30 Days to PA

Towson, MD to York Furnace, PA. Tonight finds our intrepid couple at the Otter Creek Campground near York Furnace, PA, after another long day in the hill country. Less than 50 miles, but Matthew guesses we climbed around 4,000 feet today. What is really amazing is that he did all that climbing today without his granny gear!

The derailleur and new crankset apparently still need some adjustments, with the result today that he wasn't able to shift into his smallest gear. I could not have done all of today's climbs without my granny gear, but Matthew muscles his way through it, somehow. Besides the gearing issue, the master link on his chain popped off, so we had a short break to replace it.

The sun was out today, but the winds were WNW between 10 and 20 mph, so it felt cold all day today. Both of us are wearing jackets, but Matthew seems to feel the cold more. Just outside of Towson, we crossed the Loch Raven Reservoir. An absolutely gorgeous spot, but Matthew was already so cold that he changed into his heavy tights and even put on gloves! It doesn't really feel like the end of May.

We knew that the campground is on the Susquehanna River, and I was glad that the last half-mile was all downhill. Even though I know we'll be climbing that hill tomorrow, our Camp Director, Wayne, assures us that after we reach Marietta(!), the terrain evens out. I'm clinging to that like gospel for the time being.

Dinner tonight was sponsored by Suzi and Jim Stovall. (Thanks!) After an appetizer of a peanut-butter-smeared tortilla, the package of Pasta Primavera that arrived at our last PO pickup was a great treat. We also attempted to make the Chocolate Decadence Cheesecake, but it turned out more like a milkshake (which is also a dessert, in my book).

We're so worn out tonight that everything is incredibly funny,and we could hardly eat, let alone talk we were laughing so hard over dinner.

The Otter Creek campground features campsites with electricity, so we're able to charge up some of our electronics. In the unexpected category, the showers here are coin-op. 50 cents will get you 7 minutes. Laundry facilities are also available, so we're able to throw everything together for one load. While I'm on the subject, we found a laundry product ot one KOA kampground that works perfectly for us. A disposable sheet is impregnated with the soap and softener, so you just throw one in with the load and throw it away when you're done. Plus, they're incredibly packable.

As I write this, playoff hockey is on the XM radio in our tent. I'm a little surprised that we can get a signal here, because I don't have phone service. I have a feeling that I won't be awake to hear the end of the game, though.

Tomorrow's ride will be another 50 miles or so--depending on how well we face the hills. Hard to believe that we're already in Pennsylvania, and have logged over 1400 miles. After just a month on the road, I totally understand why people want to travel around this country. It really is such a beautiful country, and there's so much variety to see. Today we could look out at the top of a hill and see a setting fit for a Wyeth painting. Farm fields planted with variious crops, forming a quilt-like pattern on the land. In the middle of each quilt square is the farmhouse and barns. We're still seeing a lot of horse farms (we're just one day's ride from the home of the Preakness), and we've entered Amish country. While we were stopped for a break this afternoon, a horse-drawn buggy filled with 6 Amish women drove by. They were all dressed in long, dark dresses, and each one had a dark bonnet. We were on the opposite side of the street, and when we waved, all six of them waved back. That was a fun moment for me--I guess as a cyclist, I can really understand alternative lifestyle choices. I hope that I'll have the opportunity to meet and talk with some Amish folks sometime soon.

Matthew's comment: despite the cold, the wind, and the hills, I'm still having the time of my life.