Today we were given a choice. We could climb mount Davis, the highest elevation in Pennsylvania, or go an extra 3.5 miles on the same beautiful trail as yesterday. No shortcuts for this girl...I took the trail! It was an 80 mile day. After the first 31 miles on the trail, the rest of the day was a lot of hills. At mile 60, we had another option to ride an extra 7 miles to see the flight 93 memorial. Thankfully I got to the entrance in time to ride with Gene, Reesh, and Ben in blue thunder. Overall today was a pretty rough day so I began an eating frenzy at camp. I had sour cream and onion chips, rice crispy treats, root beer, coke, chicken, 2 ears of corn, bread, ice cream, and a lemonade. Oh and we finally got around to building a camp fire and making smores!!! I have breakfast duty tomorrow, and it is supposed to be the hardest day of the ride so I need to get some rest. Good night.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Day 43: 7/30/12
Today was an 87 mile ride from Washington to confluence PA. A large portion of todays ride was on a bike trail so that meant that we had limited access to our support. The trail was packed limestone, which made for a rough ride but the scenery more than made up for it. I wanted to stop and take pictures everywhere. I called it the magical forest. At one point a deer jumped across the path right in front of us. There were beautiful wooden bridges, walls of rocks, running water, and tall trees. It was nice to be shaded. I was jealous of the people I saw kayaking, rafting, and canoeing. I wonder if they were jealous of me riding my bike...uh....probably not. Fred Husak, a 2000 alumni hosted a lunch for us that was great. Thanks to him and his family. Near the end of the ride some people decided to go see falling water, a frank Lloyd wright house. I opted not to go because it was an extra 3.5 miles up a steep climb, plus after 4 days of riding I was desperate to do laundry. I took a shower, enjoyed $12 night at the lucky dog, then went into town to find a laundromat. Quiet time sneaks up fast. Good night.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Day 42: 7/29/12
Today was a 62 mile ride into Pennsylvania. Again there was no state sign. I will be able to get the picture when we go into Maryland though. Heather asked me to ride with her this morning, and unfortunately she got a flat tire almost immediately out of camp. Thankfully Gene was there to help :) I know she wanted to stop early on but it was foggy and hilly. I really wanted to get to the checkpoint at mile 26 so I encouraged her to keep going. When we got to the stop, Lynn told me to continue because Heather was being sent home. I felt really bad, but I needed to continue. Not to far down the road I ran into Ben and Reesh who were waiting for me. I really thought that was great so I bought them both lunch. It was another early day into camp. Some people got a ride into town, but I just wanted to hang out at camp. I really needed to catch up on my blogs ;) Dinner was catered and yummy, but so was the brisket that Steve and Rick bought Gene and I when we picked then up from the bbq joint in town. I'm also looking forward to a campfire and smores tonight!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Day 41: 7/28/12
Today was an easy 60 mile ride from Burton to New Waterford. There was a burger king next to the first rest stop so I enjoyed breakfast #2. I got into camp early, and I was so glad I did. Shortly after arriving I set up my tent hoping to dry it out. Almost immediately it began pouring down rain. Gene went to find the keys to blue thunder because his windows were down while the rest of us tried to move the bags further under the pavilion. After the rain I showered, napped, ate pizza, and then blogged while a couple other people played cards. I went to bed near the lake...beautiful!
Day 40: 7/27/12
Today was a 93 mile ride from Sandusky to Burton. We rode through Cleveland today which is where Liz is from. It was great because her family hosted the lunch stop. Luckily we got there and ate before the storm blew in. We waited it out under a bathroom awning before continuing. Liz was our tour guide as we ate our way through Cleveland. We stopped in the west side for coffee, in little Italy for lunch number 2, at on the rise for fresh baked goods, and of course the rock and roll hall of fame for some pics. My mp3 player fell off in front of blue thunder, and Gene went back to get it for me. Unfortunately, it didn't sound the same. Looks like no more music for me. At camp I enjoyed a couple summer shandy beers while Gene changed my tube and replaced a tire for me. Steve, another friend from Padre, came out to visit. He joined us for dinner at tom and jerrys. It was great to see him since Florida may get him this year. Another great day on the big ride!
Day 39: 7/26/12
Today was our rest day in Sandusky. I woke up and started my laundry. I knew we wanted to get an early start for the amusement park. On the way over, we got McDonalds for breakfast.We got 16 people together in their Jerseys to take some pictures outside for publicity so we could get free admission to cedar point and soak city. They also brought us to the dragster roller coaster and gave us immediate entry. Reesh, Ben, Cam, Sarah, Gene, and I all went to soak city to enjoy the slides and the lazy river. It was mostly cloudy so it was a little chilly. We left to go do some roller coasters and of course the sun comes out. I wanted to go back to the water park so Gene went with me. As soon as we got in the lazy river, the sun disappeared again. We decided to make the best of it and go in the hot tub in the adult pool. We got out at the perfect time. Before we could buy tickets to an extra ride, this strong storm blew in. Gene and I waited it out before getting arbys and going back to camp. Liz had brought blondies back from home which were delicious and perfect for dessert. Then it was time to pack and get ready for another day of riding.
Day 38: 7/25/12
Today was a 90 mile ride from Napoleon to Sandusky. We had our first check point in bowling green at a bike shop. They opened early for us so I bought a new chain. I also stopped at a coffee shop for breakfast 2. Lynn's dad joined us for the rest of the ride. He also told us it was Charleton's birthday in two days, which I'm still not sure if it was true. Reesh entertained me for a good 10 miles recapping the first two Batman movies for me. After lunch i noticed I had a slow leak. I pumped it up and figured I would change it later, or Gene would. As I rode into camp with Reesh, Ben was already in the pool and got all the strangers to shout for us. Liz and Molly left with family for the rest day. It was a $12 night so we headed out for dinner. Sarah, Todd, Gene, and I went to a great wine bar with tapas style food. It was great, but pricey. After dinner we made a stop at Kroger thenwent back to get my credit card from the restaurant. At camp we watched funny you tube videos (surprised kitten) then went to bed.