park