Day 8, 9, 10

Biking Through Amish Paradise

Miles Biked: 97
73
65

It has been a few days since I have written mylast blog. The reason has more to do with the lack of ability to lift a hand, writting tool, or eye lid. The easy 40 mile days are over.........we are now in the Appalachians........and they are big.

Day 8 was the longest day of the trip so far, and of my short biking life! We traveled 97 miles from Sunbury to Huntingdon. The trip took us through the heart of Amish country with rolling hills that lead to the base of mountains, which I was then forced to trek over. It was the first time I had climbed 1,000 in one sitting....and for me it was quite the accomplishment. The real highlight was not the Amish country (which was beautiful) but the Amish themselves. At our first stop for lunch 45 miles in I thought we were at an Amish free way. Horse and carriages raced through the town....long beards were the chosen hair style...and I could smell weird religion as I chomped on my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Unfortunately, the road we took, was also a horse crap high way. My love of the Amish took a weird turn when I saw two driving in a car. Liz and Andy also told me they saw a few in the Walmart. I'm pretty sure that is straight up Amish cheating. As I arrived in Huntingdon I got a quick drink at Memories sports bar and then it was time for bed.

Just when I thought the day could not possibly be as bad as the day before, I biked off for Day 9. The day started with consistent climbing up rolling farmland towards the mountains. We then did a 1,000 ft climb over a mountain, into another valley, and another 1,500 ft climb over the Eastern Continental Divide at 2,700 hundred feet. Overall we did over 7800 feet of climbing. To make the day worse I found two of our members, Caitlin and Emily, would be leaving HBC. I am very sad to see our group drop to 25 riders just as I was getting to know them. The ride took us to Johnstown....the site of one of the worst natural disasters in our nations history. The city sits at the bottom of a Valley, and in the late 1800's the dam broke sending a 90 foot wall of water towards the city over 2,000. The city is almost as depressing as that story. It appears the steel mills have dried, and the transition to replace the jobs has been a slow one. I passed out after a quick trip to Walmart which brings me to today. Day 10.

We started the day going on the world's steepest vehicular incline pulley thing. According to Steven it wouldcut off 10 miles and an enourmous mountain. It cut off 1mile.....and notmuch of the hill. But whatever goes up, must come down. I hit a new personal best 47 MPH on the way down...notbad for two skinny wheels and nothing to pad my fall. I quote my mom as saying "I never really worried about you until this trip". I guess she has good reason. Corey somehow has surpassed me in total flat tires. He picked up 3 today comapred to my two. He now has a slight lead on me with 13 for the trip (5 coming yesterday) while I have 12. I'm getting new tires tomorrow! Can;t wait. Pat and I continued naming animals the last three days. The list has grown to include 2 cats, a coyote, a fox, a turtle, and countless snakes. Today we actually saw road kill that had been painted white! Also, we continue to sing through towns. I continue to be amazed by how many lyrics pat knows! Pat, Beth, Nick and I rode caboose on the trip and arrived in Union town very late. So I am very tired. Luckily for us tomorrow is the shortest day of the trip (24 miles) and we leave PA for Morgantown, West Virginia. Good bye Pennsylvania....youhave provided me with many memories and legs that cannot move. I'l looking forward to seeing the state in which the movie Deliverance took place!

Day 7

Flat Tires Ruin my day

Miles Biked:65

Thank God we are out of Hazleton. After a day off in the most depressing city I have ever been to, we hit the road for Sunbury. Poor Hazleton. You can tell at one point it was kind of a cool place. It has def. lost its way. There are stores, but no one in them, there are buildings, but you can tell the top floors are unoccupied. It is slowly decaying into a ghost city and two days was way too much. (12 hours is too much).

Today I received my first middle finger! Normally that would piss me off, but on the road, i was almost expecting it. I give all the credit to my riding partner Pat Muha who loves to sit in the middle of the road. Some angered rusty car passed us, flipped the bird, and I had a tingle of joy in my heart. I wonder how many we'll see this summer.

After coming down from the high hills of Hazleton we passed through a city that really angered me....Ashton. They built the city on a huge hill with main street going straight up. Maybe it is because I am a lazy piece of crap.....but I ponder how people find the energy to walk around. After Hazleton we got lost for a few miles. I swear that no matter who Corey rides with they get lost.....I was with Corey at the time.

Apparently delirium sets in on day 7. Pat and I decided to sing while entering townships. While through Shenandoah, we sang the beautiful Shenandoah song......the one about the mountain range. Then we changed the name of the "I would walk one thousands miles" into "I would bike four thousand miles....I would bike four thousand more, just to be the men who biked four thousand miles to San Francisco" Apparently Northeast Penn just doesn't understand our music.

One random thought I am having.......coal truckers hate the world as much as I thought coal truckers might.

