The Rise, the Fall, the Return: Day 2, 3, 4


I am remiss that I have not been posting to this very much. But, you see, I have rode nearly 300 miles (and counting) and am now in Clarks Summit, PA, sporting a lovely peeling red nose, a very sore bum and a lot of good pictures.

I will add more later to this when I am not tired, but I will give the briefer:

Day 2: The Rise. Everything went well until the two-mile hill (which, really, was four. They lied on the cue sheet!). I had to get off the bike a walk it a couple times but I completed it and, finally at the top and with a swath of open down sloping road ahead of me, hooted like a drunk at a baseball game.

Day 3: The Fall. In the parlance of cyclists, I bonked. Badly. Should have done 73 miles today but was only able to pull in about 50. Got picked up at two points and dropped off at later rest stops. The last time I felt like a complete zombie and just wanted to go to sleep on the side of the road. A fellow rider gave me Emergen-C and, who knew?, that stuff works! Completed the last 17-mile stretch into Owego, NY.

Day 4: The Return. I'm back, baby! Despite record low temperatures this morning (46 degrees when we left the hotel at about 6:30), as well as some nasty hills, the first rest stop not being until mile 39, and another rider breaking his femur, I got through 80 miles of New York and Pennsylvania country relatively unscratched. I mean, I wouldn't scratch much on me right now; the sunburn would make me cry.

Tomorrow is Clarks Summit to Stroudsburg, PA, through the Endless Mountains...


The church graciously let us use their bathrooms.

—John Dunphy