[bike] the East

Sorry I've left you guys left loose since Ohio. We are in fact in Massachusetts now, with only about 80 miles to go. :( It's so sad!!

 

There are full updates at teamroadshow.com/jour , but here are some highlights: At Oakwood, we met a wonderful couple that treated us to dinner, and let us sleep in their camper. I had fried shrimp and sweet potato fries for dinner, what a treat! They also offered their homemade ice cream, and their shower/laundry/bathroom facilities. 

 

Further along Ohio, there were many storms. On one particular day, we got into town just in time, right before a tornado warning! We hid in the library for awhile, and got talking with the people there who were interested in our trip. We got in contact with a nice family that had biked from Hartville, OH to Boston. We were drenched by the time we reached their house, but it was all worth it. They cooked spaghetti for us, but they had all sorts of other homemade goodies. They canned their own tomato sauce, apple-blueberry and raspberry sauces. That morning, Rachel (one of the daughters) had also baked up soft peach muffins and chocolate chip cookies. They showed us the route that they had taken to Boston and we all exchanged adventures before heading to bed. We had a nice warm and dry house to sleep in for the night! In the morning, they cooked up pancakes and other warm breakfast foods for us before we braved the cold, wet rain again. 

 

Our second night in Pennsylvania, we stopped at a small town called Polk. After asking for places to stay at the local grocery store, we were directed to the house of Jim Miller. He generously let us stay in his backyard. But in addition to that, he played in a local bluegrass band, and they were having a concert that night right in his backyard. We met lots of lovely small town folk at the concert, and enjoyed the music as we cooked and ate dinner. The band ended the concert with a tribute to us "the bikers": "I've Been Everywhere" originally by Johnny Cash.

 

In Pennsylvania, I also got to view the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. Amazing views of green. It's comforting to be back in the East, despite the high population density. The forests and hills are safe havens from the cities; there is just something quite different yet refreshing about nature in the East.

 

In New York, we decided to go through Ithaca to visit a friend of Ariel's at Cornell University. The gorges and waterfalls were majestic. We swam at one of the gorges all afternoon, before heading to the Commons for dinner. Just so happened that a music festival was happening there, making the evening quite enjoyable and relaxing. And having a shower never felt so good that night.

 

Love,

MinWah