40 Miles to Blairsville

June 12, 2006 7:39am

Yeah, so – doot doot doot da doot – Update! on “Peddling PA”

The day started off as well as could be expected, Olivia dressed head to toe in pure biker gear and determined as all hell for someone who hasn’t ridden a bike in over 10 years. We made it three & a half miles, though, and she realized that sixty some more probably wasn’t the best idea. So we turned it around and I took her home, then headed back off again.

I stuck to Old William Penn Highway, both for the fact that it draws the straightest line from Point A to Point B, and for the fact that it’s such a cool name… (i.e., “Yep, you just take that there Ol’ Willie Penn down two counties…”)

All in all it was a good ride, no major snags, beautiful countryside. Three bottles of water and a rim of beef jerky helped me along, but by hour four I was feeling a bit tired, so I stopped at the famous Dean’s Diner for a cheeseburger and fries (as I have no clue what kind of food is good for energy, apparently not cheeseburgers and fries) and once I got going again, I didn’t feel like getting going. I rode another five miles or so and then died out, found myself a local bar in Blairsville, and waited for the rescue team to roll in.

So all in all, with the false start and backtracking, I did 47 miles over the Appalachian mountainsides, which is purportedly harder riding that even the Rockies, and most definitely will be more taxing than a relatively flat coastline. So I think I’m ready for the ride this August, though another test run is coming up here in a couple of weeks.

Also, a few things I’ve learned along the way:

People in small town bars love strangers. It’s probably for a lack of action…
Don’t trust anyone’s opinion on how far something is down the road. Those used to driving in cars have no ability to discern 1/4 mile from 5 miles.
Four lane highways are no place for a peddle bike. In fact, if you can even smell a big rig, you’re too close to one.

Up Next: Earnstwhile and in the Meanmoore

Discussion

bob 12 Jun 2006

that rocks dude! good thing you brought that rim of jerky.

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bob 12 Jun 2006

oh wait i didn’t see the rest of the stuff on the bottom. i thought that it was illegal to ride a bike on a highway? and i have noticed that people giving direction, whilst they drive, leave lots of mileage out.

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olivia 12 Jun 2006

I feel absolutely ashamed that I couldn’t make it to Blairsville, and I really did give it my best shot. The dissappointment still burns in my belly :@(
It was my first and valiant attempt at riding a bike since high-school though… over 10 years ago… and I was folded up over the bike as it was way too small for me.

By “pure biker gear”, Nathan must be referring to Tristan’s red helmet. Apart from that I was wearing my black vest I usually sleep in, old red sneakers and black hot pants I used to gym in. Apparently hotpants on me aren’t hot to Nathan, they’re just dorky… which he shared with me a day after the ride. I guess he thought the whistling we heard along the way was all for him :@P

Aside from that I’m incredibly proud he made it all that way. There were so many long steep hills and highways. Well done baby!!!!

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swopo 13 Jun 2006

haha, yeah, actually, anytime someone is wearing ‘hot pants’ one can consider them in full-out biker gear, helmet or no helmet, as one ben roethlisberger prefers. unless ‘hot pants’ aren’t ‘biker shorts’ but i’m pretty sure they’re the same thing

and, fyi, this bee/fly just zinged up next to me on the window screen carrying a maggot of an equal long length in its mouth. this upsets me

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nathan 13 Jun 2006

@ O. No no no no no – don’t get me wrong – the hot pants were definitely hot – no doubts abouts that… it wasn’t any one item, it was just Olivia’s general looking like a school girl learning to ride a bike that was cute.

I don’t believe I ever said “dorky.”

@ Chad. Maggots and flies upset Tristan as well. But the way you described the window screen, and the immediate ideas that flooded into my head – I’d imagine you’re enjoying your day today in sunny rural PA

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sure, now it saves 13 Jun 2006

that’s unbelievable how right on that is. the fact that my window screen seemed so important at the time made for that comment. i could only have been feeling excellent to notice something as beautiful as my window screen and in fact i’d just arisen from 10 hours of sleep and 1 hour of lying there.

ah, the window screen. you might not read about it in your modern day wikipedias, but when i was a child, staring out of one was as satisfying as going to Dairy Queen

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