Day 80: Hagerstown, Maryland to Lancaster Pennsylvania

It's now actually 9:10 am on Day 81. I had a great night's rest and just enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at the Lovelace Manor B&B. It's great having a rest day.

Today will be filled with  bike cleaning and repair, and restocking food and supplies. Plus Sean wants to check out a bike shop that specializes in recumbent bikes. I also have a college friend (Jim Pyne) coming to visit and dinner plans with a long time friend (Amy Serafin). So it will be a busy rest day. And I want to get this blog summary out before I forget what yesterday was like!

Yesterday morning we were all up and about and ready to roll at 7:45. It had rained throughout the night but the sky was clear. Winds were strong but favorable. Very favorable.

Rick had just finished replacing the replacement tube with too short of a valve stem he had just put on to replace the glue-patched tube from yesterday. In my book that counts as two flats, or as our Irish friends would call them, two punctures.

We rolled out in good spirits though we were all bit concerned about the 104 miles ahead of us with lots of climbing.

Ready to roll!

Early morning riding

Spectacular views in the morning...

We got about 2 miles down the road when we noticed that Rick, the wall, the sweeper, the wing-man keeper, was nowhere to be seen. Sure enough, with the wet roads he had flatted shortly after leaving the hotel and no one heard his "FLAT" exclamation.

I rode back to find him, we found the hole in the tube, checked the tire, found the glass hole (oh how I dislike "glass-holes") and put in a new tube. Actually  it turned out to be  an old vintage tube that had been resting comfortably in Rick's saddle bag for 15 years.  This tube failed to inflate. Fortunately Dennis and Sean were there so no CO2 cartridges were expended. We replaced the tube with one from this millennium and were on the road. Puncture count is now: 4.

Catching up with group after flat  repair #4

The ride was great. Tail winds pushed us up the hills and around the corners. This had to be the easiest century ride yet. I think we all felt like super heroes.  Beautiful farm lands. Great views over rolling hills.

Getting warm in the sun

Missing the storms and enjoying nice cloud cover 

  Small town riding on quiet roads

 Fun route through neighborhoods

Lunch worked out wonderfully well. We ate at the Apple Bin Grill and Bakery (Mile 51) that I had spotted while working on the route map before our ride. For once Dennis reached a place that was still in business! Lunch was waiting for us as we rolled in. It was great.

Somehow Dennis's pose reminds me of Mr. T as he protects us and the van!

Diana was feeling great after lunch and the pace picked up noticeably. I heard a bit more breathing on the climbs but no one complained.

Pulling in the miles

Riding through York was a nightmare. I got right-hooked by a car and narrowly avoided getting taken out. The driver never saw me, despite my flashing lights. Not a surprise. Minutes later, Diana and David both almost got slapped in their necks by a large pickup truck with wide trailer mirrors. How it missed them is beyond me. All of this is a reminder to us to stay vigilant, especially when riding through areas with high traffic.

Once we passed York, the route was once again very pleasant and it wasn't until we started to cross the Susquehanna River, that Rick, the wall, once again flatted. Make that count #5. This was a pinch flat. No comment! We inflated this one with a WW I era CO2 cartridge that barely got the pressure up to a pinch flat resistance level. We topped it off with my pocket pump and were back on the road.

Ricks view as his tire goes flat

Ready to roll 

(Rick's expression as I remind him that fixing flats is part of the game, might as well enjoy the break!)

We reach our B&B in good spirits. Cheered on not just by Dennis and Sean but also by the Inn owners, Lark and Michael.

Amy joined us for dinner at a great Peruvian restaurant, Serrano, and we all had a great time.

 

So now it's time to get this blog out and start working on bikes!

Cheers, Dave