PENNSYLVANIA
I woke up at 5:30 to get an early start, didn’t happen. I did have a conversation with myself however - no one else to talk to.
Warren: do you remember when you lived in New England and there were beautiful nights with a heavy dew in the morning?
Me: yes
Warren: Don’t you think then that it might have been a good idea to use the rain fly for the tent.
Me: I was hoping to see the stars through the tent screening, but I fell asleep. Now I have a wet tent and a sodden sleeping bag. Numbskull!
Eventually I got underway. I rode quietly through the Park and down to the lake.
Sunrise over Lake Erie
Breakfast was at the doughnut shop in Geneva-on-the-Lake. The town is very touristy, a main strip with all sorts of shops and rentals. There is a new, sizable conference center in the town, Kent State Conference Center. “Kent State” got me thinking about the shooting at Kent State University in the late 60s, and hoping that we have improved as a nation.
I pushed east through Ashtabula, very industrial. There was a large cargo ship and rail yard. Ore from Lake Superior on its way to Pittsburg or did that shipping stop 50 years ago?
On to Conneaut near the Pennsylvania state line. Conneaut does not seem to have faired as well as Ashtabula, perhaps because the port is smaller. Second breakfast at the diner was good.
There were signs of better times, and hard times now. Look closely at the state of the library.
Carnegie Library in Conneaut, OH
I was riding mostly RT 6 in Ohio. Typical view below. Generally not much shoulder, but it got better. Traffic was fairly light, so it worked out ok.
Not a section Road but not dissimilar
I rode Rt 5 in PA. Similar to Ohio Rt 6 but a better shoulder. I am now in Erie PA. After getting to the hotel I unloaded the bike, setup the tent to dry and went exploring Presque Isle State Park on Lake Erie. It is much like the Dungeness spit at Sequim, but this is much bigger. Great birding and swimming (yes I took the plunge).
Winds - light westerly (tailwind)
Temp - high about 80.
Now for dinner. Stay well my friends!
By the numbers:
Dist 62.3 miles
Elev Gain 1,587 ft
Elev Loss 1,405 ft
Moving time 5:24
Congrats on making it to PA! Erie should have a laundromat with a dryer big enough to fit the sleeping bag, the tent and you. The bike can dry by itself.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned earlier, Conneaut has been the site of a D-Day reenactment that attracts international participation. Not last year for sure and maybe not this.
I think we ate at the same diner in Conneaut -- it was on or near the main route. If it was, we found it to be good, too. We had an early breakfast there and that day headed south into PA.
The road looks rideable. Glad traffic was light. The lake must not have been too cold if you swam again. Maybe you could ship the bike and swim to NY -- have a litle variety.
Well, today was cloudy, cool and we got some fairly good rain this morning. So glad to see that. This sounds like a good day, but one where a hotel is a good choice. Enjoy PA, because you will be in NY soon. Also enjoy the company of Lake Erie....
When I lived in Ohio I once orienteered at Chagrin Falls with Steve, the son of one of the National Guardsmen who had dispatched the Guardsmen to Kent State that day. I was fairly new to the States, and hadn't yet internalized how such an event could have happened. Steve's explanation was that there had been random shootings in the area, threats to businesses, and rumors of "militants" in the area, and so the Guardsmen were kind of jumpy. I still didn't get it. I do now.
ReplyDeleteLove reading about your adventures and ruminations.
Time to start listening to Car Talk as you prepare for New England accents and humor.
ReplyDelete