On day two of writing I entered Easton Pennsylvania the town where the Crayola Factory is located. The route from New Jersey to Easton was filled with frustrating moments. from ice covered paths to Long never ending climbs there was even snowfall at one point. When I arrived in Easton the hotel Grand Estonia Suites offered me a reasonable price and a warm welcome. To my surprise when I checked in and arrived at my room I had a full Suite. It included a kitchen, living room and a bedroom. It was a great place to rest after the ride.
As the day went on, the snow continued to fall and I decided to stay a second night in hopes of better weather. I also knew my wife’s class recently visited the Crayola Factory and that her students were watching my ride. So I took the time and talked to my wife and we set up a time for me to Skype in and talk to the class with the familiar Crayola Factory in the background. It was great talking to the first grade class where I also spoke about bike safety and wearing a helmet.
The next day I departed Easton headed to Ohio. It was a rough and long 63.3 miles mountain that made New Jersey feel flat. I stopped at the Mainstay Suites in Barnesville, the hotel was brand new and nice.
Next day when I woke up the rain had fallen but it was clear to ride. It’s just another 56.3 miles to Lewisburg, as I learned on this ride the mix of coal dust and water can be deceiving and look like pavement. It was about 20 miles in when my bike sunk into the black mud and I went down with it. With luck this happened when I was going slow and I suffered no injury. My bag in the bike got a small hole but nothing to be concerned with. When I arrived in Lewisburg I was in a nice older town and then decided to stay two nights to get a rest, service the bike, and have some great food.
At this point I’m beating my legs are hurting and the mountains have not ended. My distance is the maximum I can go before the next hotel and I have to get through it. I leave Lewisburg for another 54.8 mile ride to State College PA. I have to keep moving because of an incoming storm. I also know that once I hit State College my route would start to drop. mountains however were to be persistent for a few hundred more miles.
In State College the Super 8 welcomed me by talking about the ride and where I was going. locals gave me tips on cycling a state college to Clearfield. The town was also a college town with food delivery from every place including McDonald’s! The rain swept in and I stuck around for two nights. Later it looked like I would get a clearing to head to Clearfield, I was wrong. but thanks to the tips I knew who to call for support and I was saved from a shoulder less Road thunderstorms and low visibility and because of that sometimes in life you face difficulties and need the help of others this is one of those times.
From Clearfield my route drops since hotels are closer. I had some rain keep me in but people asked about the ride and why. I was in Super 8 and Clearfield and Brookville and the hotels were great. They were clean with internet and breakfast.
From Brookville I headed into what seems like a different world than eastern PA. In Clarion I headed to a bread and breakfast called The Clarion house. I called the owners before I got into town to see if they had a room and they did. Unfortunately, I’ve been delayed by a day from that call because of the rain. but the owners greeted me and still had a room. to top it off the owners last year had a guess who ran across the country, Jessica Goldman. As I know and talked to Miss Goldman and an Associate of mine I reached out to her because I realized that means I am now on part of the route she took. Meanwhile, I found a nice coffee shop and met a former Marine who hiked the Appalachian Trail North to South and is setting off to hike it again but this time South to north. It was great talking to another who is set out on a long Expedition and getting some tips.
The next day I got up and departed. Initially I had the intent to stop at Emlenton, but the problem was I got there at 11:30 a.m. Stopped at a local gas station that had food for lunch and I ate a burger. I knew it was only 20 miles to Grove City where Miss Goldman had told me of a nice place to eat and stay overnight. I’d set off since the day was nice and it was only noon.
When I left and started across the bridge I saw my final test of PA. The mountain leading out of this town was almost vertical. I stuck to my low gear and Road casually until I hit the first turn. The shoulder of the road, while huge, was filled with sand and salt from the winter. My rear wheel just spun and I had to change to walking one mile over this mountain. When I reached the top I smiled. I knew that climbs like that were gone for some time and I continued into Grove City.
As I entered Grove City I called the recommended Bed and Breakfast terra nova House. Thanks to my luck there was a room open and a really nice owner. We talked and I asked for some food recommendations and it was the same as Miss Goldman’s Nonni’s Corner Trattoria. I figured at this point I know where I am eating dinner and wow this was one heck of a suggestion. The meatballs were tender and tasty, the pasta with garlic and olive oil had a nice abundance of sliced garlic and the cannoli for dessert was a restaurant made piece of art. The best part was that while in the town people remembered Miss Goldman knew about TBI and its impact, and supported the effort to help the public understand. They also knew that PA for cyclists and Runners Crossing it’s one tough challenge.
For my last two stops in PA entered into what soon began to feel like a different place than I am used to. I left Grove City to head into Warren Ohio and a single 44 mile ride and I got a beautiful day for it. The roads and hills were nice and smooth compared to before. The winds were finally calm. I stopped about one mile from the PA / Ohio Border and took a photo of my bike, drank some water, ate some beef jerky from my local purveyor and smiled. I knew one of my toughest States was behind me, I knew I was about to link up with a bike route for a few hundred miles, I also knew I was much closer to California and the return to my wife.
With this I got back on the bike and rode into Ohio…
