AUGUST 23, 2010 - DAY 19 - CLEARFIELD, PA TO GOSHEN, IN
So last night was a first for this trip - I was so exhausted I was the first one asleep!
After breakfast we headed out through Amish country. Our original plans were to take back roads to Goshen but since we weren't as far west as those same plans we had to once again head out on the interstate. Morning has not changed our view of the truckers on I-80: they are insane.
Somewhere in western Pennsylvania we pull off at a gas station for a pit stop when an older woman walked up to our bikes, looking at them longingly. When we start talking to her we learn that her name is May and that "back in the day" she rode motorcycles. Her eyes sparkled when she talked about it. She explained that when she began having children, and she had eight of them, she stopped riding. But her memories were obviously exciting and happy ones, and she was reliving them when she saw us on our bikes. About then her daughter walked up and we took their photos with our bikes. May was thrilled, as were we. Another friend and trip memory made.
At our next pit stop we met Jeff, riding a Beemer (BMW). He was from North Carolina and heading to the West Coast alone to attend Burning Man. We couldn't help but laugh at his license plate which read "NEED 2 P".
Though we are disappointed in having to make up the miles on the super slab Pennsylvania is just such a beautiful state that even along the interstate you can't help but marvel at the views. The hills are rolling green and though we don't go through the towns we can look over at them with their brick buildings and white steeples rising above all the trees. And I absolutely love one of their road signs. It is one of those large yellow highway signs but it reads: "Buckle Up Next Million Miles". How's that for seatbelt safety?!
Amish country isn't just Pennsylvania. It extends into Indiana as well. We have seen some of the people when we've been at the gas stations / mini-marts but it isn't until we are off the interstate and heading into Goshen that we felt we had stepped back in time. We passed several horse drawn buggies, and there were signs at different homes / farms listing their businesses such as blacksmith, dairy, etc. And when we went past some of the stores and restaurants in town we saw hitching posts, along with shovels and buckets beside them. We even saw a couple of buggies tied up.
When we went to check in at our hotel we encountered our first travel glitch (aside from crickets). Seems when I made the reservation on-line I forgot to change the date from what automatically shows up while booking, and apparently I either didn't read the email confirmation or didn't have my glasses on, or both, so they had expected us the week before. Thankfully they had a room and I got the same rate. We grab a late dinner and head back to the hotel and our beds in anticipation of tomorrow. Our days are getting longer and all we want to do when we arrive anywhere is shower and sleep.
Today's stats: 441 miles and 10 hours
No comments:
Post a Comment