Sunday, July 29, 2012

Day 42, We made it to Washington (Pennsylvania)

BEST: Seeing nuclear power plants that were actually functioning.

WORST: Seeing nuclear power plants that were actually functioning. (I am trying to balance the politics).

MOST UNEXPECTED: Getting trapped trying to make a left turn by over a thousand motorcylists in a charity ride. Our charity ride of 17 cyclists (no longer 18) only takes 1 minute to pass, not the 25 minutes it took for the flotilla of cheater bikes (they have motors) to pass. I almost put in my experience of getting up last night and stepping in my sandals which had slugs already occupying them, but that seems like old hat.

Last night was a short blog because I couldn't get photos and word to load. We had a catered dinner consisting of pizza, then dodged the rain to get back to my tent to catch some rest.

This morning was 100% humidity e.g. fog. The temperature was great at around 70 degrees. We left Ohio and entered Pennsylvania and were immediately greeted by wonderful roads. If you check out the picture below of the Biker pouch taken at the State border you can start to see the war craters on the Pennsylvania side.

There was no sign saying welcome to Penn, but on the opposite side there was a welcome to Ohio sign which I did a self portrait. The roads in Pennsylvania did improve in road condition, but somebody decided level roads were passe, and put a very large amount of hills on the route with grades of 8, 10, and 12 percent. We climbed over 3400 feet on a short 62 mile road consisting of short hills.

Some of the motorists were very welcoming to us. One of them said something like "welcome to Pennsylvania, watch out for the potholes." At least that is what I thought he said. I clearly heard the Holes part of the sentence preceded by another word.

The nuclear power plants are located on the Ohio River, and the bridge was a little tricky with the expansion joints. We did have a rider go down and he lost his perfect record of no flats.

There was a little drama at camp last night and this morning with one of the riders. It became worse on the ride today with the result that one of the riders is no longer on the Big Ride. Now you know why I wear my helmet when I go to the bathroom so I don't get sent home.

It really was a great ride today because it was short, had fun hills that didn't kill us, and the weather was outstanding. Remember this is July, and temperatures below 80 degrees are to be treasured.

I mentioned the motorcyclists above. We were riding to a y intersection intending to take the left side. We pulled over when a police car with its lights on came behind us, and we thought we were in trouble. Right behind the car was a huge amount of motorcycles of all varieties, and we stood and waited for 25 minutes for them to pass so we could make our left turn. Our campground is very basic although showers and bathroom are only 100 yards away. Tents are up and drying, and life is good. I can't wait for our next catered dinner tonight which will probably be hot dogs, or mac and cheese, possibly even bologna. I don't think I can eat another peanut butter sandwich.

Three more days until we reach Gettysburg and I get to see my family. Unfortunately there are a lot of hills and miles in my way. I need somebody to get here fast to regrade the hills flat, and to pedal my bike for me. Won't you be the one to do this?













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