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.

Most Beautiful Day Ever? (May 24)

Don't know about "ever", but it was pretty sweet!  We were deep in the farm country of southern Pennsylvania.  Pretty rolling terrain with a patchwork of fields, mixed with forests and cattle farming.  Most of the farms looked like quite large operations.  We were in Amish and Mennonite country.  We saw one horse & buggy on the road and several people at some of the farm houses dressed in traditional garb.  Sunshine and perfect riding temperature rounded out the day.

At about 12 miles we rode on a long bridge over the Susquehanna River.

We rode through the small towns of Wrightsville, Columbia, Marietta, Mount Joy, Manheim, Elm, Clay and Stevens before reaching our final destination of Denver.

Near the end of our ride we met a woman who had ridden Baltimore to Key West as a cancer fund raiser.  They did the trip in teams - took just 8 days!  Somehow their group had heard of us, so she was excited to find us in her back yard.  Being Sunday, we saw quite a few riders out on the roads today; such a beautiful area to ride in......

We had a few cue sheet/navigational challenges today.  But - a short day and everyone was in safely at a decent time.

Stats for the day:
80 km from York PA To Denver PA.  I have to revise yesterday's impression of York.  We came out through some very nice residential areas this morning.  Looks like it is mostly the historic downtown and old industrial areas that are most downtrodden.  2800 feet of climbing.  Temps 13C to 27C.  Sunshine and a bit of a tailwind.  Life is good.

A Free 58 (May 23rd)

Well, I have a temporary workaround, but won't be able to transfer pictures from my iPhone until later..........

I would consider today to be a free ride; 58 miles closer to our destination in Maine.  It was a great day!  The first 15 miles were through really pretty rolling country - lots of horse farms, rural residences and greenery.  The word bucolic comes to mind.  And Saturday morning traffic was pretty light.

The next 40 miles were on a rails-to-trails bike path.  The surface was crushed gravel and unpaved.  So - not ideal - but really not too bad at all.  Smooth, straight, and because it is an old railroad its grade did not exceed 2 or 3%.  Lots of runners, walkers and other bikers.

The first half was in Maryland (uphill) and the second half in Pennsylvania (downhill).  I preferred the PA side, not only because it was downhill, but since they kept the rail line intact it was wider, more open and we could see more roads and houses alongside.  It was especially nice to look off to the sides and see the steep roads coming and going from the surrounding hills while we rode on our almost flat & straight route.  The Maryland side was nice enough but we didn't see much more than the trees lining the trail.  Much of it was in Gunpowder Falls State Park and followed the Gunpowder River.

Some of the communities had fixed up their old stations.

We entered Pennsylvania at the halfway mark, into a cute little town called New Freedom.

They still run an old steam engine tourist train departing from New Freedom.  The station has been turned into a cafe and a museum.  Really friendly folks in both.

I encountered the train returning to town after I resumed my ride.

Lots of pretty little houses along the way.

One of the claims to fame of this railroad is that it carried Abe Lincoln to Gettysburg for his famous Gettysburg Address.  After his assassination it also carried his body from Washington on its way to New York and ultimately to his birthplace in Illinois.

Here's the Hanover Junction station.

On its grounds are these two interesting sculpture.  The horse is made out of old bicycle parts and includes several intact kids trikes

Interesting signs and sculptures along the way............

Some interesting bridges.

And finally into the city of York.  Looks like it has had a lot of history, but currently looks like another US industrial town down on its luck.  A lot of vacant buildings on the main street , deteriorating houses, abandoned plants and warehouses.  Some nice old buildings, though.

Truly an easy and beautiful day.  Almost seems like we didn't work at all for our 58 miles day (I did a few more looking around town).  Free miles!

Stats for the day:
95 km from Owings Mill MD to York PA.  About 2000 feet of gentle climbing.  Temps 9C to 27C.  No humidity.  No wind.