We had a nice lunch and then God decided to hate me. About 15 miles outside of Sunbury I had a flat tire.....which turned into two flat tires....which turned into 6 flat tires! The Gold star of the day goes to Beth. After the first flat tired I shouted out to her if she minded stopping to help me fix my tire. "It will only take a minute"

An hour and a half later I am at the YMCA in Sunbury. I haven't really explored the town, but according to the people in Hazleton, it is just like that....can't wait to see what is here! 95 mile day tomorrow.......wonder if I'll survive.

Day 5 and 6

I'm on top of the world....or maybe only PA

Miles Biked: 60 + a rest day

Before I left for my trip the voice of my mother was ringing through my ears saying "don't lose your $75 sun glasses (which are really $150 sun glasses without or sponsorship)" followed by the sound of my father saying "he is going to lose those". As I awoke on Day 5 in Stroudsburg......I had lost my glasses, my wallet was missing, and I had slept on my neck wrong so I could not move it. Luckily for me, Miriam had my glasses, I dealt with my neck.....but my wallet with my life is still missing. I believe it is at the Stroud 7 movie theatres (although they haven't seen it there) after I watched "Knocked Up". I am angered that I lost my wallet watching such an average movie. If it was Transformers or the new Harry Potter movie, I would be a little more understanding. So for now I am borrowing from the first national bank of Pat Muha.

Yesterday's ride took us from the base of the the Pocono's at 325ft into the mountains. I'm now standing in Hazleton which is the highest city in PA at 1800 ft. So if you are asking if there were hills.......the answer is yes....and they sucked.

Apparently yesterday was unintended media day. We were stopped by a man from the morning call located somewhere around here who wanted to follow us. Along the route he took pictures. Pat and I thought we were front page material......which we apparently are not. Our picture didn't even make it in! But there are some cool shots of other members of our group on page 2. Our group also made it into the standard speaker, and two local news stations. We were the LEAD story for WLYN 35....which you can see here http://www.wylntv.com/ Click on watch on the right side, then click on 10:00 on Weds. I should pop open the link. Lead story...tells you exactly how exciting this city is.

Last night was truly the highlight however. It was Francis' 21st Birthday. We went to the only bar we could find called the "The Crystal BBQ and Lounge". I'm not sure how the place stays open because we were the ONLY people in the place. Happy hour started at 7:00 with $1 drinks and never ended. Drinks were drunk, the disco ball and dance lights were glowing, and HBC danced the night away. Craig (who we now call Gizmo) fell off a table and most of the guys took their shirts off to "I'm too sexy". Somehow we convinced the owner to give us free food and we are going back for lunch which I think is funny.

Other funny things include us biking through the town of "Jim Thorpe"(I find it funny they changed the name for an athlete from Oklahoma) and biking through the town of "Hometown".

What's your Hometown?
Hometown
I know, what is it?
My home town?
Yeah
It's Hometown
huh?

We have the day off to recoup in Hazleton today. Some need it more than others. I'll be calling credit card companies and banks all day. Hopefully I'll have some pictures up soon! Off to Sunbury tomorrow!

Day 4

I like to Hike

Miles Biked: 45

Well hello everyone. I have survived another day on the road, and another state! I'm writing from Strousburg, Pennsylvania somewhere near the Pocono Mountains. Today's ride lead us through the Deleware River Water Bed which is under protection from the National Park Service. So a little hiking and swimming was the highlight of my day.

It was a simple ride through the park. The road we road we took followed the river so it was a rolling trip to Strousburg....the town in which I just found out my old roommate Brownbears parents met! Exciting. Along the root I climbed Dingman falls which was a pretty impressive waterfall and swam in the Delaware River. Note to future bikers.....biking shoes and wet wooden paths do not mix well. The water of the Deleware river felt great, but the current was pretty strong. I was joined by Sam, Ali, LISA, Alex, Andy and Andrea. As I laid on the banks of the river trying to dry out my shammy (the padding on my butt) all I could smell was a rotting fish that was floating nearby so it was time to move on. Up ahead on the road, Francis from Kentucky exclaims he saw a herd of deer, a copperhead snake, and a black bear crossing the road. So far, no one believes him due to lack of video evidence. I didn't see much wild life but ones. I can now say, after 4 days of biking, I know what the smell of carcass smells like. Pat and I actually have started a game "Name that animal". It can be pretty tricky at times. Today I came across a squirrel with no head, a leg of a deer, a string of guts, and plenty of unidentifiable animals. It's a game you just can;t play in a car.

On the way into Strousburg, Francis tried to tempt me into bumper boats at a "resort hotel" we passed. I don't think it is the kind of resort I'm used to. It just looked liked like a cheap Motel with bumper boats. I decided against it. I'm jealous of Pat and Coreyy who stopped at an Alpaca farm. The town of Strousburg is almost a clone of Torrington CT, although the downtown shops are a little cooler here. I keep seeing signs for the Poconos but after such a flat bike ride, I'm not sure exactly how far they are away. It is supposed to be another easy ride tomorrow through PA farm country before we ride our first 95 mile day. The weather has cooled significantly from our first day, and my legs feel pretty good. Poor Morgen went through 3 flat tires today. I'm having a blast exploring the roads along the way. Time to spend my first night in PA!!!!!

