The day was cool and overcast, perfect riding weather for me. Our route was hilly and crossed through several small towns so Rob and I were up for some exploring. The first photo op was crossing the New York/Pennsylvania border.
Only one more state line to cross. We then found a local library that had internet access so a few of us stopped to get our web fix.
We headed to the town of New Milford and found a great bike shop. There I found my favourite biking shorts ever.....
That's right! Red leopard print. They are hot. Seriously....when you think fat chick don't you think leopard print spandex?
At the local restaurant we caught up with Marge and Peter for lunch where we were shocked to see people smoking at the counter while they ate. You don't see that in Ontario.
A local lady suggested that we take the lower road along the river. Rob thought that was a great idea-I thought we needed to ask more questions. A lower road? That mean we would have to come back up to the route. Yes, she confirmed it would be steep but short. I looked at Rob-We can walk that? Yes he said. Ok, which way do we go? The lady said to follow her but to keep back a bit so the dust didn't blow all over us. Dust? Yes it was a dirt road. That was the deal breaker for Rob and we decided to stick to the route. I knew we needed to get the details. Never just trust a local who doesn't cycle.
We then found Walter, who once again had found the perfect SAG location.
Under the Lackawanna bridge, we headed toward camp.
Unfortunately, State Parks are often in remote locations so we hit the most incredible 10% grade climb for the final 10kms. Up ahead we saw a large dog at a home. Rob was convinced that he would be tired from chasing the 100 cyclists who had passed before us. I wasn't convinced. Sure enough I lost my clip just at the house and the dog came charging towards me. "Just yell at him" Rob called as he cycled away from me and left me as bait. What choice did I have? I turn and screamed "Get Back!" Sure enough, the dog bolted back to the house. Rob cycled back,"Wow, I thought he had you." Yeah and thanks for coming to my rescue!!!
We climbed and climbed and climbed, wondering if we would ever get to camp and on a desperate hunt for a ice cream shop. No luck with the ice cream but we made good time to camp.
The evening ended with a camp fire in the rain, Brian and I playing guitar.
1 comment:
I can't even imagine the exuberance you must be feeling with the end in sight! What a triumphant experience! Prayers as you celebrate and then get back into normal life and routines. We worked one summer in Nova Scotia and the adjustment wasn't in the going, it was in the returning. Hope your adjustments go well. We had lessons we never forgot, though, and something that changed within us forever. Keep peddling the faith! It was a pleasure meeting you, Gayle~
love, Jeanne
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