I meant to post this last night in Coudersport, but did not have enough service. Here it is, a day late. (yesterdays photos) Since the first day I entered Pennsylvania, I have only seen a few hours of sun--every other moment is wet and foggy. The rain hasnt given me a break--its testing me. How bad do you want to bike today? The sky mutters at me between constant flashes of lightning. I toss my bags out of the tent, and stroll over to my bike, You know, I want to bike pretty bad today. My head isnt thinking about directing my hands at all, the motion comes automatically--within seconds my panniers are on my rack. I begin pushing my bike down the scrappy path towards the road. Bobs campsite was excellent, he has spent the summer clearing it--by hand. (I met Bob last night, and he was kind enough to let an 18 year old stranger on a bicycle use his land--as well as his tent he already had set up! No breakdown in the morning.) I trudged along, over creek and rock, mud and foliage. I made quick work of the downhill, I was looking forward to this part since last night. Within the first few miles of my ride I was totally soaked to the bone. It wasnt until I arrived in Kane that my shivering had become a safety hazard. I took comfort at first under the grocery store bench, eating my breakfast. When the rain had calmed down a bit, I made a break for it, knowing that it was only a matter of time until It would catch up to me again. The dialogue with the sky continued, I yelled at it, it rained harder, I apologized, it relaxed. During another heavy spurt of rain, I rolled my bike under the Jehovahs Witness awning. I got to know this place pretty well, I removed my jacket, tights, gloves, under hat, all of my clothes, really. I plugged my phone into the wall, and called my Mom. We debated a strategy, which eventually lead to what we had been eluding. I just have to nut up, and get back on my bike. Miles are miles, wet or dry. Luckily, I wasnt shivering anymore, and I was able to make it about 10 miles--where I threw in the towel. I took cover at the Kane Country Club, and became a local favorite there. Due to the adventure, or the stupidity I possessed to be biking in the rain. I was given a towel, which I wrapped my legs in. After about an hour the sun came out once again. I dashed out of there in no time, to my disbelief I was at the top of a hill--I cruised down that hill so fast, making up for the time I had spent at the Country Club--or so I imagined. At one point, the sun burst out of a cloud and poured onto me. I let out a yell in happiness--a tear too. I never thought that I would become so emotional with the weather, but it has gotten a grip of me. I guess, in a way, I feel like this weather is really trying to keep in check--as if it has an intelligence. It wants me to know that this is the last stretch of my trip, then it is...over. I really have to make sure I am enjoying it, which I am! Its a reminder to take my time, to Stop and smell the roses, as my Uncle Neil says. After the most tumultuous stretch of road I have ever encountered (it looked like this /\/\/\/\/\/\) I arrived in Port Allegheny. It was 4:05 and I was done biking, at 50 miles. I coasted into the Port Motel, and turned on my phone, to let Julia know I was done biking and to see when I could call her--its her 17th birthday! I didnt have any service though. Id been looking forward to calling her all day--whats a guy to do? The rain was back, I am cold, it is getting late... I turned my bike around without a second though, and continued East, knowing quite well that the following 18 miles was a pretty big climb. I have never biked up a hill that fast. I am not going to lie, I was pretty fired up. I was putting in bonus miles for my birthday girl! So I actually ended up yelling to the sky, Bring on all the rain youve got, I dont care! Im flying! As if the sky was playing some kind of sick joke, it communicated with the road and with only six miles to go--fffffsssss--I had ran over a piece of metal, and it went right into my tire. I stopped and leaned my bike against the guard rail--shivering violently. If I tried to fix my flat right there, I surely would have gotten another flat due to dirt and road spray. I tried to thumb a ride, with no luck over the course of 20 minutes. It was almost six, and I was really not fond of my situation so I began to change the tire anyway--as soon as I removed the rear wheel, the sun erupted out of the clouds. No way. Well, It gets better! A silver BMW turns into the pullout and a man asks if I need any help. He is with his wife, and after explaining my situation, they took delight in telling me that their son is RUNNING (Check out Garths blog, garthsrun.wordpress) across the country--so naturally, they stop whenever they see someone on foot, or on a bike. They ended up helping squeeze my bike into their trunk, and dropped me off at a Motel at the end of Coudersport--thanks guys! I entered my motel room, once again escaping the drizzle that had began to come back. I had a scratch of cell service, and was able to make that phone call. I then fixed my bike tire, and hopped in a wicked hot shower. Im pretty sure its going to rain tomorrow as well...
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 00:35:23 +0000
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