Cycling the Atlantic Coast

Today we are approaching the 3 week mark.  We have covered 800 miles and climbed 35,000 feet of hills.  We are 1/3 of the way done with cycling days. We will cover 3,000 miles on the trip.  Most of the hills are on the first half of the ride.  Once we hit North Carolina,  it becomes very flat and our daily mileage will increase a bit. They group is fantastic and we are learning a lot and having lots of fun.  The weather has been unseasonably cold most places.  From looking at historical averages, we are about 10 degrees below normal for day and night temperatures. Map 3 shows the next segment of our adventure.

Today was a day of rest, so what did I  do.....bicycle.   I  did a self guided biking tour of Valley Forge National Park.  It was a amazing the sense of history one gets viewing the actual sites and hearing the stories.   It adds great perspective to the events. The park was wonderful.  I was struck by number of foreigners visiting the site on a holiday weekend. Pictured are examples of the cabins, me in front of the memorial and Washington's headquarters. 

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1954126770?share_unique_id=64 Another cold start at 48 degrees this morning.  We cycled our way through suburban Philadelphia until we found a great place to eat, the Back to the 50's Cafe.  It was filled with local folks enjoying a Saturday morning brunch.   I had the perfect cycling second breakfast,  a camel apple waffel.  On a cool fall like morning,  it was wonderful. We had a little rain on the way into town, but not even enough for rain gear. Most of the group headed into the city.  Tom and I decided to stay near Valley Forge to see the national park on our layover day.  Our "campsite" was a Holiday Inn Express. The rest day has been well needed.   Tomorrow we are on our way to Washington DC.   It will take us 5 days.