A bunch of people have asked me if I’m raising money on my trip. I’m not, but my friend and fellow cyclist/runner Jaemi Ong is raising money for the North Shore Animal League so she can run in this year’s NYC Marathon. The League is the world’s largest no-kill rescue organization. So if you’re in a giving mood please consider donating here: http://takeaction.animalleague.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=3097077&pg=personal&fr_id=1070
I left Scranton, PA this morning and am currently sitting outside a McDonald’s in Tunkhannock. Thanks to Jon and Suzanne for feeding me and letting me crash. As the title of this post says now it really begins. I don’t have plans to stay with anyone until Illinois, which is kinda far away. No more friends to feed me and give me a bed, just me and the open road. Its freaking me out a bit.
I’m not sure which I dislike more, rain or hills. Yesterday was my first rain free day which I celebrated by getting the wierdest sunburn ever. A farmers tan, if that farmer wore gloves all the time. And he wore short-shorts but also kept the sun on his left the entire day. Also a day filled with lots and lots of hills. Anyone who thinks the Poconos are nice obviously never biked there. I also learned that Scranton is in a valley. One I spent more than an hour trying to get out of this morning.
Should be fairly level for the rest of today however. [See below.] I’m taking Route 6 through PA and this part follows along a river. Still not sure where I’m camping tonight, so that should be interesting. That’s it for now, I hope to have more tales of misadventure soon.
Almost forgot, I took a video of riding in the rain which you can find here: Riding in the rain.
[Edit: The YouTube link should be working now. Also I was very wrong about it being flat. It wasn’t.]
My journey across the country has officially begun! Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday or messaged me. Starting at Point Pleasant Beach, NJ I biked about 20 miles to nearby Allaire State Park. I learned the following morning one of the dangers of camping in “unofficial” campsites: my first flat tire. Fortunatly the rain had slowed a bit so changing it wasn’t too bad. I then spent the next couple hours getting drenched as I made my way to Bridgewater, NJ. Thanks to Greg and Christine for putting up with my soggy self. My reluctance to submit myself to another day of rain gave me a slow start on Monday. Torrential downpours again, though I did get to see the sun for about 30 minutes. It almost tricked me into putting sunscreen on, but I knew better. After more rain I arrived in Easton, PA where my friends Dick and Polly helped me dry my stuff out and made homemade pizza! Which I’m now going to go eat.
Before I go, quick question: The first thing I want to do after biking all day in the rain is to take a hot shower. Does that count as irony?
As promised here is the blog of my bicycle trip across the country. I leave this Saturday from Point Pleasant and head to Allaire State park for my first night. I hope to post updates every couple of days. Wish me luck!