Wow what a day and what a ride!!! I made it 95 miles and I was so elated I had to shed tears of joy!!
I was so thankful for an absolutely beautiful day - it was pretty much perfect!!!
I had found a route for bikes very last minute on MapQuest which thrilled me. I didn't know that existed and I was a little paniced about the initial route I thought I was going on. After searching the addresses, I printed the directions then made my cue sheet to fit on my bike. MapQuest however doesn't list unpaved roads or detours so just like when driving, you never quite know what adventure you could get in.
I got started from my home in Lititz about 7:15 am with full determination to complete this ride no matter what. You always worry a little bit about popping a tire and of course crazy drivers. The ride went pretty smooth over all. And as you can see by the picture above, I did get to see some wildlife. I saw deer, hawks, herons, a chipmunk, squirrels and the cute turtle above. I hit some bad road on Rt. 61, a detour (which thanks to my phone compass I figured a way around it) and I had to walk my bike down an unpaved road which was very steep and covered with small stones. The main challenge was actually close to the cabin after riding 82 miles, I turned left to see the Penn's Peak hill. For those of you who are familiar with this hill, it's plain nasty and has a hard curve in it. To make matters worse, they just tarred and cindered this lovely hill. There was no way I was going to make it the whole way up, my tires would pretty much just spin. I had to walk up the hill in my new bike shoes so the cinders were bad whether I was riding or walking. That whole walk delayed my arrival also but I didn't care at that point. I was almost there.
I stopped a few times to stretch, eat a little, and refresh my drinks at a convenience store. I also had to empty my bladder twice and one time was in a Christmas tree field, that was funny. I arrived about 5:15 pm and couldn't wait to eat. My son Avery was driving my mini van there so we could drive home the next day. He had hit some traffic so he didn't get there until about 5:50 pm. It was a JOYOUS day for me. This is the longest ride I have done so far and the accomplishment made me feel like I just won the gold medal!!!
Thanks for following my blog and for your prayers!! I ask for your prayers now more than ever, I apparently have tendonitis in my right knee which is causing problems so I'm praying for healing and doing everything the doctor and my trainer are telling me to do to help it heal. Thru God's healing touch and his strength, we will prevail!!!
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