A Short Day Made Shorter (May 25)

Today was supposed to be 54 miles, but our guide Michelle realized that the first 5 miles took us around in a bit of a circle so I clocked in at 50 miles for the day including a side-trip to a NHS (National Historic Site).  It was another day of beautiful riding.  Lots of greenery & sunshine, some farms, lots of hills and a few small towns - Bowmansville, Plowville, Geigertown, St. Peter's Village, Knauertown, Pughtown and finally Phoenixville.  Think there might be some German origins here.....  We didn't have nearly as many expansive views as yesterday and the farming operations didn't seem as elaborate.  Lots of lovely stone houses - some very old and some newer but often built in the old style.

We passed by one cemetery where they were conducting a Memorial Day service.  Most of the homes had US flags flying and/or adorning the yards.

Today's NHS had to do with the early iron works industry.  Hopewell Furnace.  It operated from 1771 until 1883.  Some of the buildings are original; some are re-creations.  Included on the site are a visitor centre (movie & museum), several furnaces & hearths, a water wheel which drove huge bellows for the main furnace, the cast house, the blacksmith shop, a schoolhouse, tenant houses, a boarding house, a barn with horses & sheep, a smokehouse, the ironmaster's manion, etc.  Very interesting to see the technology as well as understand the place it played in the economy and in supplying the war efforts of the time.  After it (and many other similar small operations) shut down, the iron industry continued to play a huge role in the state economy - Bethlehem, Allentown, Pittsburgh, etc.

Only a few of us stopped at the NHS, so by the time we got to St. Peter's Village many of the troops were already settled in for a scrumptious lunch.

It was another beautiful day for a bike ride!  Again - lots of local riders out on day trips.

Stats for the day:
80 km from Denver PA to Phoenixville PA.  3500 feet of climbing.  Temps 20C to 33C - getting a bit warm towards the end.  Rest day tomorrow.  Not much in town; perhaps a side trip to Valley Forge.