Day 3. Morgantown, PA

I awoke from a brazillian BBQ food coma and we were off to downtown Philly first thing in the morning to get some breakfast and make stops at a bike shop and EMS for some final gear purchases. I got some shoe covers which I tried out later in the day as a cold drizzle started. My feet tend to get cold and numb easily so I was psyched to find a pair after having no luck in NYC.

Starting out in the morning is the hardest part of the day. You don't really think you have it I you. My left achilles was still pretty sore and tender in the morning. I pedalled through it and thankfully it loosened up later in the day.

Our route took us west out of Philly to catch some local routes, which continued north and west for 47 mile to land us In Morgantown, PA, just shy of Amish country. As we were leaving the city on route 3 we passed by, in what appeared to be a black neighborhood,a hell's angels club house with KKK painted in large white letters on the door. An elderly black man in a black leather jacket with a red kangol and red butterfly collars was strolling passed at the time.

Out of the city the area turned lush and fancy. Mail boxes and gates bore the names of estates like "duck walk" and "spruce hollow". The lands were beautiful and with large houses sprinkled every 100 yards or so. The area reminded me of parts of Greenwich, CT with perhaps less ostentation.

We had our first encounter with hills today as the road undulated with climbs and decents for most of the afternoon. I was daunted at first to see the steep inclines but managed to find a rhythym on the way up. Climbing, especially with a bunch of weight on your bike, is all about patience. You are going to be in a low gear, going very slow (sometimes 1-2mph) and be on the climb for a while. It's best to settle in and hope you have a good song playing to distract you from the fact that the peak never seems to get closer if you keep looking. I had to take a break on one incline, which took me about 10 minutes in all to get over. By the end of the day I was more comfortable with the hills. It's amazing how each day brings new mental and physical adjustments.

Ryan had a tougher time today with the hills, no doubt due to the extra gear and body weight he was moving. At about 10 miles off our detination he hit the wall and wanted to stop. Unfortunately, there was no nearby hotel option, the light rain was starting to pick up and the temprature had dropped to low 50s. We pushed on and managed to reach our destination, lucilky taking the last halfmile on a downhill.

Observations:
* As with fixed gear bikes, stopping is the enemy with long distance touring. Your legs get cold and hurt like hell when you get back on the bike.
* Rumble strips in the middle of the road are great -- you can hear traffic approaching behind you well in advance.
* What you eat is important. I had lots of small snacks all day and had plenty of energy. Bananas! Ryan stopped for a big plate of food at Boston market, which he needed all in all, but made him feel sluggish afterwards.



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Location:Lexington Way,Morgantown,United States