Cycling the Atlantic Coast

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1962228766?share_unique_id=70 Well, today the weather offered us a little variety from the near perfect riding weather that we have experienced so far.  We rode 55 miles and all but the first 10 were in the rain.  It was a little colder than planned at about 60 degrees. We rolled through the countryside dotted with Mennonite farms and churches.  We ended up the day along the Susquehanna river. We lucked out again by having a pavilion to camp within.  Tomorrow's forecast is good.  We are a bit worried about the hurricane.   Unfortunately,  one of the riders is heading back home to Florida tomorrow to be with his wife for the storm.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1959924416?share_unique_id=68 Today was a very short ride and quick day on the road.  The forecast is for 36 hours of rain, so we are getting physically and mentally ready.  Apparently this is the tail end of Harvey coming through. Nothing really special in our 24 miles of cycling.  The winding roads were outstanding and homes were exceptional. Addendum - The owner of the RV resort opened a couple of cabins for us and all owed us to use their pavilion.   We are all set for 2-3" of rain tonight.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1958557941?share_unique_id=66 Today is Labour Day and the cycling was relatively short, only 30 miles.  We rode through Valley Forge National Park and Lancaster County.   The scenery was fantastic and we saw many recreational cyclists. The highlight of the day was seeing Sally from the Southern Tier ride in 2014.  She lives in Philadelphia and came out and rode with us for much of the day. Tomorrow is a short say, but there is a strong possibly of rain in the forecast. The only pictures taken were of Sally and the other folks from the 2014 ride.

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.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1952560576?share_unique_id=62 It was a cold start to the day at 48 degrees.   I snapped a picture of Tom with socks on his hands as gloves. We had another fine day of cycling along the Delaware River.   We crossed the river a couple of times which put us in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The roads were quiet and flanked by beautiful homes.  The stone homes and fine gardens were fun to see. Tomorrow is our last day of 10 in a row of cycling, before a rest day on Sunday.