Gettysburg, PA to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. Peg spoke to Doug: Long day of biking. 74.83 miles in 100 degree heat. 6 hours 40 minutes of actual biking time. Camped behind an elementary school. (271 total miles)
Up at 6AM. Tent very wet from the high humidity. I'm warm and dry though. Strange black dude in white T-shirt with big pot belly slowly approaches as I'm striking camp. Walking very slowly- can't tell what he's up to. He has a curious expression on his face and I'm not sure if he wants to rob me or rape me. I say hello from about 20 feet away and he just watches me, no response except to continue slowly advancing with that strange grin on his face. OK, I'm officially creeped out. Then I realize he was simply reporting for work. Soon after the rest of the football field maintenance crew arrives. The others don't pay any attention to me.
Off to breakfast at Ernie's Texas Lunch.. "Gonna be 100 today" says the friendly waitress. Great, I better get goin across....
7:30 AM on the road again. R116 West to 16 West.
First 10 through morning fog with visibility only a tenth-of-a-mile. Noticed droplets of moisture forming on the hairs of my arms. Very damp but cool. Passed several golf courses and doubted you could see the green from the tee on a par 4.
First stop 9:30 AM after my first mountain at Blue Ridge Summit, PA. Rode about 20 miles so far. As I rode to the summit I heard a truck beep and it turned out to be a road crew painting the white line down the side of the road, so as I pedaled a brand new white line appeared before my path. I was seeing the line that divides me from the rest of the traveling world, being drawn right in front of me. Luckily, the bike or I didn't get painted too.
Stopped at a diner and refilled water bottles. Would have paid for water at that point. Also took out the wet tent out and draped it over the bike to dry. Figured a dry tent might lighten my load a bit.
12:00 Noon Hagerstown, MD 35 miles about 3 hours of riding time. Nice ride from Blue Ridge Summit. Crossed the Appalachian Trail at Rouzerville, PA. Long downhill from summit. Wondered if that is as hard as it gets or have I not seen nothing yet. Stopped at old-fashioned drug store with soda fountain and had THE BEST root beer float EVER!. The AC felt great too - still have to make a food stop though. IT IS HOT OUT! Somehow I managed to ride completely through Hagerstown without passing a McDonalds or Wendy's. I saw a sign for NY pizza in a strip mall and figured they have to sell individual slices. (So many places only sell whole pies.) Anyway, I was right. Rocky's NY Pizza sells slices. Special deal too, 2 slices and a 16oz soda. Perfect. Got to talking to Tony, Humberto, and Raymond about the trip. It was great to talk to them as they had lots of questions. I spend a lot of time lost in my thoughts or lost in the drone of traffic, so when I get a chance to stop, rest and chat with nice folks it really takes the edge off. I had just finished telling them about camping and an ad came on the TV for some hotel chain with smiling happy people plopping down on beds. I yelled, "Don't show me that!, I'm still a few days away from a hotel!" Tony laughed and asked if I wanted a refill on the soda...He waived the .50 refill charge. I offered to pay, but he insisted. Thanks Tony! They wished me well and off I went.
Route 16 west to 11 south
Crossed the Potomac River 3 miles later. Stopped and took the picture of the day looking back across the bridge from the West Virginia side. Today was a 3 state day. PA, MD, WV. Probably the only one. Took Rt. 11 south to 901 west to Hedgesville. Stopped at a creek to cool off. Somehow lost my bandana. I guess it floated away...damn! that was my Grand Canyon bandana- oh well. The creek was shallow but cold and there were these unusual dragon flies with black wings and iridescent green bodies that looked really cool.
When I got to Hedgesville I had already logged more than 60 miles and still had 12 more to go to Berkeley Springs. Now on Rt. 9 west. Stopped to rest every 4 miles as the hills were steeper and I didn't have much left in me. Added electrolyte powder to water and munched on power snacks. Even stopped once for a chocolate milk. A toothless woman stands behind the counter. I buy the milk and ask about a rest room so I can refill my water supply. She said they don't have one so I asked if I could just fill up my water bottle and she said "You don't want to drink my water, it smells baaaaaaaad." I said, "alrighty then" and got the hell out of there! Laid down on the lawn outside and wished I was done for the day. Then, back on the bike...9 more miles to go.
Soon after, some asshole kid screamed out the passenger window something stupid and unintelligible. I was really pumping steadily up a long hill and it only bothered me because it startled me and my focus. So far, West Virginia is mainly a lot of ups and downs. Just wish it was cooler. Tomorrow just 50 miles I swear! OK, 54. At least that's what it looks like on the map. One other woe: At one point I got a bug in my right eye and as I dealt with it, I got a drop of sweat in my left eye. Not fun riding blind. Earlier in the day, a butterfly flew right up to my right eyelash and then took off. Was that a butterfly kiss? Just more of the good and the bad...the ups and downs.
I also seem to see a lot of cigarette packs along the road that are still filled with cigarettes. Now, considering the cost of the stupid things it seems curious. I remember when I smoked, and wanted to quit I would occasionally throw a partial pack out the window, vowing I had smoked the last one, only to buy a fresh pack hours later. I just wonder if this is the explanation for the majority of the ones I see.
Arrived at Berkeley Springs at 6:30PM and freshened up. Changed into my tourist clothes and headed to a little state park in the middle of town that had these mineral pools scattered all about. Soaked my feet and legs and wrote these notes you're reading now. One little pool claims to be George Washington's Bath Tub. There is a woman tourist posing for a shot with her feet in it. Time to eat and get some serious sleep.