AUGUST 17, 2010 - DAY 13 - WESTERVILLE,OH TO SOMERSET, PA
For the first time on our trip we actually got up and hit the road early with the commuters at 7:20 a.m. I think we have both forgotten that the rest of the people have a routine and jobs to go to. It was a nice cool morning where we actually put a sweatshirt on under our mesh jackets, but not cold.
As we headed out we got to travel through a couple of small towns, Pataskala and Etna, Ohio. These are quaint towns with roads called Main Street, brick churches, and homes reminiscent of the Andy Griffith Show.
We have learned that as much as we prefer the back roads and scenic routes that they are not always conducive to schedules. And since we are hoping to make Somerset early enough in the afternoon to allow time for laundry and such, we hit the interstate once again. But what amazes us both is that their commute traffic in no way compares to that back home. We are also looking for breakfast, namely in the form of a Starbucks but to no avail. We have to gas up anyway so after about 30 miles we grab coffee and a muffin at the gas station.
As we make our way east we notice that the Ohio scenery begins to change, becoming slow rolling hills and trees are sprouting up. As we are nearing the West Virginia border we are once again maneuvering around road work and pass an H-D dealership, which I had wished I'd seen quicker. Suddenly Angel rides up to me to tell me her Navigation system is saying we missed a turn off to another highway. And since communication at high speeds with loud noises and full helmets is difficult we pull off at the next exit.
There I explain there is no turn off except the exit at Somerset and pull out an actual paper map and show her. We even reconfirm with my Droid and Google. At this point we have a great opportunity, so we turn around and go back to Harley.
After Angel found a shirt to add to her collection we returned to the bikes and encounter a gentleman who notices our plates and begins chatting with us about how wonderful it is to go out and experience life on a bike. He told us that whenever he goes out riding he never makes reservations and this sometimes upsets his friends. But he explained that you just can't schedule everything or where a road might take you. His example: "What if I am riding along and see a sign for a two headed goat? I am going to turn up that new road because I may never have an opportunity to see another two headed goat and I don't want to pass this by."
We couldn't agree more, and feel a bit guilty about our pre-reserved hotels and days that time is more important. But we also realize that 28 days isn't enough time to do it all. Heck, I'm not even sure an entire summer on the road could be enough.
We travel through an extremely small section of West Virginia, but it is a small town where part of the "downtown" is nestled along the shore of the river, the brick buildings adding color along with the lush green foliage. The waterfront can even be seen from the bridge as we pass by.
Suddenly we are in Pennsylvania. I don't think we would even need a sign. It seems like endless rolling hills, covered in trees, with occasional squares of green grasses. There are towns, along with their pointed steeples, poking up from the valleys and along the rivers. Reality is even more beautiful than any picture or movie you have ever seen.
Finally we arrive at the Turnpike exit, right at our hotel. We are so happy to be there, feeling like this is the halfway point of our trip while also giving us the opportunity to unwind, unpack, relax and stay put for a few days.
First on the agenda is laundry. Although our room door needs to almost be kicked in just to get it open, it is at least very near the laundry facility and this is a good thing. Our only other big plans were dinner, at Maggie May's, just down from the Highland H-D dealership. Here we learned that restaurants are where you go to buy six-packs of beer, though neither of us do. They have a whole refrigerator section like we are used to seeing at the grocery store. And after dinner we stop at Dairy Queen to order Angel's birthday ice cream cake as we walk back to the hotel.
All and all it has been a very good day and we are looking forward to the next couple as well.
Today's Stats: 252.5 miles and 6 hours
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