PS All that is going through my head right now is Wawayanda New York, which is a town I passed through yesterday....and I want a T-shirt.

Day 3

Cemetary's + Over pass= Naked?

Bike Ride: 33 miles

Our ride was a very easy one over the rolling countryside of New York State. We did 10 miles on a perfectly flat bike path that used to be a railroad, and the last 20 miles smelling cow manure. I got very excited when I passed through Goshen, New York which houses my Great Uncle (who donated to my cause). Unfortunately I could not stop as I had to press on. After a short climb and a 4 mile down hill which was awesome into the city square, we set up camp.....and thought of ways to pull off evil pranks against the Central route.

HBC contains three bike routes. I'm a member of South on my way to San Francisco. Also spending the night in Port Jervis was Central who will make it to Portland. As group....South has decided Central sucks and there is evidence to prove it.
1. All 90 of our Jersey's were misprinted........which says that Central will be going to "Portaland".
2. On our way to a mountain I ran into some Central LEADERS (the guys who plan the route) and asked them if they were" ready for the mountain. They asked "What mountain?"

Since this was the last time our path will cross with another HBC group, someone in our group decided since we will never see them again so we must prank them. $33 of Alarm clocks and batteries were bought at CVS, clocks were hidden in the church they were sleeping in, and the alarms were set on the hour every hour throughout the night. I wonder how their ride was this morning....

The night was finished by buying beer and driving in the van through a grave yard, under interstate 84 to the banks of the Delaware River where naked streaking occurred and a small game of limbo as well as dancing marked the occasion. I guess as a Quinnipiac graduate, I'm not used to the "naked parties" they have down the street at Yale. Simply said....my clothes stayed on. Anywho.....it was an eventful night and our first real taste of college activity on the road. Good by Port Jervis! Off to PA!

Day 2

"That's Bear Mountain over there"

I am currently inside the Monroe Public Library which contains two computers. I've been limited to 15 minutes so I'll do the best I can to describe the day. I have now blown 3 tires. It always happens close to finish lines or food. Yesterday I blew a tire less than 5 miles away from the end of our first day in Ridgefield. Today I blew a tube 1 mile away from lunch in Peekskill New York.....and then one tube 1 mile directly after lunch....two tubes in 2 miles. I am never going back to peekskill New York.

Nick rode and finished today after crashing and suffering a minor concussion yesterday. He wins my hats off award. Today in Map meeting we were told we would go over a bridge and then have to climb "Bear Mountain". It is scary enough that it has the word mountain.....it was even scarier trying to make a left hand turn while riding on Rt 6 where cars were coming around the curve at over 60 MPH.

As my small group of riders of Miriam, Morgen, Pat and myself crossed a bridge we then climbed a steep "mountain". At the top I congratulated the other three riders as they came in to the spectacular view of the Hudson River. As I screamed "We've done it, we climbed bear mountain" a stopped motorcyclist says "ummm, guys....." he then pointed across the river and corrected us saying "That is bear mountain". It appears the small bridge we went over was just a tiny inlet, we had yet to cross the Hudson, and the scary mountain across the river was in fact the unclimbed Bear Mountain. After a trip over the cool looking Bear Mountain Bridge, we climbed up and down the mountain, climbed out of Hudson River Valley and now I sit in Orange County New York.

The church lady who drove me and a few others to the showers is raising deer in her living room, and tonight we get to do home stays with church members. I think I may be scared! Tomorrow we head to Port Jervis for our last full day in New York.....then off to PA, WV, some crappy Midwestern states, some cool western states and then San Francisco!

Oh Yale

Day 1...Captains Log

"I am wearing no underwear.....I am sweaty....and my ass already hurts." These are my thoughts as I whirled around the outer towns of New Haven one last time on my 30 mile orientation time trial. I am at orientation. Although the journey hasn't started yet my experience has. I am one of 27 riders on a path that will lead me through the heart of America to San Francisco.

The riders come from everywhere. Kentucky, California, Texas, Maryland, and Connecticut to name a few. We are being held in a mecca of a church newly renovated complete with a Foosball table and flat screen TV's. My 30 mile ride was a slow chance for me to say goodbye to Hamden, which we briefly passed through and was the home of my education for the last four years. Tomorrow I will say goodbye to New Haven, which has housed my excessive drinking for the night's last four years. I have already found out I am the one fear while I sleep. I snore.....and I roll. The first night I layed down next to my friend Morgen. She was beside the Foosball table. When I woke up, she was scrunched beneath the table like a caged rat due to my rolling while I slept. I'm off to CVS to try and cure snoring....as for rolling....I guess I'll have to make a disclaimer every night.

Tomorrow we leave with a police escort from the New Haven Green. I am not sure I can handle to 6:15am wake up call. I thought the biking would be the tough part. Anywho....farewell New Haven. San Francisco here I come via Ridgefield Connecticut!