Hi Pennsylvania

After less than 24 (or 18) hours in New York, we arrived in Pennsylvania, our home for the next week. I have to say, I have never really been a fan of The Keystone State, and the fact that there was no "Welcome to Pennsylvania, Governor Ed Rendall" sign after we crossed over the Delaware River didn't help things. Of course, we made our own on the shoulder so that other riders wouldn't be as upset as we were (it should be noted that one of the expectations of Bike and Build is to get a picture at every state sign). That was the only low point of the day.

There was much whimpering this morning as we rolled out from the church in Middletown; the agony of repeating yesterday was much feared. We had also heard that there would be a 15 mile climb, and after the 3 mile, 2000 feet climb of yesterday, well...there was definitely some crabbiness. It's hard to hear so many people getting down so I did my best to make my way to the front of the pack, picking off complaining riders as I raced (HA) in granny gear up Mountain Road in Orange County (NY -- we're not in California just yet).

The top of Mountain Road was amazing, and I have never been so happy to see a "Trucks Use Low Gear Next 4 Miles" sign. It took about 45 minutes to get up the hardest part of the hill, and about 2.5 to get down, and from there we sped thru Port Jervis (some stopped for ice cream but I actually couldn't do that just yet, it was about 930 in the morning) and over into PA.

We actually did have a beautiful ride thru the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area. There was a nice broad shoulder and little traffic. Because the van was being serviced (windshield replaced, NY state inspection (Bike and Build is based in Brooklyn), oil replaced...no big deal) we weren't really sure about lunch, and when we hit mile 35 (our designated lunch spot) there was no van to be seen. We ended up getting in touch with the driver, who said that they were still waiting at the garage. Hmmm...it sounded like we'd have to keep riding into the "town" of Bushkill to buy our own. We coasted in 14 miles later and hit up a shady Poconos resort (is there any other kind?), and Erin and I decided that ice cream with sprinkles was the perfect meal. After an hour long break, we finished the ride in Stroudsburg, a cute town that stands on the other side of what is typical Pennsylvania from the park -- a road filled with giant dumptrucks running us of into the gravely shoulder, pumping diesel exhaust into our lungs. GROSS. Luckily though, that ended after about 15 more miles and we were fortunate enough to get showers at the Y, find some wireless, and be located within a mile of RITA'S. BEST DAY EVER.

It always took me about 6 hours to drive across PA on my way to and from school. This time though, it will take strong quads and a whole lotta mental toughness. Shortly after, we roll in and out of West Virginia, and then we'll begin the next chapter of the trip in the midwest. It's so hard to believe this, but each day is an adventure more exciting than the last. What an incredible summer!