July 6, 2019 – Lancaster, PA – A horse and buggy pulled out in front of me as I pedaled west on Hwy 23 toward Lancaster, PA on Friday.
Aside from the clip clop of the hooves on the pavement and the traditional straw hats and suspenders, it’s the anomaly of the simple life that reels me in.
Then, while buying post cards at an old country-school-turned-Amish-information-center, the bearded clerk’s cell phone rang.
“I’m Mennonite,” he said.
One of the reasons I enjoy traveling by bicycle. I’m able to stop and take photos of the things that normally I’d drive right by.
Ran into these fellas on the trail this morning. They were all headed to work in a pseudo car-pool fashion.
One of the other roadside shows was coming out of New Jersey. These guys said they were training to stay in shape.
Knocked down about 50 miles on Friday from Valley Forge to Lancaster, PA. I should pull into Gettysburg later this afternoon.
The heat and humidity have been pretty intense. My glasses steam up consistently; I try to clean them off but spandex doesn’t really absorb well when it’s already soaking and my camera phone doesn’t respond to moist contact.
The terrain is beautiful and there are lots of rolling hills which also means some speedy descents along with rigorous climbs.
My biggest mistake was picking up a 2-pound bag of cherries at a fruit market. They looked so good and then I slogged those things 60 miles up the road. By the end of the day it was all a hot mess. Add it to the 80 pounds of gear and I’ll have to better reassess my choices moving forward.
Found a cozy motel below just outside of Lancaster.
All my church connections are enjoying the long July 4 weekend. The flowery bed spread and decorative pillow made it feel like grandma’s house.
Thanks to Tom at Steffy’s Garage for the Pennsylvania plate.
On to Gettysburg.