Ken's Bike Ride

Day 42
Sunday
Laughlintown PA to Breezewood PA
70 miles
Travel Time 8 hours
Saddle Time 6 hours

Week 6 576 miles
3,262 completed. Roughly 300 to go

Yesterday was another premature release…..of my blog. I updated the data to yesterday’s post, for those following that stuff. But I will finish the stories and add pictures to today. I will send separate post for flight 93 memorial pictures.

Yesterday I saw my first Long Beach Island t-shirt! However when I asked the man if I could take his picture, and I explained why, he said he didn’t know where LBI was! It still counts as an LBI sighting.

At Steelers Training camp I was sitting next to the Bush family. The grandmother inquired about my funny looking sneakers. I explained the concept of biking cleats and then it opened the usual discussion about my trip. At one point they asked if I was doing this for a charity. I explained that I am doing the ride for myself, but I am raising money for Habitat for Humanity along the way. Later, as I was leaving, they handed me $20 for Habitat! FOR ALL OF YOU ENJOYING MY BLOG, DONT FORGET THERE IS A DONATE BUTTON ON THE TOP! There is a picture of St Vincent College from afar, where training camp was held. I also learned that Rolling Rock is no longer made in Latrobe PA!

I made it to my destination of Ligonier, but the only hotel was sold out. They called Ligonier Country Inn , 4 miles further, and they had rooms. After checking in, I sat at the bar having dinner, talking with the barkeep. Then the owner CJ came to find me. He had heard about what I was doing and he wanted to hear all about it. Turns out his wife Maggie had ridden solo from there to the Florida Keys to raise money for a local pool. Then she did a solo trip across Canada. He had some fascinating stories about her journey including the fact that a journalist interviewed her at the beginning of her trip and then he wrote in the paper about this woman riding unprotected across Canada. The Royal Canadian Mounties were immediately alerted and watched over her. And somehow the whole trucking community took her under their wings and would communicate thru CBs of where she was, and they bought her meals all along her route.

This morning I did something I never did before. I passed up on a free Sunday brunch buffet at the hotel! It didn’t start until 8 am and I needed to get on the road. As I left the hotel at 6 am, I turned East and immediately started climbing. My Sunday brunch was a 4 mile 9% climb. Followed by many more hills. Tomorrow I start off climbing another mountain. BTW, PA is beautiful. Driving on turnpike or rte 80 limit your exposure to the amazing rolling hills.

I got to the Flight 93 memorial at 8:30, but the gate didn’t open until 9. I thought I saw in small print that people biking across the country could go around the gate. I proceeded to bike the park’s 4 mile road to the crash site and walked around all alone. When I was standing there reading the first informational sign at the site, a hummingbird flew up and hung a few inches from my face for about 10 seconds. It was weird. Think whatever you want. I included pictures of how people are using the disaster for their own needs.

Tentative plan. Gettysburg mon, Lancaster tues, philly wed, LBI fri. But that can change. Anyone have friends in Gettysburg or Lancaster? Does anyone have Kelly McGillis’s address?